“What a feeling it is to know, you’re in my corner and you won’t let me go…”

It is so common these days for a group member to break out and release a solo album (think Michael Jackson…Bobby Brown…Beyonce…Justin Timberlake…Fergie…etc.) that it’s hard to imagine what a unique occurrence it was back in 1970, when Diana Ross finally left The Supremes and struck out on her own. In hindsight – with the knowledge of her subsequent six solo #1 hits, Oscar-nominated acting career, and critically-praised live performances – it seems like a no-brainer that Diana Ross would be a success. But back in 1970, as the lead singer of the most successful female trio and Motown group ever stepped onto the stage alone, it apparently wasn’t necessarily so. Diana herself has said that after nearly a decade of building a brand – The Supremes – she had no idea how people would respond to her as a solo artist: “The fear was, you know, Will I be okay? Will my records be hits? People had done some of the same things, and they weren’t successful” (David Nathan’s The Soulful Divas, 152).

Thus, the pressure of putting together her debut album had to be monumental. Had it been a failure, it would have been disastrous for both the record company and for Miss Ross and her future career. We know now that Motown paired the singer with a few producers, searching for the right combination. The album that ultimately made it to the shelves, however, was solely the work of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson (with the exception of one song ) – the songwriting/producing team responsible for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s hits “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and “You’re All I Need To Get By.”

This wasn’t the first time Diana Ross had worked with Ashford & Simpson. After ten #1 hits with producing team Holland-Dozier-Holland, the Supremes released the duo’s “Some Things You Never Get Used To.” The result was only a moderate hit for the group, and reportedly led to a scramble to come up with something more successful (on a personal note, “Some Things…” is one of my favorite Supremes songs; it’s far more complex than most of the singles released to that point, and features some of Diana’s most impressive vocals while with the group). Thus, it’s interesting that the company was willing to team up Ashford & Simpson with Diana Ross again, since their track record together wasn’t exactly sterling. But in the liner notes to the 2002 re-issue of the album, Ashford comments, “Berry told us that he wanted us to get a little bit away from the Motown sound.”

The result of that directive is an eleven-song album that, I think, is both a seamless continuation of and radical departure from Diana Ross’s career with The Supremes. It’s hard to compare this album with the final few Supremes offerings, as those weren’t truly recorded as albums – LPs like 1969’s “Cream Of The Crop” and “Let The Sunshine In” were basically collections of new recordings and older songs from the vaults, featuring a variety of background singers and producers. Still, Ashford & Simpson, over the course of these eleven songs, managed to retain the essence of latter-day-Supremes-Diana’s star persona while exploiting a new, exciting vulnerability in her vocal performances. If the goal of a debut album is to build a foundation upon which a long career can be built, Diana Ross is a textbook example.

***

1. Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand): The album’s first single and opener immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album. The instrumental track has none of the “grit” nor is there the vocal brassiness of the 1960s Motown recordings; it is remarkably smooth, especially when compared to the Gaye/Terrell recordings produced by Ashford & Simpson. The song is a blend of pop, soul, folk, and gospel – the same genres touched upon in the final Supremes single, “Someday We’ll Be Together” – but the relaxed, almost sleepy vocal of that song is replaced here by a far more active performance. The ad-libbing that begins at 2:24 is perhaps the most “loose” and unstructured singing Miss Ross had done in her career that far, at least in terms of released singles; her focus on singing clear, crisp melody lines with the Supremes has been completely thrown out the window at the end of the song here. Though not at all the strongest vocal nor the strongest song on the album, “Reach Out…” is still a good choice for single; its deceptively simple structure echoes the earliest of Diana’s Supremes recordings, while also offering a singer far more in command of her voice and interpretive craft.

2. Now That There’s You: The opening of this song is continued proof of Diana Ross’s growth as a singer; her vocal lags behind the instrumental in the first five beats of the song (“Now that there’s you…”) in a way that she had rarely deviated from it before. The result is that she seems far more mature and in command of the material. The song itself pushes the singer to the top of her register in the chorus, and again features strong ad-libbing in the final minute or so of the track – witness her explosive reading of the word “honey” at 2:49. There is a sense of freedom in her interpretation of the song that had only been hinted at in earlier work like “Love Child” – which I imagine is indicative of her enjoyment in working with Ashford & Simpson.

3. You’re All I Need To Get By: Ashford & Simpson reached into their back catalogue for this one, re-cutting their previous hit with a slow-burning, bluesy approach perfectly suited to the “less Motown” command from Berry Gordy. Instead of the driving, percussion-driven track of the original, the 1970 version features a hypnotic, repetitive bass-line and dreamy background vocals upon which Diana offers a passionate reading of the familiar lyrics. Again, the change in Diana Ross’s voice when compared to her earlier work from the 1960s is pretty stunning – she is far more soulful here than might be expected. Lots of Motown remakes (including many recorded by Diana Ross herself) lack the fire of the originals; this, however, is not one of those cases. While many Marvin Gaye fans will likely find some fault with this version of the song, it truly does stand on its own and is a perfect inclusion on the album, helping to bridge the gap of Diana’s legacy as the Queen of Motown with her future as a soloist.

4. These Things Will Keep Me Loving You: This is, perhaps, the toughest song to consider when looking at the album as a whole, being that it’s the only one not written by nor produced by Ashford & Simpson. Taken on its own terms, the song ( from the team of Johnny Bristol and Harvey Fuqua) is a bouncy piece of pop, similar in many ways to “Someday We’ll Be Together” which was written/produced by the same team and also featured the “sing-outs” by Bristol. The problem for me is that it doesn’t require nearly the effort to sing as the other songs on the album, and thus seems a bit dated in the context of the other recordings. Though she gives an appealingly subdued, husky performance, it does little to further the evolution of Diana Ross as an artist. Its inclusion was likely a “safety” mechanism by Berry Gordy, in case none of the other songs were hits. While it’s an enjoyable song and certainly worthy of an album release, it does feel a little superfluous, especially in terms of the song that follows.

5. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: This, of course, is the album’s masterpiece. A Grammy-nominated #1 hit, it is such an immediately recognizable song that it also is tough to consider purely in the context of the album. Similar to “You’re All I Need To Get By,” this track is a remake of the earlier Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit – though to call it a remake is to completely underestimate its value. Ashford & Simpson took the basic idea of the melody and the lyrics and somehow turned the song into an episodic, almost operatic track that still defies genre classification (I mean, really…how do you describe this song?). Diana Ross had spoken on record before, notably in the hit “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone” – but those melodramatic readings have been replaced by an almost chant-like recitation of lines — something totally new and instantly mesmerizing. The original album version of the song runs six minutes and 20 seconds (almost three times the length of the longest Supremes track!), giving Diana and the background chorus of voices plenty of time to build up to what is, I think, perhaps the most exciting musical climax in pop history. At 4:18, when the dreamy, string-laden bed of music erupts into the thunderous “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” refrain, the Diana Ross that emerges is not only a singer unlike anything we’ve heard on any Supremes song; she’s also a completely different singer from anything we’re heard on this album. Her complete abandon for the duration of the song – not to mention the ad-libs which reach far higher than any notes she’d hit before – is a thrill and remains among the best vocal work she would ever produce. If released today, this is the kind of song that would sweep the Grammy awards; it is a mystery to me that it didn’t even win Diana Ross the ONE it was nominated for. Credit must also be given to the incredible musicians featured on the track; assuming Motown bassist James Jamerson is the man playing here, this has got to be among his best work; the bass-line services as the vital musical heartbeat and perfect counterpoint to the prominent strings featured throughout. This is truly one of the masterpieces of music from the 1970s or any other decade, and is easily the highlight of the album.

6. Something On My Mind: So how do you follow a masterpiece? You don’t try. You quiet things down and relax the atmosphere with a song like this one, an incredibly catchy composition that had already been recorded and released as a single by Rita Wright (aka Syreeta) in 1968 in a far more overwrought version than the one produced here. Had it not been outshined by “Ain’t No Mountain…” and “Reach Out…,” this one probably could have been a single for Ross, too – I have no doubt it would’ve garnered strong pop airplay. The vocal here is a nice mix of the simplistic clarity of many of her Supremes hits and the more forceful and passionate readings required by Ashford and Simpson.

7. I Wouldn’t Change The Man He Is: I have a feeling many fans will place this toward their top of the list in terms of vocal performances from this album; it certainly stands out, being one of the bluesiest songs ever recorded by Diana Ross, and showcasing her vocal range by requiring a low, breathy reading of the verses and plaintive belting on the chorus. It is, however, a little lower on my personal list. The subject matter of the song – a resignation that while her man isn’t perfect, he’s still the right one – requires a world-weariness that Diana never quite achieves on the nearly-spoken verses. It isn’t that Diana Ross isn’t capable of such an emotion (witness much of her work on the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack) – but within the scope of this album, one filled with the excitement and freshness of an emerging artist, the idea of the singer as a slightly jaded woman never comes across as very believable. That said, there are moments of brilliance here; I love her sarcastic “huh” at 1:10 into the song.

8. Keep An Eye: Here is another highlight of the album, a soul gem that Diana Ross had earlier recorded with The Supremes for the Love Child album. More than anything, “Keep An Eye” is a showcase for Ashford & Simpson as songwriters; similar in theme to the great “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (a 1971 hit for The Undisputed Truth ), the lyrics here are playful but extremely dark (and include one of my favorite lines in a song ever: “Just like a snake on the limb of a tree, a friend is an enemy you can’t see”). Diana’s vocal is masterful; this is a song I always turn to when I need to combat the popular assumption that she was never a true “soul singer.”

9. Where There Was Darkness: A nice, mid-tempo number that features a memorable chorus and another passionate vocal from Diana, especially in the last 50 seconds or so. The strange instrumental track at least helps it stand out from the rest of the album – though I don’t think it could ever have been a single, it is a decent album track.

