Kendricks left
the Temptations after seven years of constant success. As a solo act it took him a while to sustain momentum. Efforts like
All by Myself and People...Hold On where unjustly ignored during the time of their release.
Kendricks experienced a commercial breakthrough with his 1973 self-titled classic.
Boogie Down is his fifth solo album and shows that
Kendricks had attained a mature and tasteful musical niche independent of his former group. Despite the title,
Boogie Down is an equal mix of dance and ballad material. Following the lead of
Kendricks' number one single, "Keep on Trucking," producers Frank Wilson and
Leonard Caston again found more like-minded tracks for
Kendricks to do his trademark solo era perfunctory dance steps to. Songs like "The Thin Man" and "Son of a Sagittarius" are no doubt fatuous exercises, but not enough to be career threatening. The title track is about as monotonous as so-called early disco got and lyrics like "Let my love flood your Watergate" aren't exactly poetry. This effort is special due in part to
Kendricks' treatment on the ballads. During this time, he could do anything he wanted with his voice and gained confidence as a solo act. The poignant "Honey Brown" and the affecting "You Are the Melody of My Life" display his skill at simply living the lyrics. "Girl of My Dreams" succeeds despite the shamefully overwrought '50s-style pop arrangement. Even as
Kendricks sings "Oh my word" on the track, he doesn't even sound like a stooge.
Boogie Down cut for cut is
Kendricks' strongest album. ~ Jason Elias