| Ridin' High | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 29, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1967–1968 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) | |||
| Genre | Soul, psychedelic soul, R&B, pop-soul | |||
| Length | 31:21 | |||
| Label | Gordy | |||
| Producer | Richard Morris | |||
| Martha Reeves and the Vandellas chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ridin' High | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
"Ridin' High" is a 1968 album released by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label. This album featured the last Top 40 pop hits scored by the group during their recording tenure, "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" and "Honey Chile". It was a series of firsts for the group: it was the first album without the help of since departed producers William "Mickey" Stevenson and Holland–Dozier–Holland, however, Motown included one HDH track on the album, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love." Also on Ridin' High is a cover version of Dionne Warwick's then recent hit "I Say a Little Prayer."
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Bringing in Richard Morris and songwriter Sylvia Moy, the group managed to release two hit singles though this was the beginning of the end for the group as hitmakers on the pop charts. Like their label mates The Supremes and the Four Tops, they stalled without the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, although they continued to chart well on the R&B charts and in England until their 1973 disbanding.
The original photo shoot for the cover of the album featured Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, and Betty Kelly, however Kelly was replaced by Reeves sister Lois Reeves before the album was released and Lois was ultimately featured. This is also the first album where they were credited as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. Additionally, it is also the last album to feature original member Rosalind Ashford, who would exit out of the group shortly a year after this album came out.
The album became the group's penultimate album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching number 167 on June 1, 1968, their lowest charting album to date, staying there for eight weeks. [2]