10. Can’t It Wait Until Tomorrow: Probably, for me, the weakest song on the album. Without a strong hook on either the verses or the chorus, it gets lost among the far superior songs that come before it (and which will follow). Though Diana Ross still sounds more engaged than on many of her final Supremes album-tracks, this tune lacks the vocal star-power exhibited on “Ain’t No Mountain…” or “Keep An Eye.” If any song could have been left off the album, this is probably it, although to be fair it is still better than many of the album tracks Diana would record over in the future…

11. Dark Side Of The World: And so we come to the end of the album, and Ashford & Simpson provide Miss Ross with another soul gem, one of the strongest of the entire work and one of the best true soul songs Diana would ever record. The instrumental track is outstanding – a Funk Brothers masterwork that could have easily fit into any of the albums Marvin Gaye would release during the decade (and indeed, Gaye did record this song, though it went unreleased). Diana’s plaintive reading of lyrics like “Bring back the sunshine that you took away” again shows just how far she’s come as a vocalist in just a few short years; contrast this with her girlish delivery of the similarly-themed “Come See About Me” and it’s hard to believe only six years separate the songs.

***

As I said before, it’s hard to consider this album purely on its own terms, knowing that it was only the beginning of a solo career filled with some spectacular high points. But as a singular work by a “new” artist, it really is extremely strong from start to finish. Motown had rarely put much care into albums, instead focusing on churning out hit singles throughout the 1960s. That changed in the 1970s, and I’d argue this album is one of the first from Motown to really make a complete artistic statement. Diana Ross is never placed in the same category as 1970s albums by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder – mainly because Diana Ross didn’t write or produce the music herself – but it’s ever bit as effective in terms of telling a complete musical story. That narrative involves a singer learning to use her voice in a new, exciting way to tell much more complex stories.

Final Analysis: 4.5/5 (A Sky “High” Debut)

Choice Cuts: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Dark Side Of The World,” “Keep An Eye”

https://dianarossproject.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/diana-ross-1970/

“This is my retreat, we’re together, and My Place is now even better…”

These days, when it’s common for artists to take three or four years between releasing studio albums, it seems astonishing that Diana Ross’s second solo album hit shelves just a few months after her first. It also seems strange given that the first album – while not a blockbuster hit – was a strong success, and featured a #1 hit in “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Though the company potentially could have pulled further singles – “Something’s On My Mind” for example – it instead moved on to this album, featuring a completely different behind-the-scenes team and sound.

Everything Is Everything was put together by Deke Richards, who employed the work of several songwriters (including Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, and Burt Bacharach) and also producers such as Hal Davis to fill up its eleven tracks. Given the variety of material and production credits, the album immediately stands in contrast to its predecessor, Diana Ross, which was a cohesive work delivered by the songwriting/production team of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson (except for one track). That cohesiveness is sorely missing here, on an album that has its share of both strong and weak efforts.

Taken on its own terms, Everything Is Everything is a good, listenable piece of early 1970s pop/soul. It is, without a doubt, dated – the very title of the album, a popular catchphrase of the day, indicates that. While still a stronger release than anything put out by Diana Ross & The Supremes in the last few years of their career, this album is closer in spirit to those albums than to 1970’s Diana Ross, because there’s not necessarily a theme to the work as a whole. The songs of Diana Ross told the story of a young woman emerging into solo stardom through a collection of exciting, passionate performances. Everything Is Everything instead is more of a showcase of what Diana Ross could do with a song as an interpreter (especially cover songs) – which, at times, is wonderful…and at other times is a little less than inspiring.

***

1. My Place: The album opens with an upbeat Hal Davis production that immediately contrasts with the work Diana Ross has done with Ashford & Simpson. The bouncy, energetic pop song is standard Motown all the way, and while Diana does a nice job on the vocal, it doesn’t stretch her much more than anything she’d done with the Supremes years earlier had. The sound quality – somewhat gritty and tinny – also sounds much closer in spirit to “In And Out Of Love” or “Love Child” than the high-gloss, epic “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” I could have lived without the accordion-interlude, and wish Diana’s vocal was less mushy during her singing at the end, but “My Place” certainly isn’t the weakest track on the album. I have to say, though – television producers totally missed the boat on this song. Doesn’t is sound like it would have been a perfect opening-credits theme for a 70s sitcom?

2. Ain’t No Sad Song: A true soul/funk song – the kind of which Diana rarely recorded, unfortunately – this could have easily found a place on an early Millie Jackson album. The problem here isn’t with the production or the performance, but the fact that the song doesn’t have a memorable lyric. It is, in fact, an odd composition, with no identifiable verse or chorus (at least to my ear). Had there been a catchier, sing-along lyric, this would have been far stronger track; instead, it merely showcases an earthy, funky vocal from Diana.

3. Everything Is Everything: Essentially “My Place – Part 2” – the title track of the album is a similarly bouncy pop song that is much more classic late 60s/early 70s Motown than much of the other work Diana Ross had been recording. The repeated use of the phrase “everything is everything” and lyrics like “everything is groovy” don’t help this song to age very well, and while Diana again sounds youthful and fun on the track, it’s not much of a vocal showcase for her and the song isn’t one that likely would have burned up the charts.

4. Baby It’s Love: After three pretty good but not particularly memorable songs, “Baby It’s Love” kicks the album up a notch. This is one of the best album tracks of Diana’s early 70s career; a smooth, soulful song co-written by Marvin Gaye. The instrumental track certainly sounds like the work Marvin was turning out at the time, with a notable sax line and some nice percussion and guitar work. Above all, “Baby It’s Love” allows Diana a chance to give a breathy, sexy performance that, while not as challenging as much of her vocal work with Ashford & Simpson, is just as mature and appealing. Certainly her growth as a vocalist is evident in this song, as the “cute” affectations that often bogged down her work with the Supremes are nowhere to be heard. Though it’s one of the lesser-known songs of her early career, this is one of her best.

5. I’m Still Waiting: This is the most recognizable song from the album, and the sole single released from it in the US. Fans in the United Kingdom apparently fell in love with it, and “I’m Still Waiting” sailed to #1 there and became one of Diana’s most popular recordings; the single nowhere near equaled that success in the states, not even making the Top 40. This is unfortunate, because “I’m Still Waiting” is a lovely, melodic pop ballad that ranks among the best on the album. One of the few Deke Richards originals on the album, it’s a perfect song for Diana. Without a doubt, what Miss Ross has always done best with her songs is to tell compelling stories, and this is a perfect example of what she could do as both an actress and interpreter of lyrics. Diana scales back her vocal, sounding young and fragile here while telling the story of losing her childhood love, and the track itself is highlighted by a memorable guitar intro and soulful background vocals. While not as dazzling a song as “Ain’t No Mountain…,” this song is an understated, deceptively simple work that merits greater recognition in terms of Diana’s early career.

6. Doobedood’ndoobe, Doobedood’ndoobe, Doobedood’ndoo: The second Deke Richards composition in a row, this is another strong addition to the album and kind of makes you wonder how much better it would have been if the entire album had been written and produced by him. This oddly composed, episodic song features a laid-back groove on the verses which crescendos into an gospel-esque, choir-laden chorus. If not for the completely insane title, this probably could have been a single; it straddles the R&B/pop line nicely and while as contemporary as anything else on the radio in 1970, was also different enough that it could’ve garnered some good airplay. Diana sounds nice here, but her vocal during the fade-out is particularly impressive, as she jumps an octave while singing “I just started livin’…” This is the kind of singing she had done on almost every track of her previous solo album, and it’s a shame she hasn’t let loose more often here, especially on a song like this one which merits the kind of vocal gymnastics that Diana was more than capable of performing, but isn’t necessarily known for.

7. Come Together: The first of two Beatles covers, this one is certainly the far superior. Again produced by Deke Richards, the track and arrangement here sound like they were tailor-made for the Jackson 5 – which makes sense, since Richards was part of the crew responsible for the group’s phenomenal run of hits. For proof, listen to Diana’s call-outs at about 4:30 into the song (which runs nearly seven minutes); her “C’mon y’all!” sounds exactly like something Michael would done in the same song (which also makes sense, as Michael Jackson admittedly emulated Diana Ross in his early career).

8. The Long And Winding Road: This is unquestionably the low-point of Everything Is Everything, a nauseating piece of MOR that sucks the soul right out of the string of good songs that come before it. Perhaps I’m a little biased because I’m not a Beatles fan, but the song is a laborious, overwrought ballad that, like the title suggests, seems to meander along while never actually getting anywhere. Diana, unfortunately, doesn’t rise above the material, and brings some of her Supremes affectations back from the dead here, stretching words like “here” into “hee-aaaaah” and “disappear” into “disa-peeeee-ahhhhh” in the overdone, show-biz sort of the singing she often incorporated into her medleys of hits during live shows in the late 1960s. This is disappointing in light of the fresh, inspired singing she’d turned in for her solo debut album and on a few cuts on this album. If any song should have been left in the vaults, this is it.

9. I LoveYou (Call Me): Thank God, after the disaster of the former song, Diana and Deke do a 180 and turn in the highlight of the entire album. Their cover of the Aretha Franklin hit was (in a rare display of extremely good taste) nominated for a Grammy as Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and is easily one of the best recordings Diana Ross made in her early solo career – and maybe in her entire solo career. The soulful ballad is perfectly produced, thankfully eschewing the rest of the album’s tendency toward using dated instrumentals, and the background vocals are superb. Front and center is one of Diana’s more impassioned vocals, mixing both the breathy sexiness of the earlier track “Baby It’s Love” with the strength of her cuts with Ashford and Simpson. Her “Don’t for-GET!” at 2:42 into the song is perhaps the most raw her voice ever sounded on record. Though Aretha Franklin is cited by many as the world’s best female vocalist – Diana’s version of “I Love You (Call Me)” easily stands with the original and her voice and interpretation are just as affecting as Aretha’s. The next time you hear someone say Diana Ross was nothing more than a bubblegum pop singer or that she wasn’t truly a “soul” artist – play them this song.

