632. Kim Weston: “Don’t Compare Me With Her”
It’s a mess – but it’s a likeable mess, and thanks to Kim’s vocal, rolling with the punches so adroitly you can’t help but applaud, it’s probably better than it has any right to be. (6)
Category Archives: Writing credit: Janie Bradford
587. Marv Johnson: “I’m Not A Plaything”
I don’t know if this is Marv Johnson’s best Motown single side – there are a few more to come yet, not to mention a highly unlikely late-career revival, which are ripe for rediscovery – but I do know I really, really like it. Good show. (8)
453. Carolyn Crawford: “My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down)”
Enough to suggest Carolyn could have been a major talent. Even if that’s a stretch, it’s certainly plausible she might have become another Brenda Holloway, Barbara McNair – or Tammi Terrell. In the absence of that alternate-universe career, this will have to do, and it’s not half bad. (7)
349. The Darnells: “Come On Home”
Since they barely altered the record from its previous appearance, I suppose there’s no need for me to write too much (everything I said the first time round still applies)… and no need to alter the mark either. Pointless and confusing. (3)
321. The Marvelettes: “Tie A String Around Your Finger”
if the Marvelettes were about to give up their crown as Motown’s top girl group, they were doing so as gracefully as possible. (7)
319. The Temptations: “May I Have This Dance”
It’s not awful, but nor is it hugely impressive; this single marks a sort of watershed for the Temptations, who were about to leave this sort of stuff behind forever. 4
315. Holland-Dozier: “Come On Home”
So inconsequential that there’s almost nothing to it. Two minutes of instrumental blues piano tinkling, drums, horns and handclaps, a bit of organ, and that’s your lot. 3
293. Mary Wells: “Your Old Stand By”
Unusually for a big-ticket Motown single, it’s a song that rewards repeated listens, rather than grabbing you by the lapels and proclaiming its greatness. (8)
288. The Miracles: “I Can Take A Hint”
Bereft of a catchy tune, or any real hooks in the chorus; it’s all okay, not at all objectionable but never thrilling either. It’s okay. (5)
251. Little Stevie Wonder: “Contract On Love”
An enjoyable record, hardly a classic single but a vast improvement on what had come before. It was still very early days for both writers and singer, and there was much better to come from both, but this was at least a step in the right direction. (6)
238. The Supremes: “Time Changes Things”
A nice set-filler, a pretty bit of enjoyable “middle of Side Two” album padding, but it’s not catchy or instant enough to cut it as a hit record in its own right. (6)
