JAMES HOLVAY IS BACK
The R&B Vet and Chart-Topping Writer of the Buckinghams’ “Kind of a Drag” and Other Classic Hits Salutes the Chicago Style of Curtis Mayfield, Major Lance, and Gene Chandler in his debut solo EP, “Sweet Soul Song”. The collection is a vibrant tip of the hat to the music Holvay witnessed and then played in during its 1960s flowering, when such hometown stars – all saluted on its title track – as Curtis Mayfield (lead singer-guitarist-songwriter of the Impressions), Major Lance (whose “The Monkey Time” was one of several smashes penned by Mayfield), and Gene Chandler (nationally known for “The Duke of Earl”) ruled the R&B roost in America. The Holvay originals on Sweet Soul Song, which range from up-tempo stompers like “Working On It” and “Talking About” to the lush, horn- and string-decorated ballad “Still the Fool,” recall the glory days of Windy City soul, an era that Holvay was able to experience first-hand as an aspiring adolescent guitarist and songwriter.