10. How About You: A Deke Richards-original that sounds like something Dionne Warwick might have recorded as an album track in the 1960s. Unfortunately, it’s placed directly after the masterpiece of “I Love You (Call Me)” and directly ahead of a song Dionne Warwick actually did record in the 1960s, both of which are so much stronger that this song literally disappears between them. Not a bad inclusion, but certainly not a hidden gem.

11. (They Long To Be) Close To You: An amazingly good version of the oft-covered song, and one that manages to avoid falling into the trap of being way too saccharine and sappy. The production is helped immensely by the soulful backing vocals, which lift the song out of its pure pop origins. Diana turns in a nice, simple performance, and even the addition of a few spoken passages don’t sink the production. This had the potential to be another “Long And Winding…” – but thankfully both Deke and Diana sound far more inspired on this track and it turns out to be one of the better songs on the album.

***

There is no doubt that there’s an unevenness to Everything Is Everything which results in it sounding more like a collection of songs than a complete album. Even Diana Ross apparently knew this, having said “I wasn’t satisfied with the Everything Is Everything album…When I do an album, I like it to be good all the way through” (David Nathan, The Soulful Divas, 153). Still, there are some strong productions here that tend to be overlooked in the context of Diana Ross’s solo career. Later in the decade, Diana would sometimes play it safe, following much more closely to the melody of the songs she recorded and shying away from recording songs that required her to push her voice. But Everything Is Everything captures the singer at a time when she was still experimenting with her sound as a solo artist, and when she scored, she scored big.

Final Analysis: 3.5/5 (Almost Everything “Comes Together”)

Choice Cuts: “I Love You (Call Me),” “Baby It’s Love,” “I’m Still Waiting”

“Hey, y’all, here I am…”

The breakneck pace of Diana Ross’s early solo career continued with her first television special, aired on ABC in early 1971, and the accompanying soundtrack album. Ross was more than a proven television attraction, having made dozens of appearances with the Supremes on popular variety programs and in two smash TV specials with the Supremes and the Temptations. 1968’s TCB in particular produced a #1 hit soundtrack album, so it’s not a big surprise that Motown would hope to duplicate that success with Diana!

In the days before music videos and YouTube, I suppose television specials like this one were often the only chance the public had to see an artist perform his or her songs. The Diana! special not only gave fans a chance to see her sing hits like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Remember Me” – it also featured several skits, including a prolonged sequence in which Diana imitated famous comedians like Charlie Chaplin. These segments provided Diana Ross an opportunity to show off the acting skills that would come into clear focus the next year, when her Oscar-nominated film debut, Lady Sings The Blues, was released.

Of course, the soundtrack album centers on the musical performances, although we do get two dialogue sequences featuring guest stars Bill Cosby and Danny Thomas. Along with Diana’s songs, we also get two medleys by The Jackson 5, who were at the height of their popularity following a run of four #1 hits. The album, then, isn’t really a “Diana Ross album” – nor is it a full live concert album like the ones she’d later release in the decade. For the Diana Ross fan, Diana! more than anything serves as a chance to hear some of her early recordings with alternate vocals; songs like “(They Long To Be) Close To You” and “I Love You (Call Me)” weren’t chart hits for the singer, and thus would never show up on a Diana Ross release after this one. Although according to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s book Diana Ross: A Biography the recordings here are not actually the ones that were broadcast on the special (look up “Remember Me” on YouTube, and you’ll see she actually lip-synched to the original recorded version of the song on special, while the one here is totally different), the album does capture the kind of energetic, vibrant performances that Diana Ross was probably giving early in her solo career, as she continued trying to establish herself as a single entity and not part of a group.

***

1. Intro: The announcer calls out Diana Ross and her guest stars; hearing “Diana! starring Diana Ross” is kind of thrilling, since it’s the first time on a live or soundtrack album that she’s been announced as a full-fledged star and not part of the Supremes.

2. Don’t Rain On My Parade: Diana Ross would kick off her shows with this song for awhile; it’s also the opener on 1974’s Live At Caesar’s Palace. The popular song from Funny Girl is certainly a good fit for Diana, and she’s at her energetic best here, especially as she belts out the final, “Hey y’all, here I am!” While the song lasts for less than two minutes, it serves its purpose, which is to create an excitement that will carry the listener through the rest of the album. Her short patter with kids in the audience following the song is cute, especially since I’m assuming the little boy Kennedy she banters with is actually Berry Gordy’s son, and would grow up to become Rockwell, singer of the hit “Somebody’s Watching Me.” That song, 13 years later, would feature Michael Jackson on backing vocals. Here, little Kennedy helps introduce his future collaborator, then the lead singer of The Jackson 5…

3. Medley: Mama’s Pearl, Walk On By, The Love You Save: The Jackson 5 rock the house on this medley, featuring the expected dynamic vocals of Michael and the rest of the gang. The instruments are particularly funky on “Walk On By” and Michael is great on “The Love You Save” although, admittedly, hearing the studio applause makes you wish you were watching the performance rather than listening to it.

4. (They Long To Be) Close To You: An absolutely beautiful performance of the song first recorded for and released on Everything Is Everything, her second solo LP. She follows her recorded vocal pretty closely, but sounds slightly dreamier here, and is far more powerful in the last minute and a half of the song. Listen, particularly, starting at just about two minutes in, when she begins the line, “From the day that you were born,” belting in a much more full-bodied voice than she used in the studio version. This is the first case of great singing by Diana Ross on Diana! and because she (as far as I know) would never perform the song live again, it’s a real treat to hear here.

5. Bill Cosby Segment: A comedy sketch between Diana and Bill Cosby with the two playing neighborhood kids in love. The running joke here is that Diana (as you can see on photos featured in the LP) is supposed to be overweight and is wearing a costume that kind of looks like a giant beach-ball under her dress! Without the visuals, the jokes fall a little flat. The two have good chemistry, though, and the segment is a nice showcase for Diana’s comic timing, something she rarely had the chance to use in her big-screen career (which was largely devoted to heavy-hitting dramatic roles).

6. Love Story: That this song was written by Randy Newman is all you really need to know; it originally appeared on his 1968 debut album and sounds exactly like a Randy Newman composition usually does. Here, it’s done by Diana and Bill Cosby as a continuation of their previous skit as two kids in love. The two certainly sound like they’re having a good time, but again, it’s hard to really enjoy the song without seeing the performance, given that there are clearly some sight gags (“I can touch my toes…”) that are completely lost on an audio recording. If nothing else, it again demonstrates Diana’s ease with light comedy and is a good representation of the kinds of comedy/musical skits she performed on shows like “The Hollywood Palace” in the late 60s/early 70s.

7. Remember Me: An interesting, alternate vocal of her then-current hit, a Top 20 record that would soon be featured on her next release, Surrender. Miss Ross sounds slightly more subdued for much of the song than on the released version, but delivers some powerful vocals during the last minute or so of running time. I like the way she’s a little less crisp when reaching for high notes in this version; rather than nailing the notes spot-on, she runs up the scale a little bit, not something normally heard from a singer as precise as Diana Ross. Not a radical change from the single version, but a nice change of pace.

8. Medley: I’ll Be There, Feelin’ Alright: The second medley from The Jackson 5, who turn in a nice performance of the hit “I’ll Be There” followed by a rousing rendition of “Feelin’ Alright,” during which Diana Ross is called onstage by Michael Jackson. Here’s another case where not seeing the performance means missing out on a large part of its charm; during the televised special, Michael and Diana engage in a mock dance-off, each pulling the other back so that they can respectively take center stage. On record, it’s actually tough to tell which voice is Diana’s and which is Michael’s, continued proof of just how much the young singer was inspired by her in the development of his career.

9. Danny Thomas Segment: Diana welcomes the star of TV’s “Make Room For Daddy” and “Make Room For Granddaddy” and asks him to teach her how to tell a funny story. Personally, I think this is the stronger of the two skits featured in this album, because this one doesn’t rely on sight gags that we miss out on a record. Again, Diana Ross sounds totally at ease with a seasoned comic and the two have a nice rapport.

10. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: One of the highlights of the album is hearing Diana sing her signature solo song, which had been a #1 hit in the year before. In future shows, Diana Ross would truncate the song, singing variations of the single edit and omitting much of the spoken verses. On this album, however, she performs the entire piece, and it’s a thrill to hear her devote nearly six minutes to the song. This is certainly no substitute for the original recorded version on Diana Ross; the strings and soaring backing vocals which add so much to the track are noticeably missing. It is, however, fantastic to hear Diana Ross really throw herself into the ad-libs at the end. In shows such as “Live At Caesar’s Palace” and “An Evening With Diana Ross,” she tends to let the band and backing singers do the work during the song’s climax; here, she wails much like she does on the album version. This is the side to Diana Ross that so many casual listeners still don’t know exists; her vocals could skyrocket with the best of them.

11. I Love You (Call Me): A shortened, “encore” version of the song she’d released a few months earlier on Everything Is Everything (and would win a Grammy-nomination for). Though there’s as much speaking as singing here, it’s nice to hear her do the song, since it didn’t stay in her live act for long and would never show up on a Diana Ross recording again. The few lines she does sing as just as soulful as the album version, and the piano line behind her is phenomenal.

