HODGES, JAMES & SMITH / KIM WESTON

Hodges, James & Smith were the mainstays of Mickey Stevenson’s post-Motown recordings and he gave them this fabulous Mikim Publishing song, written by Vicki Basemore and the redoubtable Leon Ware.

Superbly orchestrated, after a dramatic intro, it hits an uptempo rhythm that epitomises the great girl soul sounds of the early 70s – somewhat reminiscent of the Supremes’ ‘Up The Ladder To The Roof’. Kim Weston was Mickey’s most prolific solo act throughout his career and ‘It Takes A Lotta Teardrops’ is another triumph for her, albeit one that has only surfaced recently. It is another Basemore/Ware song from the late 60s which imitates the Motown sound exquisitely.