(June 27, 2018) People referred to Motown as the Sound of Young America and Hitsville USA, and Lamont Dozier, as one third of the Holland, Dozier, Holland songwriting team, helped mold that sound and create those hits. His name can be found on credits of classics performed by The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Marvin Gaye, just to name a few.
His legend as a songwriter is so great that it’s easy to forget that Lamont Dozier was a performer for groups such as The Romeos in the 1950s and as a charting solo artist in the 1970s. Dozier reclaims that legacy as a silky smooth tenor while also reimagining (with a few friends) some of his classic Motown hits on the aptly title Reimagination.
(June 27, 2018) People referred to Motown as the Sound of Young America and Hitsville USA, and Lamont Dozier, as one third of the Holland, Dozier, Holland songwriting team, helped mold that sound and create those hits. His name can be found on credits of classics performed by The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Marvin Gaye, just to name a few.
His legend as a songwriter is so great that it’s easy to forget that Lamont Dozier was a performer for groups such as The Romeos in the 1950s and as a charting solo artist in the 1970s. Dozier reclaims that legacy as a silky smooth tenor while also reimagining (with a few friends) some of his classic Motown hits on the aptly title Reimagination.
Thought and imagination went into these covers that turn the traditional formula for covering works from the House of Gordy on its head. Instead of the straight ahead R&B remakes that have been done to death, Dozier goes with sparse, stripped down versions, often with a duet partner and accompanied by piano, a guitar and in some cases backing vocals. Some of the arrangements features Spanish guitar while others have country vibe. The First Listen featured here pairs Dozier’s buttery tenor with Gregory Porter’s muscular baritone on a soulful piano accompanied version of “How Sweet It Is” that is a reminder of soul music’s roots in the church. Check it out.
By Howard Dukes
Lamont Dozier feat. Gregory Porter
"How Sweet It Is"