People...Hold On

People...Hold On
Studio album by 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
Eddie Kendricks chronology
All by Myself (1971) People...Hold On (1972) Eddie Kendricks (1973)
Singles from People...Hold On
"Eddie's Love" Released: March 23, 1972 "If You Let Me" Released: August 31, 1972 "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" Released: January 9, 1973

People...Hold On is the second studio album by American singer Eddie Kendricks, released in May 1972 by Tamla Records. His second album after leaving the Temptations in 1971, and it proved to be his breakout album. The album took some time to gain traction, with sales gradually building, particularly in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Six months after its release, the album charted at number 131 on the Billboard Top LPs and Tape and number 13 on Soul LPs.

The album was recorded in the Hitsville U.S.A. studio, the last project completed there before Motown's move to Los Angeles. It marked a departure from Kendricks' previous pop-oriented sound, embracing a more socially conscious and urban style. The album produced three singles, with "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" standing out as one of the first disco and dance records. Other tracks explored themes of love and spirituality. The album's success in dance clubs laid the groundwork for Kendricks' upcoming number one song, "Keep On Truckin'".

Eddie Kendricks had been a founding member of The Temptations since 1960. However, by 1971, the internal drama within the group had taken a toll on him. Seeking a fresh start, Kendricks signed a solo deal with Motown's Tamla division, marking the beginning of his solo career.^[1] In April 1971, Kendricks released his debut solo album, All by Myself, which peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape.

That same year, he discovered the band The Young Senators, who had formed in 1965 and had just released their debut single, "Jungle," which rose to number one on local and regional R&B music charts. Kendricks met the band's leader, Jimi Dougans, and asked him if they wanted to be his backing band on tours, and Dougans agreed without consulting the other members.^[2] The Young Senators began touring with Kendricks the following year and started recording his next album.^[3]

The album was recorded in January 1972 and was the last album to be recorded at Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio before the label's move to Los Angeles. According to Dougans, Kendricks, along with the engineers, producers, and session musicians, stayed up until three o'clock in the morning to record the track "Girl You Need a Change of Mind."^[4]

People...Hold On is noted for being less pop-oriented, with DownBeat describing the music as "the sound of the streets." The tracks "If You Let Me" and "Eddie's Love," both released as singles, featured two-step rhythms and horn charts that were "steeped in an urban sound," created to resonate with a specific demographic rather than appealing to all of the United States.^[4] The third single, "Girl You Need a Change of Mind," is noted for its gospel influence, with Frank Wilson's production featuring strings and a breakdown and buildup.^[5] This track has been described as a prototype for the disco genre and later became popular in New York City dance clubs.^[6][7] In the song, he touches on women's rights, questioning the process and expressing his concerns by asking why women marched in picket lines.^[8][9] The track runs for nearly eight minutes, with a radio version being released by Motown.^[10][11]

"My People...Hold On" uses a syncopated chant and African percussion, with Kendricks alternating between his falsetto and a deeper voice throughout the track. He described the song to Disc as "a spiritual song," encouraging people to hold on to love, emphasizing its lasting importance.^[12][13] "Someday We’ll Have A Better World" features Kendricks dreaming of a utopian world, while "Date with the Rain" portrays Kendricks wanting comfort from a broken heart in the rainfall.^[14][15]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]

The album charted moderately well, peaking at number 13 on Billboard’s Soul LPs chart and reaching number 131 on the Top LPs & Tape.^[17][18] Billboard described the album as having Kendricks's "best performance to day" with "good arrangements and variety."^[19] This success helped to elevate Eddie Kendricks' profile during the early stages of his solo career after leaving The Temptations.^[1] Lindsay Planer of AllMusic described People...Hold On as "dabbling with communally conscious soul and making initial forays into dance music that would predate disco," giving the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.^[16]

Andrew Hamilton described People...Hold On as an example of why best-of and greatest-hits compilations aren't definitive, saying that much of the album's material went unnoticed. He praised "My People...Hold On" for its strong social message and highlighted "If You Let Me" as showcasing some of Kendricks' best vocal performances.^[20] Jared Boyd of Al.com described it as an "expansive journey of sound," highlighting Kendricks' decision to create a "risky soul manifesto" instead of relying on his previous success with The Temptations.^[21] The album was ranked at number 50 on UDiscoverMusic's list of The Best Albums of 1972. Author Sam Armstrong praised the album, describing it as one of Kendricks' "finest releases," noting its fusion of soul with meaningful social commentary.^[22]

People...Hold On was released during a pivotal moment in American history, coinciding with the rise of the Black power movement. Just months before, Stevie Wonder released Where I'm Coming From, and shortly after Kendricks' release, Marvin Gaye's What’s Going On was released. The album marked a significant departure in Kendricks' sound, showcasing a more socially conscious and dance-oriented approach. However, Kendricks did not fully capitalize on this new direction and instead scaled back his sound in subsequent releases.^[1]

Multiple songs from the album were sampled in other songs. "My People...Hold On" was sampled in Erykah Badu's "My People" from her 2008 album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) and in J Dilla's "People" from his 2006 album Donuts.^[23][24] "Date with the Rain" was notably sampled in Lil Wayne's "Let The Beat Build" from his 2008 album Tha Carter III, produced by Deezle and Kanye West.^[25][26] Canadian rapper Drake sampled the song "Just Memories" on "Ratchet Happy Birthday" from his 2018 album Scorpion.^[27][28]

Songs from the album have also been covered by various artists. In June 2020, American singer Amber Mark covered "My People...Hold On" as a response to the George Floyd protests, stating that it was "time to bring more positive force into this world."^[29][30] The cover was the fourth track in her Covered-19 series, with the music video, directed by Mark herself with choreography by Morgan Marie Grayned, features Mark and dancers in white dresses performing on a rooftop.^[31][32] Pitchfork praised the video, describing it as offering "a nourishing vision of beauty that feels especially potent in this time of unrest."^[33] In May 2023, vocalist Billy Valentine covered the song on his album Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth.^[34][35] The song "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" was covered by D'Angelo for the 1996 film Get on the Bus.^[36]

All tracks produced by Frank Wilson except where noted.

• Eddie Kendricks – vocals
• The Young Senators – rhythm
• Cal Harris – Moog synthesizer
• David Leacraft, David Van De Pitte, Leroy Fleming – arrangements
• Weldon A. McDougal III – photography

Sources

• Lornell, Kip; Stephenson, Charles C. (2009). The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C. University Press of Mississippi.
• Echols, Alice (March 29, 2010). Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003). "Eddie Kendricks". All Music Guide to Soul. Rowman & Littlefield.

• People...Hold On at Discogs