People...Hold On
Eddie Kendricks' breakout album with a socially conscious sound.
People...Hold On is the second studio album by American singer Eddie Kendricks, released in May 1972 on Tamla Records. It was his breakout album after leaving the Temptations in 1971, charting at number 131 on the Billboard Top LPs and Tape and number 13 on Soul LPs. The album marked a shift from his earlier pop-oriented sound toward a more socially conscious and urban style.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Eddie Kendricks
- Released
- May 1972
- Recorded
- January 1972
- Genre
- Soul, dance
- Length
- 41:46
- Label
- Tamla Records
- Producer
- Frank Wilson
- Leonard Caston Jr.
- Bobby Miller
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | If You Let Me | Frank Wilson | 3:10 |
| 2 | Let Me Run Into Your Lonely Heart | Wilson, Anita Poree | 2:59 |
| 3 | Day by Day (class=inline · Wilson · Caston Jr.) | Leonard Caston Jr., Terri McFaddin | 3:07 |
| 4 | Girl You Need a Change of Mind (class=inline · Wilson · Caston Jr.) | Poree, Caston Jr. | 7:30 |
| 5 | Someday We'll Have a Better World | Norma Toney | 3:35 |
| 6 | My People...Hold On (class=inline · Wilson · Caston Jr.) | Poree, Caston Jr. | 5:40 |
| 7 | Date with the Rain (class=inline · Miller) | Bobby Miller | 2:42 |
| 8 | Eddie's Love (class=inline · Wilson · Caston Jr.) | Poree, Caston Jr. | 3:20 |
| 9 | I'm on the Sideline | Penelope McClendon | 2:56 |
| 10 | Just Memories (class=inline · Wilson · Caston Jr.) | Poree, Caston Jr. | 5:50 |
| Total length | 41:46 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Background and recording
Eddie Kendricks, a founding member of the Temptations since 1960, left the group in 1971 due to internal drama and signed a solo deal with Motown. His debut solo album, All by Myself, peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape. That year, he discovered the band the Young Senators, whose debut single "Jungle" had reached number one on local and regional R&B charts. Kendricks asked the band's leader, Jimi Dougans, if they would serve as his backing band on tours; Dougans agreed without consulting the other members. The Young Senators began touring with Kendricks in 1972 and started recording his next album. People...Hold On was recorded in January 1972 at Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio, one of the last albums completed there before the label's move to Los Angeles. According to Dougans, Kendricks, engineers, producers, and session musicians stayed until three in the morning to record "Girl You Need a Change of Mind."
Music
People...Hold On is less pop-oriented, with DownBeat describing its music as "the sound of the streets." The singles "If You Let Me" and "Eddie's Love" feature two-step rhythms and horn charts steeped in an urban sound, aimed at a specific demographic rather than a national audience. The third single, "Girl You Need a Change of Mind," has gospel influence, with Frank Wilson's production including strings and a breakdown and buildup; it is considered a prototype for disco and later became popular in New York City dance clubs. The track touches on women's rights, questioning why women marched in picket lines, and runs nearly eight minutes, with a radio version released by Motown. "My People...Hold On" uses a syncopated chant and African percussion, with Kendricks alternating between falsetto and a deeper voice; he described it to Disc as a spiritual song encouraging people to hold on to love. "Someday We’ll Have A Better World" depicts Kendricks dreaming of a utopian world, while "Day by Day" portrays him seeking comfort from a broken heart in the rainfall.
Reception and commercial performance
The album peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Soul LPs chart and number 131 on the Top LPs & Tape. Billboard described it as Kendricks' "best performance to date" with "good arrangements and variety." Lindsay Planer of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "dabbling with communally conscious soul and making initial forays into dance music that would predate disco." Andrew Hamilton noted that the album exemplifies why greatest-hits compilations are not definitive, as much of its material went unnoticed; he praised "My People...Hold On" for its strong social message and "If You Let Me" for showcasing some of Kendricks' best vocal performances. Jared Boyd of Al.com described it as an "expansive journey of sound" and a "risky soul manifesto."
Impact and legacy
People...Hold On was released during the rise of the Black power movement, following Stevie Wonder's Where I'm Coming From and preceding Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. The album marked a significant departure in Kendricks' sound toward socially conscious and dance-oriented music, but he did not fully capitalize on this direction and scaled back his sound in later releases. Multiple songs from the album have been sampled: "My People...Hold On" in Erykah Badu's "My People" (2008) and J Dilla's "People" (2006); "Date with the Rain" in Lil Wayne's "Let the Beat Build" (2008); and "Just Memories" in Drake's "Ratchet Happy Birthday" (2018). Songs have also been covered: in June 2020, Amber Mark covered "My People...Hold On" as a response to the George Floyd protests, with a music video directed by Mark featuring dancers in white dresses on a rooftop; Pitchfork praised the video as offering "a nourishing vision of beauty." In May 2023, Billy Valentine covered the song on his album Billy Valentine and the Universal Truth. "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" was covered by D'Angelo for the 1996 film Get on the Bus.
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