***

Clearly there’s nothing on Diana! that would really appeal to a casual fan – the hits here can all be found on other albums, and the skits are dated and not particularly noteworthy. However, for a die-hard fan and collector of the Ross discography, this soundtrack does offer some minor treasures. Again, it’s always nice to hear some alternate vocals from Diana Ross, especially on lesser-known songs. This is also one of the few times Diana Ross and Michael Jackson would show up on record together (though their collaboration from The Wiz, “Ease On Down The Road,” would earn them a Grammy nomination several years later). And because (as of this writing) none of Diana’s television specials have been offically released on DVD, this album gives at least a basic understanding of her ease and charisma as a live performer. Thus, while Diana! isn’t a Diana Ross essential, it is strong snapshot of the singer during an essential part of her career.

Final Analysis: 3/5 (“Close”…But Not Perfect)

Choice Cuts: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “(They Long To Be) Close To You”

“I roll the dice, 7-11…you’ll either take me down, or you’ll take me to heaven…”

Diana Ross’s third solo album is one of the best of her career, and the absolute best of her early 1970s output. Not only that, but it’s one of the best Motown albums of the era, period. This, my friends, is a work of classic soul, featuring the strongest singing Diana Ross would do until the end of the decade and some of the finest songs by writing/producing team Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Ashford & Simpson had, of course, delivered Diana’s first solo LP, and while there’s not a single song here stronger than the first album’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” this album as a whole is far superior, more complex piece of work.

Perhaps Surrender isn’t generally placed in the category of great Motown albums because it lacked a massive hit single. Though “Remember Me” was a Top 20 hit and two other songs made the Top 40, none of them are as instantly recognizable as later hits like “Touch Me In The Morning” and “Upside Down.” At the time, it was probably also lost due to the fact that it was one of four Diana Ross albums (three studio and one TV special soundtrack) released in less than two years. It’s a shame that none of the songs caught on the way “Ain’t No Mountain…” had, as a stronger single might have helped push the album up the charts and increase its visibility.

Surrender is also important because it’s the last true soul album Diana Ross would record for several years. This is due to the fact that her entire career was about to vault to the next level thanks to her starring role in 1972’s Lady Sings the Blues. In the wake of her Oscar-nominated movie and #1-selling soundtrack, the singer’s entire vocal style would change; she would lose much of the breathy, raw power of her early recordings and replace it with a smooth, sophisticated style that leaned much more toward pure pop than R&B. Surrender, therefore, is the end of the first phase of Diana’s solo career – a portrait of the singer as young, exciting, vital woman bursting onto the music scene alone in the spotlight – and if it had to end, at least it came with one of the best collections she would ever release.

***

1. Surrender: Opening with thunderous, repetitive piano playing and a driving percussive beat, the album’s title track is immediately more fiery than anything Diana had thus recorded in her solo career. The clever, playful lyrics are as memorable as those in the brilliant “Keep An Eye” from Diana’s solo debut, and the singer is completely committed to them, turning in a commanding vocal performance which erupts into soulful abandon at 1:30, when she begins her ad-libbing with a dazzling “Ow!” reminiscent of her work during the climactic chorus of “Ain’t No Mountain…” Valerie Simpson’s piano work here is absolutely stunning, displaying a strong gospel influence, and the rest of the Funk Brothers turn in impeccable performances. Though it’s not the strongest song on the album, “Surrender” is a perfect opener, and shows Diana Ross at the absolute top of her game. Though it was released as a single, it wasn’t a major hit for the singer; in retrospect, this might be because it was too soulful a song for a singer with such a broad pop fanbase. This is a shame, because if more people were aware of work like “Surrender” and other songs on this album, there’s no doubt Diana Ross’s abilities as a vocalist would be given much more respect.

2. I Can’t Give Back The Love I Feel For You: The complex, soulful, slightly dark vibe set by the opening tune is continued here, in a song I’d argue showcases Diana Ross’s strongest vocal performance until her work on The Wiz soundtrack seven years later. A song previously recorded by Rita Wright (Syreeta) and even Diana Ross as part of the Supremes, Ashford & Simpson here arrange it in a similar style to “Ain’t No Mountain…” in terms of spoken passages, sung refrains, and passionate, over-the-top climax. As with “Surrender,” the instrumental track here is superb, featuring another fabulous piano performance by Simpson and a prominent bassline, along with blaring, memorable horns that help whip the song into a frenzy during its final minute. Diana Ross gives an impassioned reading of the lyrics for the first two and a half minutes, but as soon as she belts out the lyric, “…’cause it will grow ‘til the world won’t go ‘round…NO MORE!” she transforms into a soul singer on par with any other. In the liner notes to the re-release of this album, Valerie Simpson says Diana’s ad-libs at the end of this song are “in the stratosphere!” – and I couldn’t put it any better than that. The incredible range and power on display here, as with her work on the preceding track, should be enough to silence any critics who say Diana had a limited vocal ability. This song is one of the undoubted highlights of Diana’s career.

3. Remember Me: The album’s biggest hit, this was a Top 20 success and the single that immediately followed the #1 “Ain’t No Mountain…” Though it’s not necessarily considered a classic in quite the way her other solo hits are, this is a great single and features another strong vocal performance by the singer, who continues to showcase a power in her voice that she’d rarely used while with the Supremes and had mainly subdued in her Everything Is Everything album a few months earlier. Once again Ashford and Simpson display an ability to produce a timeless song; while this undoubtedly sounds like an early 1970s production, it doesn’t have the dated, almost-campy feel of many of the productions on Everything Is Everything. The backing vocals are particularly soaring on this track, and it’s to Diana’s credit that they don’t outshine her at all, but enhance her own performance.

4. And If You See Him: And Ashford, Simpson, and Ross make it four in a row with this song, another glorious slice of 70s pop/soul that opens with heartbeat-like guitar/bass notes that set a nice tone of urgency which Diana matches in her vocals, especially during the swinging chorus, in which she really lets loose. Unlike the previous three tracks, there are no backing vocals here, so this is a nice chance for Miss Ross to totally command the song, and she does so easily.

5. Reach Out, I’ll Be There: The first (and only) song not written by Ashford & Simpson, the duo nonetheless arranged the classic Four Tops hit into something that sounds like one of their originals, aping their own “Ain’t No Mountain…” formula of slowing it down and letting it build slowly to a thunderous finale. I have a feeling many fans are split on this song; though it was released as a single, it was only a moderate hit and certainly isn’t considered a classic among her catalogue. That said, I think it stands as a major highlight of both the album and of her whole career; while it might pale somewhat when compared with the masterpiece of “Ain’t No Mountain…,” it’s a brilliant piece of work on which Diana displays some gorgeous vocal work. Her crisp, smooth vocals during the first three minutes of the song foreshadow her work in Lady Sings the Blues, as she lags behind the beat with the command of a seasoned jazz singer. There’s also a roundness to her high soprano here that was often missing in her earlier work; she could sound brassy when going for high notes on her later-Supremes tracks, but here her voice is as clear as a bell. That said, she matches her fantastic, soulful work on “Ain’t No Moutain…” at the end of this song, when, at nearly four minutes in, we finally hit the “I’ll be there” climax. As with “I Can’t Give Back The Love…,” Diana’s voice absolutely soars here, belting out notes heretofore unheard of in her career.

6. Didn’t You Know (You’d Have To Cry Sometime): Perhaps not as immediately grabbing as the five superb songs that precede it, this song — originally recorded and released by Gladys Knight and the Pips – is still a good addition to the album and a nice piece of early 70s soul. The fact this is probably one of the two or three weakest tracks on the album speaks to what a great album this is; on either of her two earlier releases, this song would be a stand-out. However, in the context of a work that includes such strong singing and production, it tends to get lost of a little.

7. A Simple Thing Like Cry: Another song featuring extremely strong vocals from Diana, the lyric here isn’t as memorable as “Surrender” or “Remember Me,” but it’s saved by great production and the passionate, reaching vocals, especially in the last minute of running time. Diana pushes the top of her range here, as in “Can’t Give Back The Love…,” and she sounds especially full-bodied as she wails the word “cry” several times toward the end. There are moments here, as with so many other songs on this album, that are goosebump-inducing — the power and emotion in Diana’s voice is that stunning.

8. Did You Read The Morning Paper: Similar to her previous album’s “I’m Still Waiting,” this is a story-song – the lyrics here tell the tale of a woman who sees a picture in the newspaper of her lover…with another woman. Because Diana Ross is a superb lyrical storyteller, the song works; in the hands of a less-talented artist, it might be plodding. Diana more than handles the couple of key changes toward the end of the song, her voice in full command of the challenging tune.

9. I’ll Settle For You: After eight straight songs that push Diana Ross to new, emotional heights as a singer, this pretty, melodic song gives her and the audience a chance to relax. An album with such a dizzying succession of soulful and shattering songs needs a track like this to break up the pace a little, and this is a perfect addition to the album. Diana’s voice is gorgeous, singing simple rhymes that sound almost like passages from a children’s book. The understated production and backgrounds provide a perfect musical bed for the lead vocal. Had it been released to pop radio, this song would’ve easily stood beside other early 70s “AM Gold” hits and probably could have done well for the singer.

10. I’m A Winner: An upbeat, funky track in the vein of Everything Is Everything’s “Ain’t No Sad Song,” but surpassing that song thanks to the presence of a stronger hook and clever lyrics. Originally cut on Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Diana Ross is a perfect match for the material, with her aggressive vocals attacking the song and nicely interpreting the message. “I’m A Winner” serves as an interesting counterpoint to “Surrender” – both are energetic, in-your-face pieces of soul, but while the title track of the album has a staccato, slightly discordant (and thus darker) instrumental, this tune is a feel-good one, and nicely builds upon the sweet “I’ll Settle For You” while requiring a much more energetic performance from Diana and company. This is another performance that flies in the face of those familiar only with Diana Ross’s later work with Michael Masser, and thus convinced she wasn’t a “soul singer.”

