Brenda Holloway - The Motown Anthology (2005)

Throughout her career, Brenda Holloway regrettably lived in the shadow of several Motown divas who garnered more of the spotlight than she did (sometimes quite unfairly). This is one of several artistic tragedies in the Motown catalog; a story of talent that rang fresh and potent but never really received due diligence for one reason or another. Thankfully, Motown is slowly correcting these facts and giving several artists their moment in the sun with well-packaged, comprehensive anthologies highlighting the artist's best-known works along with a generous portion of outtakes. Holloway's Motown Anthology is no exception. The first disc features the two full-length records she recorded for Motown: Every Little Bit Hurts and Hurtin' and Cryin', the majority of which was previously unreleased to the public. Every single hit Holloway had is included here, making this a must-have for Motown enthusiasts, Northern Soul aficionados, and fans of stunning, timeless soul music. The second disc offers a generous helping of rare singles and previously unreleased material, featuring an outstanding rendition of "All I Do Is Think About You," an intense interpretation of "He's My Kind of Fellow" (made known by Gladys Knight & the Pips), and the stomper "I'm on the Right Track." It's a shame material of this quality and caliber had to linger and gather dust in the Motown archives for so long, as Holloway -- on her worst day -- sounds better than most do on their best days, but this collection was definitely worth the wait. It's an immense joy to listen to, start to finish. Kudos to Motown U.K. for having the initiative to finally make these treasures available for all to hear. © Rob Theakston