In January of 1971, Eddie Kendricks’ smooth falsetto had just given his group The Temptations another number one hit in the form of “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” when he decided to branch out on his own. As legend has it, while the Temps were making hits with Norman Whitfield produced psychedelic soul records, where all five Temptations sang leads, Kendricks was keener on the Smokey Robinson style ballads.
While I don’t know if Kendricks had always planned to go solo, or if his best friend Paul Williams ousting played a part, but Kendricks was already working on his album while still with The Temps. In the spring of 1971, Kendrick took the leap and released his first solo album, All By Myself.
Motown was quietly preparing a move from Detroit to Los Angles, but thankfully, Kendricks was able to link up with the label’s legendary house band, the Funk brothers, before the move. Kendricks opens his solo project with “Let’s Go Back to Day One” and for my film fans, I’m sure you remember hearing this one in Mahogany four years later.
Kendricks opens the song with a confident bravado and feels right at home as a solo artist. The album’s next song, “This Used to Be the Home of Johnnie Mae,” finds the singer tapping into his southern soul roots. I actually like the song, because anyone who has messed up in a relationship with a woman can relate.
“I Did It All For You” is honesty allowing Kendricks’s vocals to come across as smooth as butter. In dissecting the lyrics, this particular portion of the song stands out,
“All I ever wanted darling, was to be your man.
I thought you knew,
I did it all, I did it all for you Yeah,
I did it all for you,
Alright sometimes I cheated And yes,
I guess I lied every now and then
But before you go, I want you to know
How much I cried darling, darling, darling ooh baby.”
I love this message in the song, as it finds Kendricks taking ownership of his mistakes and knowing he has to leave his woman.
Kendricks keeps the album short at only seven tracks. The remaining songs, “It’s So Hard For Me To Say Goodbye”, “Didn’t We,” and “Something’s Burning,” all focus on the facets of love while we hear the immense talent of Mr. Kendricks. Naturally, one of his signature songs also appears in “Can I.”
Kendricks opens the song with a question of asking permission before he makes a move on someone that he finds attractive. Working with the legendary Hal Davis, Kendricks constructed a song that stands the test of time. While Kendricks wouldn’t see the same success he had in The Temps as a solo artist, All By Myself was a solid start to his solo career.
Final Grade: B
All By Myself is available on all streaming platforms
From his early days in the family group Wings of Faith, Mr. Gill was born to make music. However, as R&B fans know, Johnny Gill’s initial release with Atlantic Records failed to make a significant impact when it first came out. The 1983 self-titled debut showed a strong voice struggling to adapt to a studio that couldn’t properly utilize its power.
My introduction to Myron was with the song “Sistas” on the “Eddie” soundtrack in the summer of 1996. Before setting up his solo album, Myron would write classics for Mya and Dru Hill. “Destiny” was written by Myron and Tyrice Jones, and the latter was also producing. Set to a sample of Herbie Hancock’s “Come Running to Me”, the song explores how fate governs the formation of connections between people meant to exist from the beginning.
Music producers transitioning to a solo album is common in the music industry. For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit Sean Garrett’s solo debut, “Turbo 919,” released in 2008.