11. All The Befores: The album closes with this beautiful, haunting ballad that it one of the best on the album and one of the great hidden gems of Diana’s solo career. The song is certainly the most complex that Ashford & Simpson had delivered to Diana Ross over their two albums with her; the phenomenal instrumental track features piano and string arrangements that sound almost classical in comparison to the songs that come before it. Diana, meanwhile, carries the challenging melody and lyrics with one of her most impressive and understated performances, and gets a chance to use her lower register on lines like “…loving you stronger than ever” – during which she hits low notes that sound startling coming from the same singer who’d wailed to soaring heights on earlier songs. The song is probably way too slow to have ever been considered for single release, especially given that there’s not even any singing on the last full minute of the song. It is, however, one of the most beautiful ballads Diana Ross ever recorded, and probably one of the most beautiful that had come out of the Motown studios up to that point. It’s also a perfect way to end the album, carrying forth the theme of beautiful yet darker songs that are often focused on the negative side of being in love.

***

Again, Surrender was released about a year before the soundtrack to Lady Sings the Blues, and thus would become totally lost in the whirlwind of publicity surrounding Diana Ross’s triumph of acting and singing in the film. This is, however, a triumph of singing on its own, and deserves greater appreciation amongst soul and Motown aficionados. Diana Ross fans already know of the great treasures this album holds, but it’s been criminally ignored by lovers of 70s souls for far too long. It would be awhile before Diana would make another album this consistently strong, and it’s a work that she as well as Ashford & Simpson should hold in high regard; this is an album made by artists at the top of their game, and there’s not a single bad song on the entire set.

Final Analysis: 5/5 (A Definite “Winner”!)

“Feel like I wanna shout, give the piano player a drink because he’s knockin’ me out!”

After showing off a new power/emotion in her soulful first three albums as a solo artist, Diana Ross made a complete transformation for this, the soundtrack to her first film. Much of the passion of her earliest solo work –“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Remember Me” for example – was likely due in part to her desire to create a new identity, one that didn’t include being the lead singer of the Supremes. However, once Lady Sings The Blues hit theatres in 1972, Diana Ross was done proving anything. The movie was a smash, and not just with audiences; Ross won a Golden Globe as “Most Promising Newcomer” and was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award and a BAFTA (British Academy Award). This double-LP soundtrack album, meanwhile, hit #1 on the album charts and won the Favorite Pop Album American Music Award.

Getting there, however, wasn’t so easy. As Diana writes in her memoir Secrets of a Sparrow, “When the announcement was made that I would be playing Billie Holiday, my mere acceptance of the role sparked a great deal of criticism….We hadn’t even started shooting and the press had already turned against me” (164). The divide between Billie Holiday – drug-addicted jazz singer – and Diana Ross seemed too great for people to fathom. This is especially true when it came to the music each woman sang. Billie Holiday’s was (and still is) one of the most instantly-recognizable voices in all of music, her unique and throaty vocals often conveying a deep sadness and pain. How could Diana Ross match that?

Miss Ross answered the question in her book: “During my nine months of research, I made some important decisions…one of them being that I would not try to sound like Billie….I would work to bring through my own sound. Strangely, since I listened to almost nothing else during that time, I took on the same phrasing she used, and in this way, I ended up sounding a lot like her after all” (166). This approach – mixing the essence of Holiday’s often understated, relaxed approach to music with her own sound – led to some of the finest work of Diana’s career, and what is one of the great collections of music from the decade. Even today — perhaps especially today, with so many contemporary singers released “standards” collections — the double-album soundtrack more than stands the test of time. So much of this success is also due to the musical direction of Gil Askey, whose wonderful arrangements (and team of top-notch musicians, some of whom apparently played with Billie Holiday) are classy and timeless.

Most of the first LP is filled with dialogue and song snippets from the movie. Though Diana’s vocals are featured on some of these – notably “Them There Eyes” and “The Man I Love” – they are overdubbed with applause and lines from the film. Some of the songs also come at points during the film where Billie Holiday is under the influence of drugs, and thus Diana Ross is not only singing, but “acting” her way through them. The second LP, however, features the studio recordings of several Billie Holiday songs, and is what I’ll discuss here.

***

1. Fine & Mellow: The studio recordings open, fittingly, with a song written by Billie Holiday herself, and recorded by her in the late 1930s. The loud, blaring horns of the introduction herald the arrival of a new, laid-back Diana Ross, who sings with a resigned swagger about the man who treats her “oh, so mean.” One of the bluesiest songs on the soundtrack, the arrangement here is also one of the most exciting instrumentals, featuring top-notch rhythm and horn work. It’s a relatively repetitive song, but Diana’s wise reading is perfect, especially when she reaches into her higher register to plead, “But if you treat me right, daddy…” The lyrical content here is much more mature than what Diana Ross had been recording thus far in her career (the song covers drinking, gambling, and, basically, lots of sex), and had she covered it while with the Supremes, it probably would have been a complete mess of cute affectations. Now, she has a perfect understanding of the song, and the tone she presents on the performance is one that sets the bar high for the rest of the album.

2. Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?): A gorgeous song with an absolutely beautiful instrumental track and arrangement by Gil Askey, this tune was apparently written for Billie Holiday in the early 40s, and relaxes the atmosphere after the much more brash “Fine & Mellow.” Diana’s smooth, almost fragile reading of the bridge does really recall Holiday’s sound, especially when hitting the higher notes required by the song. Her performance here is downright miraculous when compared with the singing she displayed on her solo work with Ashford & Simpson; she truly sounds like a different singer, and yet this song was probably recorded mere months after the soul/gospel tracks on Surrender.

3. You’ve Changed: Easily one of the strongest tunes on the soundtrack, this is a perfect example of how Diana Ross merged her own sound with that of Billie Holiday. Her performance here is frail and stark, matching the essence of much of Holiday’s later output (in particular her work on the LP Lady In Satin, on which she recorded this song) while still retaining the crisp Diana Ross tone. This is a masterful, haunting performance and one of the highlights of the soundtrack.

4. Gimme A Pigfoot (And A Bottle Of Beer): One of the few up-tempo, swinging songs on the soundtrack, it’s nice to hear a little joy in the music, especially after the dark “You’ve Changed.” Notable is the way she handles the lyrics; by staying completely honest to the feeling of the period, the song sounds authentic. It would have been easy for this song, with such dated lyrics, to almost sound like a parody, but Diana Ross easily sidesteps that trap by keeping the performance simple and light.

5. Good Morning Heartache: The only song released as a single, this has probably become the most well-known song from the soundtrack, and managed to make the Billboard Top 40. Diana does sound more like “herself” here than on songs like “You’ve Changed” and “Strange Fruit” – so it makes sense that Motown chose this one for a radio release. The vocal here is relaxed and mature, with Diana’s soprano as clear and clean as it would ever be on record. Often included on “Greatest Hits” compilations, the song easily stands beside hits like “Touch Me In The Morning” even though it was written decades earlier, thanks to a timeless track by some master jazz instrumentalists and pitch-perfect performance from Diana Ross.

6. All Of Me: One of the catchiest, most swinging songs on the soundtrack, this is the second time the song is featured (it’s also on the first LP in a shorter version, featured as part of the scene where Billie auditions in a club to be a singer). If “Good Morning Heartache” hadn’t been released as a single, I think this could have been, as Diana evokes not only traditional jazz singers, but also her expertise in delivering a good pop lyric. It was probably rejected as a single candidate because the arrangement is a little too “big band” and features a somewhat lengthy instrumental horn break.

7. Love Theme: Not a Diana Ross performance, this is Michel Legrand’s musical composition that punctuates many scenes in the film. It’s a beautiful tune, and would later get lyrics by Smokey Robinson and be released as a single by Michael Jackson as “Happy” (…how weird is it that Diana didn’t record and release it as a song?).

8. My Man (Mon Homme): One of the best performances on the album, and one of Diana’s most thrilling performances on record ever. She has done this song many times over the years (she even recorded it as part of the Supremes final show two years earlier), but there’s no substitute for her recorded version here. Diana’s voice sounds almost choked with emotion on the first 1:30 of the song, as she sadly sings about the love for a man who’s no good to her. Sometimes when she performs the song live, Diana overdoes this portion of the song, forcing it to be a little too dramatic; here, the simple, sad loneliness in her voice here is more than enough. Of course, after the first 1:30, the song eases up a notch, as the rhythm section kicks in, followed by the strings and horns, and culminates in a stunning final 45 seconds with Diana leading the way. Though unfairly compared with Barbra Streisand’s reading of the song in Funny Girl, the two are very different performances; while Streisand totally lets loose and belts out the final portion of the song, Diana Ross never really lets go completely. The tension that remains in her voice through the end provides a different reading to the song and meaning to the lyrics; Diana Ross sounds like someone struggling until the very end to maintain some sense of command, rather than totally giving in to love (which Streisand seems to be doing)…which makes this an extremely complex and interesting recording. One of Diana’s best.

9. Don’t Explain: Another song actually written by Billie Holiday, Diana’s smooth, understated performance is a great showcase for her skills as a singer. Listen to the way she carries notes down to the lower edges of her range, and smoothly pushes them up again; she truly sounds like a jazz siren here. She still performs this song in concert, and sounds just as a great in 2012 as she does here.

10. I Cried For You (Now It’s Your Turn To Cry Over Me): Another uptempo, swinging tune, this one again shows off the mastery of the jazz musicians recording the track. The rhythm section, piano, and horns are absolutely superb, and Miss Ross does a nice job swinging along, although I prefer her slightly-more joyful performance on the similarly-paced “All Of Me.”

