(September 12, 2018) I do not know if Minnie Riperton and Eddie Kendricks ever worked together, despite the fact that their respective career arcs intersected. Both were a regular presence on 1970s radio from the time Kendricks left The Temptations in 1971 until Riperton’s untimely passing in 1979. However, Baltimore based singer Emmanuel Withers brings the music of the two legends together on his take on the Kendricks’ classic “Intimate Friends.”
Withers flips the script by mashing the melody of Kendricks’ 1977 bedroom ballad with the lyrics from Riperton’s sensual classic “Inside My Love,” and performing the tune as a duet. It’s a risky choice to reimagine two tunes from musical royalty despite the fact that fans say they want musicians to do something different with remakes. Listeners are also notoriously possessive of the songs of their lives. There won’t be much to criticize about the vocal performances, and nobody will be able to accuse Withers of lacking creative imagination. Check it out.
By Howard Dukes
