For someone whose main work was as a first-call session vocalist, this anthology shows just what we missed when Holloway failed to break through as a singer in her own right. Always involved with big sister Brenda’s Motown successes, as the sleevenotes reveal here, Patrice was the leading light for many key hits and studio acts.
This release concentrates on the releases that did emerge under her name, and many unreleased Motown tracks that never officially saw the light of day. It’s hard to believe that the singer of those mid-60s Capitol recordings was a sixteen-year-old, so sophisticated does Holloway sound on the pop-soul dancers that have long been admired in Northern soul circles. Stolen Hours, Ecstasy and That’s All You Got To Do are all splendidly arranged and sung, while Stay With Your Own Kind makes you wonder just what Patrice could have done for The Supremes had she been their lead.
The mouth-watering unreleased Motown masters include a doo wop throwback in Crying, the girl group pop of Face In The Crowd and the surf-related Surf Stomp. Still, it’s the classy soul of the Capitol and Motown cuts that remain essential.
