Eddie Kendricks

This triple-disc anthology complements Keep on Truckin': The Motown Solo Albums, Vol. 1. Included are Eddie Kendricks' mid- to late-'70s long-players Boogie Down!, The Hit Man, He's a Friend, Goin' Up in Smoke, and Slick, as well as seven previously unavailable sides excavated from the Motown vaults. Kendricks' post-"Keep on Truckin'" successes continued on Boogie Down!, topping the R&B LP chart and making a sizable impact on pop audiences thanks to the tracks "Boogie Down," "Tell Her Love Has Felt the Need," and the slinky funk-a-thon "Son of Sagittarius." Kendricks' arguably less polished The Hit Man chalked up two additional Top Ten R&B hits with "Get the Cream Off the Top" and "Happy." The latter is not the Rolling Stones tune, but does feature Kendricks' outstanding falsetto. Meanwhile, the Barrett Strong composition "Fortune Teller" is also distinguished for its stinging groove and solid backbeat. By the time of the generally uneven He's a Friend in 1976, the intensity and passion seem to be replaced by slick rhythms and equally superficial arrangements. There are a few excellent cuts, most notably the bedroom ballad "A Part of Me" and the hot-steppin' "It's Not What You Got," which made it into the Top Ten disco/dance survey. Similarly, the follow-up, Goin' Up in Smoke, would manage to yield the hit single "Goin' Up in Smoke." That said, the majority of the platter is essentially disco dreck, and one wonders whether titles such as "Thanks for the Memories" (no, not that one) and "Skeleton in Your Closet" were correlated to Kendricks' state of mind. Slick -- the artist's Motown swan song -- is a return to the more soulful sound that had informed much of his earlier solo work. The haunting refrain on "I Want to Live (My Life with You)," the warm and inviting "Intimate Friends," and the slightly funky interpretation of Seals & Crofts' "Diamond Girl" give it a definite edge over its predecessor. Most of the bonus selections are gleaned from the era surrounding 1972's People...Hold On. Compilers saved the best of the "lost and found" material for last with the outstanding "I'll Be Your Servant." Somehow the song initially slipped through the cracks, but luckily it has been resuscitated for listeners on this limited-edition set. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide