The Stylistics were a legendary American vocal group and one of the Philly Soul movement’s most successful acts in the Seventies. Their hits included staples like “Betcha By Golly Wow,” “Break Up To Make Up,” “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and “People Make The World Go Round.” The group’s impeccable vocal harmonies presented a trademark falsetto sung by Russell Allen Thompkins, Jr. that’s one of the most recognizable in popular music.

In 1991, The Stylistics were asked to participate in a special, all-star project to be released in Southern Asia entitled Sweet Memories. The project consisted of reworked famous Japanese hits by L.A. musicians with new English lyrics. On Sweet Memories, The Stylistics gave a very good rendition of “Hold Me,” a tender ballad originally sung by Japanese superstar Seiko Matsuda on her 1988 Citron cd. Citron was a big hit in Japan for the singer. Originally produced by David Foster, “Daite,” the original version of “Hold Me,” was co-written by the Hitman and was one of the best, if not the best, song on the record. “Hold Me” and the whole Sweet Memories cd were produced by Kaz Masumoto with the help of Brett Raymond, a talented singer/songwriter in his own right. “Hold Me” presented an effective instrumental arrangement crafted by Jojo Evans and Raymond that treated Foster’s evocative melody with inventive respect. The Stylistics’ vocals were right on target with their signature falsetto in the spotlight. The backing track, although mostly programmed, didn’t sound cold thanks to the extremely well-calibrated orchestral work and some superior guitar playing by session great Tim Pierce. For those interested in the archives, there was a review of another version of “Daite” also recorded in 1991, but sung by Kim Carnes.

Listen

• Vocals: The Stylistics (Russell Allen Thompkins, Jr., Airrion Love, Bern Murrell)
• Keyboards: Jojo Evans & Brett Raymond
• Guitar: Tim Pierce
• Arranged by Jojo Evans
• String Arrangement by Brett Raymond
• Vocal and Background Vocal Arrangements by Brett Raymond & Kaz Masumoto
• Produced by Kaz Masumoto
• Associate Producer Brett Raymond

Lyrics

No Lyrics