I have all of the HI albums from the 70s and I think only one from the 80s. They were fantastic in my book. It's not so much that the songs themselves are these grade A tunes and lost hits, but it's the sound of the singers that make the songs worthwhile. They have some really nice ballads, but they really soar on the disco tunes. A lot of very fast songs. The ladies had a ton of vocal energy and the faster disco cuts really allowed them to show it off. I can't say I'm surprised that the group never took off beyond "Turn Me Off". That song might be the most commercial song they released, maybe even the most they recorded. But from a pure "how they make me feel" standpoint, I rate HI very...well, high.
It's my understanding that a number of the HI initial cuts [[I'm guessing some of their first album) was intended for Diana, and according to one of the members, Diana actually recorded some of them first. I think some of it fit Diana, but MSS? No way. HI really had a youthfulness about them that fit the recordings, of which had a youthful air also. MSS was too sophisticated for HI's recordings, IMO.
Had MSS continued on, maybe another Holland brothers album would have been the next move. Might have been interesting if Stevie took another stab at it, since Susaye was now in the group.
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