I first heard Kim Weston (originally Agatha Natalie Wilson) on the Motortown Revue 1964 Record. This is a fantastic album, filled with energetic performances from Motown artists. The 1964 album is particularly strong, due to the fact that the performance was in Detroit, where the majority of Motown performers had grown up. While listening to the record, I noticed that Kim Weston’s voice stood out to me more than anything else on the record. I kept going back to her songs. She’s best known for her duet with Marvin Gaye, “It Takes Two”, but I would argue that “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” is, hands down, her best song.

This is pure Holland Drozier Holland pop goodness. About half a minute into the song, the back-singers cut in, punctuated by tambourine, they hit the chorus and…..honestly, I can’t get over this part of the song. I also generally have a penchant for fast-paced danceable songs that have lyrics that don’t seem to match the upbeat tempo (Prince’s “When You Were Mine” comes to mind). The concept of wanting to dance, even though (or because?) you’re heart-broken is fantastic. Oh and did I mention her voice? Because it really is amazing. If you haven’t heard it, watch this performance, please!