This five-song EP represents the return to blues-eyed soul singer-songwriter-guitarist James Holvay. Holvay grew up during the peak era of Chicago soul with such stars as Curtis Mayfield, Major Lance, The Impressions, and Gene Chandler. While a teenager in a blue-eyed soul band, his songwriting talents benefited Brian Hyland and Dee Clark. One of his songs was passed on to the Buckinghams, who had the chart-topping recording, "Kind of a Drag." The Buckinghams would have three other national hits with Holvay's songs. He left music for some years, but after Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse, and others, he started writing new songs in the Major Lance-Gene Chanler-Curtis Mayfield vein, and this eventually led to this disc.
The five originals included are gems, as are Holvay's vocals. One can hear echoes of Mayfield and Chandler in his singing, whether the uptown groover "Working On It" or the deep soul ballad "Still The Fool" (that especially shows a deep Mayfield-Chandler influence. "Love Has Found A Way" is another uptempo number that adds a touch of Tyrone Davis to the mix. The title track is Holvay's salute to classic Chicago soul and the stars he idolized as a teenager that sounds like a lost Major Lance recording.
Holvay found some sterling musicians and backing singers for this outstanding evocation of a classic soul music era. It is a recording that has the listener aching for more.
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is the title track.
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