Interesting look back, but music OK at best
Warren M. Lankford | Atlanta, Georgia USA | 06/17/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I found myself interested in purchasing this CD because Brenda Holloway was one of the best and maybe the most under-appreciated female vocalist to record for Motown records. Everyone is familiar with the classic "Every Little Bit Hurts" and other excellent music that she made during her short stay at Motown but I didn't know that she had recorded on the West Coast for 2 years prior to Motown. I was also stunned to find out that she was only 17 when she made "Every Little Bit Hurts".
My biggest disappointment was with the poor recording quality of most of the independent labels she worked on. Many of the songs reflected the R & B music style of the early 60's so there was a sameness to a lot of the material. However, even through these shortcomings, you can hear the developing of a mature and sophisticated talent, even at the young age of 15.
The songs that stood out for me were the solos "Constant Love", "Hey Fool", "Suddenly" and "Echo" and the duet with Jess Harris, "Gonna Make You Mine". I really liked the song "Candy" and it's lyric and wish that it had been polished to what it could have been, instead of having such obviously sloppy work from the backing musicians.
For any true Brenda Holloway fan, this look at her pre-success years is worth having for perspective."