Search - Brenda Holloway :: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

Less can be more sometimes...

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 01/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While this piece in the mid-priced Millennium Collection series is a condensation of the now out-of-print "Very Best Of" Brenda Holloway CD of just a few years ago, it does offer something to warrant purchase. Here, most of the tracks are the stereo versions of the songs that appeared in mono on that previous collection. Anyone familiar with Brenda Holloway knows that she was something of an anomaly in the Motown family of artists. Her music often reached beyond the formula approach that confined some of the other acts to come out of the Detroit-based label. One listen to the tracks on this CD such as her original version of "You've Made Me So Very Happy" will illustrate this. But make no mistake, she did tow the Motown line with tunes such as the Smokey Robinson-penned "When I'm Gone" and "Operator". If you already have the "Very Best Of" piece then you already have everything here song-wise but here you do get the stereo versions that offer a more captivating listening experience. While the sound quality is not revelatory, it is decent and for the stereo fan, justifies purchase. Accompanying the disc is an eight-page flopover liner notes booklet with track details and a brief personal bio. While offering her fans no additional Holloway material, at least this piece does keep her material in print on CD and provides the opportunity for those unfamiliar with her music to discover it."