11. Strange Fruit: Probably the most challenging song on the album, featuring a haunting lyric about the lynching of African-Americans in the south. The sad, disturbing words paint a vivid picture and the arrangement — featuring only a piano and Diana’s voice — is perfect. For her part, Diana Ross holds back the emotion, letting the lyrics speak for themselves; she keeps it simple and stark, which is the right choice. It’s a beautiful performance, but not an easy listen.

12. God Bless The Child: This is the vocal performance that closes not only this album, but also the film, and it’s a dazzling finish. This, like “My Man,” is one of the best efforts of Diana Ross’s entire career; her crystal-clear voice is irresistible, and gets the best possible treatment thanks to what I’d say is the best instrumental track on the entire soundtrack. If I had to choose one song off the soundtrack that best represents Diana’s work on it, this would be it; the way she incorporates Billie Holiday’s technique into her own is what makes the album as a whole so successful, and again, that it came so soon after the soul belting of Surrender is absolutely amazing. Diana Ross sounds completely mature and capable with the material here, in a way that I just don’t think most other popular singers would. This is a masterpiece.

13. Closing Theme: And Michel Legrand’s instrumental theme brings it home!

***

I truly believe that this album, coming right on the heels of the triumph of Surrender, is the definitive proof of why Diana Ross is in a class of her own as a vocalist. Again, I cannot think of a single contemporary pop/R&B star — or even many of Diana’s contemporaries in the 1960s/70s — who could have successfully recorded a masterpiece of soul, then immediately followed it with a jazz album capturing the flavor of one of the genre’s best-loved singers. The versatility is really incredible and what sets Diana Ross apart as a singer. There is an ease and effortlessness to the performances here that most people who record “standards” albums (Rod Stewart, I’m looking at you…) just don’t get. Diana Ross’s recordings of the Billie Holiday catalog here never feel like a novelty, they feel like a totally natural progression of her career as a singer.

Final Analysis: 5/5 (“Fine & Mellow” & Perfect)

Choice Cuts: “My Man (Mon Homme),” “God Bless The Child,” “You’ve Changed

“All of your life to share is all I’m asking, all of the minutes and the years…”

If the first three solo albums of Diana Ross’s career (Diana Ross, Everything Is Everything, Surrender) comprise the first definite era of her solo stardom, then this – her first studio album following the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack – neatly kicks off the second. That trio of early 70s albums were strong and soulful, and took Diana Ross out of the pop-leanings of the Supremes and placed her back squarely in R&B territory. But with the film and soundtrack release of Lady, featuring Diana Ross’s stunning renditions of the Billie Holiday jazz catalogue, the singer’s career shot to a new level. No longer just an R&B diva and “former lead singer of the Supremes,” Diana Ross was now truly an international star, and her recording career would never be the same. She herself is quoted in David Nathan’s The Soulful Divas as saying, “Somehow I feel [a little] lost between ‘Baby Love’ and ‘Lady Sings the Blues.’ I’m not sure which direction my career will take now” (153).

The direction she took was up – straight to #1 – with the hit song “Touch Me In The Morning.” The song was a huge success and is now a Diana Ross classic, and was the perfect continuation of her solo career. Just as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” showcased a major growth from her work with the Supremes, “Touch Me…” shows off a further maturation in Diana’s voice, which had lost some of the breathiness from her earliest solo recordings but gained a smooth, velvety tone used in her jazz recordings. The song was the work of Michael Masser and Ron Miller (she’d have a few more ballad hits thanks to Masser later in her career), but the album that followed was mainly put together by Deke Richards, who’d masterminded her Everything Is Everything.

Much in the way Diana Ross (1970) served as a definition for Diana as a solo star, the Touch Me In The Morning album helped re-define Diana Ross as an entertainment star. The songs are tailored to a much broader audience, mixing R&B and pop in equal parts, and even retaining some jazz for the new fans gained thanks to Lady. It is to Richards’s credit that this time – while he’s again working with a variety of songwriters and producers, as he did on Everything Is Everything – there’s a cohesive feel to the album, with each and every song building off the adult contemporary tone set by the title track. This is not “bubblegum” pop music; Diana Ross is now singing about adult relationships, motherhood, and social issues.

***

1. Touch Me In The Morning: The instantly-recognizable piano chords that open this Grammy-nominated, #1 hit immediately set the grown-up, classy tone that will be carried through until the end of the album. The Diana Ross singing here sounds far more mature than the one who squealed “This is My Place…” on Everything Is Everything, which is pretty astonishing considering only about two years separated the two songs. Ron Miller and Michael Masser came up with a perfect vehicle for the new, grown-up Diana Ross; the song is a pop masterwork, with a sweeping chorus and memorable lyric. Diana herself turns in a confident, laid-back performance; she is far less-giddy than she sounded on her earliest solo albums, and clearly is incorporating some of the relaxed singing techniques of her jazz performances here. On the opening especially, when she’s accompanied by only the piano, there’s a smoothness to her voice that wasn’t present at all on songs like “Now That There’s You” from Diana Ross, on which she sang a similar introduction in far breathier, youthful voice. The overdubbed ending, during which Diana Ross sings along with herself, almost in a duet, is a stroke of genius that makes the recording feel modern even today. Though there’s been much written about the turmoil behind the recording process of the song (apparently Diana Ross was…shall we say…unmotivated to work on it), it’s to everyone’s credit that it ended up as such a great record.

2. All Of My Life: Another memorable pop tune, this one was a hit overseas (though, oddly, never released in the United States). The song isn’t as strong as “Touch Me…,” but I suspect it still could have gained plenty of airplay had it been released as the second single here at home. Listening to the song today, the biggest issue is that is souns dated; the instrumental track and background vocals are a bit overpowering and very 1970s-ish, and while Diana gives a nice performance, she does sound like she’s straining to hit the high notes, which is odd considering she’d sung higher on much of her work with Ashford & Simpson. Still, this is one of those songs that easily sticks in the brain, and was a good inclusion here.

3. We Need You: This song apparently was supposed to be the second single, though it ended up never being released. A Deke Richards production, “We Need You” is light years better than some of the work the two churned out for Everything Is Everything, and is a sad, shuffling soul ballad that gives Miss Ross the chance to show off a little bit of the passion that’s missing from some of the other performances on this album. Her vocals are really nice on the song; similar to “I’m Still Waiting,” this is a story-song, and Diana Ross is never better than when she’s telling a story to her listeners. She tailors her performance to that story, keeping it simple and slightly mournful, never being too dramatic nor too weak. I’m not sure this would have been a huge hit if it had been released, but it is a nice album track.

4. Leave A Little Room: Thematically, this is another perfect choice for Touch Me In The Morning, as it’s a mature song about love, loss, and moving on. The composition itself isn’t as immediately grabbing as the tunes that proceed it, however, due to an unusual chord progression (the verses and chorus sound like they could have come from completely different songs) and the instrumental track, which has a much more country/pop feel than anything else on the album. Though Diana capably delivers the song, and her voice is nicely doubled on the choruses, the vocal performance isn’t a particularly interesting or powerful one. Still, the song seamlessly fits into the album and serves as a nice bridge between the sadness of “We Need You” and the joy of the love song that follows…

5. I Won’t Last A Day Without You: This song is best known as a hit by The Carpenters (who took it to the Top 20 in 1974), and has been recorded by several popular singers over the years, including Barbra Streisand. The song itself is one of the strongest on the album; it’s a beautifully written work with a memorable chorus and lyrics, and Diana turns in a lovely vocal here, giving an delicate, yet assured performance. As with “Leave A little Room” and “All Of My Life,” the song certainly sounds like it came out of the early 1970s; there is a dated quality to the production and especially the backing vocals. But because the song itself and the lead vocal are so strong, it doesn’t really matter. This is a perfect addition to the album, and one of the more enjoyable album tracks of Diana’s mid-70s career.

6. Little Girl Blue: This is one of the unqualified highlights of the album, a stunningly beautiful inclusion that ranks with the best work Diana Ross would ever produce. Apparently recorded for the Blue album (a proposed follow-up to Lady Sings The Blues which went unreleased for several decades), this Rodgers and Hart standard manages to merge perfectly with the contemporary songs that surround it here, while also evoking the work Diana had turned out for the Lady soundtrack. The instrumental track here is beyond superb; the jazz guitar work is an absolute joy, and the sweeping strings here are achingly beautiful. Diana’s performance, meanwhile, is masterful; this is as good as her voice would ever sound in the mid-70s. Relaxed and confident, Diana easily reaches both the high and low ends of her range, and her crystal-clear enunciation is perhaps put to use here better than on any other recording from the era. But aside from the technical aspects of her performance, there is something indefinable about the way Diana Ross sings “Little Girl Blue” that lifts it far above an ordinary piece of album filler. This is a performance of reserved emotion, in the same way that “God Bless The Child” and “My Man (Mon Homme)” were on the Lady soundtrack. There’s a complexity here, a subtelty that hints at an entire story happening beneath the surface of the lyrics, that makes it a compelling listen. This kind of subtle shading is something Diana Ross is so good at that it’s too often taken for granted or, unfortunately, completely overlooked…which is a real shame. This is a masterpiece.

7. My Baby (My Baby My Own): This is one of the great surprises of the Touch Me In The Morning album, and a song with a instrumental track so good that it’s a surprise it hasn’t been discovered and sampled by a modern-day R&B/Hip-Hop artist (if it hasn’t already). This is a song that takes the basic groundwork laid by “We Need You” and drags it into the complete depths of despair; to describe the song as mournful doesn’t even do it justice. Diana doesn’t so much sing the sad lyrics like “How could your Daddy leave us all alone?” as wail them, her voice thick and deep with emotion. Her wordless vocal work at 2 minutes into the song is devastating; she sounds like she’s crying straight into the microphone. The instrumental track is top-notch 70s soul; the repetitive 3-note piano hook is so brilliant that, again, it’s begging to be used again.

