Loleatta Holloway: The Hotlanta Soul of Loleatta Holloway (1971-1975)

With her full-bodied gospelized vocals, Loleatta Holloway epitomized like no other singer of her day the transition of African-American popular music from soul to disco. Years before becoming the hot club queen with ‘Love Sensation’ and other 12-inch cuts, Loleatta Holloway laid down some of the most fantastic female southern soul of the early ‘70s, an early example of the growing strength of the Hotlanta scene, quite different from Memphis' and Miami's. Her double-sided hit 'Our Love' / 'Mother of Shame' charted in 1973 and were included on her debut album, ‘Loleatta’, which also featured a cover of Syl Johnson’s Memphis groover ‘We Did It’, Sam Dee's typically heartfelt 'So Can I' and the magnificent cheating opus 'Part Time Lover, Full Time Fool'. Two years after, ‘Cry to Me’ gave Holloway her highest charting solo single on the R&B and pop charts and it is now acknowledged as a deep soul classic. The album of the same name, which followed, maintained that quality threshold. This early work has wonderful arrangements, excellent production, and some really top-shelf songwriting that already shows a really sophisticated side of Holloway's talents. The set not only brings together the cream of her first releases, there are also five previously unissued cuts which confirm her premium status at that time. Although it is the stone ballads which have stood the test of time the best, this is by no means a collection only for deep soul freaks. There are some first class finger-snappers (listen to the track below) and one or two funky offerings as well. Partially taken from John Ridley’s original liner notes.