• Source: People...Hold On

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, and it was one of 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'".




Background and recording



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. 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. The Young Senators began touring with Kendricks the following year and started recording his next album.
The album was recorded in January 1972 and was one of 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."




Music



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. 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. This track has been described as a prototype for the disco genre and later became popular in New York City dance clubs.
In the song, he touches on women's rights, questioning the process and expressing his concerns by asking why women marched in picket lines. The track runs for nearly eight minutes, with a radio version being released by Motown.
"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. "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.




Reception and commercial performance



The album charted moderately well, peaking at number 13 on Billboard’s Soul LPs chart and reaching number 131 on the Top LPs & Tape. Billboard described the album as having Kendricks's "best performance to day" with "good arrangements and variety." This success helped to elevate Eddie Kendricks' profile during the early stages of his solo career after leaving The Temptations. 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.
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. 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. 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.




Impact and legacy


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.
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. "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. Canadian rapper Drake sampled the song "Just Memories" on "Ratchet Happy Birthday" from his 2018 album Scorpion.
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." 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. Pitchfork praised the video, describing it as offering "a nourishing vision of beauty that feels especially potent in this time of unrest." In May 2023, vocalist Billy Valentine covered the song on his album Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth. The song "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" was covered by D'Angelo for the 1996 film Get on the Bus.




Track listing


All tracks produced by Frank Wilson except where noted.




Credits and personnel


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




Charts






References



Works cited
Lornell, Kip; Stephenson, Charles C. (2009). The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-241-2. JSTOR j.ctt2tvm04.
Echols, Alice (March 29, 2010). Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-07701-8.
Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003). "Eddie Kendricks". All Music Guide to Soul. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-61713-496-8.




External links


People...Hold On at Discogs
• Source: People Hold On

"People Hold On" is a song by British band Coldcut and singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield, released as the first single from the band's debut album, What's That Noise? (1989). It was written by Matt Black, Jonathan More and Stansfield, and produced by Coldcut. The song received positive reviews from music critics and became a commercial success. It was released as a single on 13 March 1989 by label Ahead of Our Time and reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the US Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The song was remixed by Blaze, Juan Atkins, Dimitri from Paris, Mark Saunders, Eric Kupper, Tyrone Perkins and Masters at Work. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Big TV!.
In 2003, "People Hold On" was included on Stansfield's compilation, Biography: The Greatest Hits. In 2006, the Casuals Remix by Ceri Evans was included on Coldcut's album, Sound Mirrors (Videos & Remixes). In 2014, the Full Length Disco Mix of "People Hold On" was included on Stansfield's People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology (also on The Collection 1989–2003).




Chart performance


"People Hold On" managed to make some impact on the charts in several countries. It peaked within the top 20 in the UK, where it made it to number eleven on 9 April 1989, in its fourth week at the UK Singles Chart. Additionally, the song was a top-30 hit in West Germany (24), a top-40 hit in Belgium (32) and the Netherlands (37), and a top-50 hit in France (45). On the Eurochart Hot 100, "People Hold On" reached its best position as number 26 in April 1989. Outside Europe, it peaked at number six on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, while reaching numbers 37 and 78 in New Zealand and Australia.




Critical reception


In a retrospective review, Matthew Hocter from Albumism described "People Hold On" as "an innovative dance track". Bill Coleman from Billboard felt it "deserves to be a multiformat smash. Positive lyrics, killer R&B/dance rhythm, and a stellar performance from Blue Zone U.K. vocalist Stansfield merits immediate attention if you're not already hip." He concluded, "From the forthcoming album What's That Noise?, expect this retro-sounding track to be a fave all summer long. Wonderful." Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune remarked Stansfield's "elastic" voice. Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger complimented her "as a house vocalist". He added, "Lisa Stansfield was a terrific find: she could play the belter with the best of them, but also provide a calm centre for Coldcut’s gleeful cut-and-mix pyrotechnics and pianos. Best of all, she sounded like she was having a tremendous time." A reviewer from Music & Media said, "An effective mixture of Stansfield's soul voice and a rare groove/house backing. Great dance track with a strong melody." Jerry Smith from Music Week named it "unforgettable". David Quantick from NME wrote, "Their 'People Hold On' is one of the best things done by either Coldcut or Stansfield, a chargingly daft love 'n' peace nonsense anthem that was really a call for drug-addled copulation. Most importantly for Stansfield, it emphasised a '70s soul stance that suited her voice." Edward Hill from The Plain Dealer praised the song as "fabulous". Marisa Fox from Spin complimented it as a "catchy hit". Joe Brown from The Washington Post described it as "propulsive".




Music video


The accompanying music video for "People Hold On" was directed by Big TV!. In the video, Stansfield, Coldcut and some dancers performs in front of a purple backdrop. Other times Stansfiels performs towards a black background or in front of a fountain. She wears a black/red outfit, red lipstick and her characteristically kiss curls. In between there are technically aquipments, as keyboards, paraboles, radios and speakers, floating in the air. "People Hold On" was later made available on Stansfield's official YouTube channel in March 2012, and had generated more than 1.4 million views as of June 2024.




Impact and legacy


British music publication Fact ranked "People Hold On" number 11 in their list of "21 Diva-House Belters That Still Sound Incredible" in 2014, writing,

Yeah it’s cheesy and loved up and utopian – and what? It really hit the spot back then, find yourself in the right situation now and it still does. Also the a cappella has found its way over so many different beats in bootlegs and DJ sets over the years, this track is woven into the very fabric of things.
Electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked it as one of the 20 best songs in their "The 20 Best Diva House Tracks" list in 2019, adding,

The tune put the pair on the map and influential producers like Juan Atkins, Dimitri from Paris and Masters at Work, took notice of the UK duo's talent and each took shots at remixing the track. It's a clean and powerful dance track with a strong melody that marked the beginning of Coldcut's iconic career.




Track listings






Charts






"People Hold On" (The Bootleg Mixes)



In 1996, "People Hold On" was remixed by British producers Dan Bewick and Matt Frost as the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The CD single with these Bootleg Mixes was released on 6 January 1997 and charted higher than the original version of the song in 1989, peaking at number four on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK Dance Singles Chart as well as the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrels took their cue from Armand Van Helden's radical reworking of Tori Amos' "Professional Widow", which topped the UK chart the week that the bootleg mixes debuted.
Because of this success, "People Hold On" (Bootleg Mix) was included on Stansfield's eponymous album (1997) as a bonus track. The music video, directed by Max Abbiss-Biro, does not include any new footage of Stansfield but uses small fragments taken from "Change" and "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" videos. Later, "People Hold On" (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Mix) was also featured on The Remix Album (1998) and a limited edition of Biography: The Greatest Hits (2003). On 24 October 2006, Dance Vault Mixes of "People Hold On" were released digitally. In 2014, Jon Is the Don Mix of "People Hold On" was included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Lisa Stansfield (also on The Collection 1989–2003).




= Critical reception

=
Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal wrote, "This bootleg is only going to be available for one week at the start of the New Year and can be expected to do big things. Bearing an uncanny resemblance to Armand Van Helden’s remix of Tori Amos’ excellent 'Professional Widow', except featuring vocals from Lisa's classic". The newspaper added that "the rush to get a copy will probably see it in the Top Ten. Not bad at all, even if a tad unoriginal."




= Track listings

=




= Charts

=




See also


List of number-one dance singles of 1997 (U.S.)




References

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