8. Imagine: A nice, laid-back cover of the John Lennon classic. Though it’s never been a favorite of mine, the Lennon compsition is undeniably catchy, and Diana’s version is simple and straight-forward. The most notable thing about this inclusion is that it bears Diana’s name as producer, and thus is her first credited album track in the capacity. It’s to her credit that while not a standout here, the familiar song does seamlessly fit in with the rest of the album.

9. Medley: Brown Baby/Save The Children: Touch Me In The Morning closes with an eight-and-a-half minute, pure soul medley of Oscar Brown, Jr.’s “Brown Baby” and Marvin Gaye’s “Save The Children.” Like “Little Girl Blue,” this is a hidden treasure of the album that should be played for casual fans unaware of the diversity of work recorded by Diana Ross. Much of the success of this medley lies in the phenomenal instrumental track, featuring a soulful groove as good as anything on Gaye’s classic What’s Going On album (which originally featured “Save The Children”). Diana’s vocal work is top-notch as well, her relaxed and emotional delivery as good as anything else on the album. This is a perfect way to close the album, as the song once again captures the adult, soothing, almost daydream-like vibe set from the start by “Touch Me In The Morning” and carried through most of the songs.

***

Touch Me In The Morning was a big success, hitting #5 on Billboard’s top album charts and #1 on the R&B album charts, a deserved success since it stands as one of the stronger albums in the Diana Ross discography. That the album works as such a complete musical piece is surprising, considering it’s made up of songs by a handful of writers and producers, and many of the songs were apparently recorded for other projects that were never finished. Still, it’s a testament to how strong the material was that Diana was being given in the mid-70s. Though Touch Me In The Morning is not as musically interesting as Last Time I Saw Him, which would come a year later, it is much more even, and therefore makes for a nice, complete listening experience. I wish some of the songs didn’t sound as dated, and that at times Diana Ross would’ve pushed herself vocally a little more, but it’s hard to complain about an album that features some sterling highlights and on which even the weakest songs are still listenable.

Final Analysis: 4/5 (Only “A Little Room” For Improvement)

“First I had you, in the palm of my hand, but I let you slip through, like grains of sand…”

Just a few months after the release of her smash album Touch Me In The Morning, Diana Ross was back on record store shelves, this time as part of a duo. Diana & Marvin teamed her with Marvin Gaye, who was on a similar winning streak with his back-to-back classic albums What’s Going On and Let’s Get It On. Both were Motown royalty. Both had been with the company since the early 1960s. Both had scored previous hits with collaborations, and both had enjoyed major success with singer/songwriters/producers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

Unfortunately, in 1973, both were also moving in completely opposite artistic directions. Much of Marvin Gaye’s early career had been built around the idea of him as heir to the Nat King Cole throne. Marvin had been known as a “smooth” singer, his gorgeous voice tailor-made for pop standards. As the 60s progressed, however, Gaye’s music became darker and more soulful, culminating in sizzling classics like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and What’s Going On. Diana, on the other hand, had come out of the gate as a solo star with soulful albums like Diana Ross and Surrender, featuring complex grooves and emotional singing. But with 1972’s Lady Sings The Blues, she’d begun incorporating jazz and pop techniques into her vocals, which quickly became more controlled and low-key.

Thus, both had experienced similar music phases in their careers, but at completely different times. Had the Marvin Gaye of 1960 and the Diana Ross of 1973 recorded an album together, it could have been a smooth, classy mix of jazz and pop standards. Had the Marvin Gaye of 1973 and the Diana Ross of 1970 recorded an album together, it could have been a fiery soul classic. However, Diana & Marvin features both artists firmly set in their own 1973 styles, which makes for an interesting but very unsatisfying album. Making matters worse, the two stars apparently had a falling out early in the recording process, and ended up singing their parts separately (according to many written accounts, the rift had to do with pregnant Diana not wanting to be in a studio with Marvin, who insisted on smoking pot while recording). Though there’s a convincing chemistry on a few tracks, it’s definitely lacking on others. Therefore, while it’s easy to wish this album had been a blockbuster for the artists, the moderate success (two singles in the Top 20, but neither even close to #1) seems deserved.

***

1. You Are Everything: Diana & Marvin opens, smartly, with one of the strongest songs of the entire LP. The classic Stylistics track – a hit for the group just a few years earlier – is given a slow-burning, soulful treatment here, featuring some of the sultriest vocals Diana will turn in on the project. Her first few lines in particular – “Today I saw somebody, who looked just like you…” – evoke the Diana Ross of Everything Is Everything and Surrender; that is to say, the breathy and sexy songstress who had by now transformed into a jazz/pop queen. Marvin also sounds fantastic on the track; his vocals are more controlled, especially on the familiar chorus, than on many other offerings here. More than anything, the song lends itself to being a duet nicely, and the two vocals (whether they were recorded together or separately) blend beautifully, as they should on a true duet. The instrumental track is a nice mix of Motown musicality and Philly soul, blending the two styles with a beautifully shuffling percussion line. This song was a big hit in the UK – hitting the Top 5 – but never released in the US, likely because it had already been a hit for another group (and another record company) in the states. This is too bad, because it would have been an extremely strong single and sounds like it could have become something of a classic for both Diana and Marvin. Certainly it would have sounded better on current compilations by both artists than the three songs that were actually chosen as singles. This is, I think, the strongest vocal from Diana Ross of the entire LP.

2. Love Twins: A bizarre, dated song that nonetheless is quite enjoyable and one of the more listenable songs on the album. The lyrics are straight-up psychedelic 70s, with lines like “Let’s be as one, darlin’, like the sign of the Gemini,” laughably sung with conviction by both artists. Both Marvin and Diana, as with the previous track, at least sound somewhat invested in the song, but neither overdo it; Marvin’s falsetto impressively matches Diana’s soprano and the two sing much of the tune in unison. Though the pseudo-funky (and very 70s-sounding) track certainly isn’t what Diana was doing best at the time, her voice doesn’t sound bad here; there are some nice, breathy deliveries, especially when she whispers, “I love you, too, Marvin.” There’s also some fun vocal interplay here that hint at what might have been…had circumstances provided better timing and material for a duet album.

3. Don’t Knock My Love: This is far from being a highlight of the LP, which is why it’s so surprising that Motown execs chose to release it as a single (though it didn’t even make the Top 40). The real killer here is the instrumental track; there have been some good arrangements of this Wilson Pickett song over the years, but this Vegas-y, overblown, brassy version isn’t one of them. Marvin Gaye belts and growls his way through the first verse, sounding energetic and into the song, and helps make the arrangement a little more palatable; unfortunately, Diana Ross joins in during the second verse and doesn’t come off nearly as well. Perhaps some of her performance problems were out of her control; in J. Randy Taraborrelli’s Diana Ross: A Biography, producer Hal Davis is quoted as saying, “Because she was expecting and, also, because she was sitting down, she was having trouble singing and breathing correctly” (273). This was also, apparently, the session during which Diana walked out due to Marvin’s insistence on smoking marijuana. No matter what was going on behind the scenes, though, Diana does sound extremely weak when compared to Marvin. There’s a distinct lack of passion, especially during the verse she sings solo, and it makes one long for the kind of raw vocal energy she displayed on early songs like “Remember Me” and “I Can’t Give Back The Love (I Feel For You)” from Surrender.

4. You’re A Special Part Of Me: This was the first single released from Diana & Marvin, and it was a decent-sized hit, making the Pop Top 20 and even the top 5 on the R&B charts. Produced by Berry Gordy, Jr. (Mr. Motown himself!), the song is a pretty good, low-key showcase for the two singers, but suffers from the lack of a strong hook and memorable lyric. The instrumental and vocal performances are actually similar to “You Are Everything,” but that song is a far superior composition – it is so much more memorable that including both songs on the album almost kills this one. Both Marvin and Diana do sound reasonably relaxed on the song, and neither particularly outshines the other; their ad-libs at the end work quite well together. This is far from being a classic for either artist, but it wasn’t the worst choice for a single, and at least they both sound good and well-matched…

5. Pledging My Love: …unlike this disaster of a song. Okay, maybe “disaster” is a bit harsh, but this popular vintage ballad is easily the weakest song on the album. A big part of the problem, I think, is that it’s cut in a key so high that neither of singers sounds particularly good. Diana, on her solo verse, is reaching so far that her voice sounds thin and sometimes shrill; Marvin, meanwhile, sounds awkward in the use of his falsetto at about two minutes in, when singing “I’ll never part from you”…and this is from one of the great male falsetto singers! He’s also seemingly trying to outsing his partner, displaying absolutely no regard for the fact that he’s not on the record alone. Aside from the issue of the high key, the track is extremely over-dramatic; there’s a heaviness to the instrumental and backing vocals here that almost feels stifling, especially when compared to the enjoyably light and lilting tone of songs like “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart).” There were better songs left in the vaults, and it’s a shame that they were left off in favor of this, one of the least enjoyable performances of the period from either singer.

6. Just Say, Just Say: This is the only track on the album written and produced by Ashford and Simpson, who were the masters of the Marvin Gaye duet and the team that had pushed Diana Ross to new heights as a vocalist over the past few years. Therefore, this would seem a match made in heaven – if anyone could produce a classic on Marvin and Diana, it would be them, right? Well, unfortunately, in this case the answer is no. “Just Say, Just Say” is a pretty ballad with some interesting guitar work both on the intro and during a vocal break, but it’s just not a very strong or memorable song overall. Ashford and Simpson had provided Diana with dynamite tunes on the two albums they’d done with her – tracks like “And If You See Him” (originally worked on with Marvin in mind) and “Dark Side Of The World” (also recorded but unreleased by him) would have made great duets for the duo. Again – timing probably has something to do with the lack of success here; this is reportedly the last song by Ashford and Simpson done while they were under contract to Motown, and soon they would leave for Warner Bros. records. Chances are the songwriting/producing team just weren’t into the work they were doing at Motown – and coupled with two artists who clearly weren’t that into this project, the results aren’t really terrible…just bland.

7. Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart): This is the highlight of the entire album, a beautifully produced and sung piece of 70s soul. Like “You Are Everything,” this was also a hit for the Stylistics in the early 70s, and as a composition it is so far superior to the originals on this LP that it really sounds like it should have been on a totally different album. The instrumental track is lush and gorgeous; it appropriates the sound of Philly soul while avoiding the trap of becoming a campy copy. Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross both offer expert vocal performances; they match each other perfectly, both singing with the comfort of seasoned pros. Diana, in particular, sounds sexy and confident on her solo verse, using a lower register that comes as a relief after the high, thin vocals of songs like “Pledging My Love” and “Don’t Knock My Love.” Never once does Marvin sound like he’s trying to outshine his female counterpart, either, which makes this a far more balanced duet than several other songs on the collection. This was a decent-sized hit in the UK when released in the 70s, and found a new audience when it was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 film Bridget Jones’s Diary. The “new life” for this song is completely deserved, as it really is the best work the two would record together. It’s a shame it wasn’t chosen as a single in the states, as it — along with “You Are Everything” — could have been a big, lasting hit for the duo.

8. I’m Falling In Love With You: In terms of the original compositions on Diana & Marvin, this is by far the best-written; it comes only after the two Stylistics covers in terms of quality here. As with the previous song, both singers sound relaxed and well-matched on this soul ballad; Diana sounds more confident than on some earlier tracks, and Marvin isn’t quite as out-of-control here. In a battle of the original songs here, “I’m Falling In Love With You” is far superior to “You’re A Special Part Of Me” — it’s odd that the latter was chosen as the first single, when this is a catchier, better-produced song. There’s a quality to the lyrics (“You sting like a bee, but you’re sweet as honey…”) that recalls Motown hits of the 60s, and provides some nice nostalgia while listening to the singers.

9. My Mistake: This was the album’s second single and a moderate hit; it still turns up on compilations and is probably the best known tune on the LP. This is unfortunate, because while it’s a pretty catchy song, it doesn’t show Diana Ross in a very good light at all. While Marvin Gaye is a good match for the uptempo, energetic track, Diana Ross just don’t sound into the song at all; there’s a laziness to her vocal performance, and she actually sounds a little flat (for example, in her ad-libs at 1:42 in). The kind of raw energy of her vocals on Surrender are what she needed to carry the song, and it doesn’t happen. This is probably one of her worst efforts on the album (though better than “Pledging My Love” and “Don’t Knock My Love”), which is why it’s so strange that it was released as a single. Obviously Diana Ross didn’t need to prove herself as a singer to anyone at this point; still, you’d think Motown would have wanted to show her off in a better light than this.

10. Include Me In You Life: Another low point of the album, this song is a sad final impression to leave listeners with; it’s a weak, odd song that features another set of lethargic vocals from Diana Ross, as well as Marvin Gaye in this case. The vocals actually sound like “scratch” vocals — in other words, a practice run to use as a guide for later. Both singers actually seem to go off-tune during sections of the song, and there’s some pretty lame speaking from each one. But even with better performances from Ross and Gaye, the song would still be a hard sell; the repetitive “Darlin’…darlin’…darlin’…darlin’…darlin’…” is a pretty irritating hook. This song is pretty representative of the problems with this project as a whole: sub-par material and a lack of enthusiasm from the two singers involved.

***

This is an album that’s at once frustrating and also kind of hard-to-dislike. The trio of best tracks — “You Are Everything,” “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart),” and “I’m Falling In Love With You” — are incredibly satisfying and showcase both artists well. But the worst songs — “Pledging My Love,” “Include Me In Your Life,” and “Don’t Knock My Love” — are probably among the worst either singer released in the entire decade. Though there was obviously behind-the-scenes drama (and that drama can be heard in the finished product), the lack of great material is, in the end, the biggest problem with Diana & Marvin. Gaye himself was writing some of the best soul songs ever during this period — and had even provided Diana with the stellar “Baby It’s Love” on Everything Is Everything — and it’s a shame he didn’t submit any originals here. And had Ashford and Simpson not been on the brink of leaving the company, perhaps they could have handled the entire LP, which could have resulted in a soul classic. Instead, listeners are left with a lot of “what ifs…” and “could have beens…” — and while Diana & Marvin is still listenable, it’s way too uneven to be considered a truly memorable project.

Final Analysis: 3/5 (Not Quite “Special” Enough)

“You made me believe I could believe in me once again, I’m free once again…”

One of the least-heard Diana Ross albums (and one of the most under-appreciated), this eclectic mid-70s offering is nonetheless one of her more challenging and complex works of the decade, building off the foundation laid by Touch Me In The Morning in the same way that Surrender built upon that of Diana Ross. The song choice here is certainly all over the place — tracks run the gamut from country to pop to R&B to gospel. Such a varied lineup makes sense, however, when one takes Diana Ross’s career at the time into account; she’d gone from girl group singer to soul belter to jazz singer to pop queen. There is little doubt that by the time Last Time I Saw Him was released, Motown was intent on proving that Diana Ross could conquer every musical genre and every facet of entertainment imaginable.

The heart of the album, of course, is its title track, a Top 20 hit and #1 Adult Contemporary record. If record buyers were slightly confused by the shift from “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “Good Morning Heartache” to “Touch Me In The Morning”…their heads were probably spinning with the release of this tune, a country/pop novelty that features a bouncy intrumental track and a welcome energetic turn from Diana (after some virtual “sleepwalking” on her previous release, Diana & Marvin). “Last Time…” is the work of Michael Masser, as is the second song on the LP, “No One’s Gonna Be A Fool Forever,” but the rest of the album is the work of a variety of songwriters and producers, including Bob Gaudio of “The Four Seasons.”

Though Diana Ross albums are generally far more successful when written/produced by a single entity (i.e. Ashford and Simpson, Richard Perry, and Rodgers and Edwards), the variety here works, thanks to uniformly strong performances from Diana Ross and some interesting material. Diana’s vocal work on Touch Me In The Morning, while good, was extremely low-key, and many of her performances on Diana & Marvin sounded weak and thin. On this album, for some reason, she sounds younger and re-energized, bringing a vitality and drama to many of the recordings that had been missing since her 1971 masterpiece, Surrender. Hearing Diana push herself again is a thrill, and while there aren’t necessarily any classic songs here, the album is definitely a worthy addition to her discography and an essential listen for fans.

The variety here also continues to prove just how talented Diana Ross was (and is) as an interpreter of lyrics. Just as Lady Sings The Blues proved that Miss Ross could master the subtelties of jazz, this album continues to showcase her ease in crossing genres. There aren’t many female singers of the time who could have a #1 hit on the R&B charts, a #1 album of jazz standards, and then a #1 AC hit with what is essentially a country song (and would end up in the Top 10 of the country charts when released by singer Dottie West a few months later). Diana Ross could.

***

1. Last Time I Saw Him: Easily one of the strangest singles in the Diana Ross catalog, this Michael Masser song certainly doesn’t sound “Motown” by any standards. “Last Time…” is a country/pop confection featuring banjos, strings, horns, and glossy backing vocals that sound like they’re performed by a chorus line of Dolly-impersonators at the Grand Ole Opry. Now, I realize that none of this sounds appealing, but the song really is fun; after her quiet jazz performances, smooth (and somtimes bland) ballads, and less-than-energetic Marvin Gaye duets, Diana Ross finally sounds a little more like herself again. This is another one of those “story-songs” — with Diana playing the role of the woman left behind at the Greyhound bus station (and really…can you really imagine Diana Ross ever hanging at a Greyhound station??). Because it requires such a suspension of disbelief, the song is undoubtedly a novelty; there’s a definite camp element here, and Miss Ross seems to be winking at her listeners through the entire performance. Still, it’s an enjoyable and unique addition to her list of hit singles, having surprisingly made the Top 20 on both the pop and R&B charts, and apparently becoming the #1 Adult Contemporary (or Easy Listening) song of the entire year — it also helped win her an American Music Award for Favorite Female Soul Artist. This isn’t a song Diana Ross would perform often in concert, but she did dust it off for an episode of “The Muppet Show” years later, and it worked brilliantly in that context; watching Miss Ross perform with the Electric Mayhem is pretty cool.

2. No One’s Gonna Be A Fool Forever: Another Michael Masser pop tune, this one also has some elements of country woven into its musical structure, and the melody is vaguely similar to “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)” — which the duo would come up with a few years later. Diana’s vocal performance here is nice; she sings with a similar ease as on “Touch Me In The Morning,” but her ad-libs during the last 40 seconds are more powerful than anything she turned in on that song or the album it came from. The song sounds dated today; something about the melody and production feel very mid-70s (in the same way that “All Of My Life” and several other songs from the Touch Me… album did). Still, this is a good album track that grounds the listener a little bit after the over-the-top antics of the first song on the album.

3. Love Me: A beautiful ballad that has become a favorite of many fans, this is one of the stronger album tracks of Diana’s output at this time. Her voice sounds youthful, and she sings the melody with the clarity and purity of a bell; this really is a great demonstration of her skill as a melody singer. The last minute of the song features some of the better singing Diana had done in awhile; she reaches back into the upper stretches of her range, and sounds full-bodied during the bridge on lines like “I know exactly just where you’re going, let me come with you…” The production on the track is lovely; the percussion line and the dreamy strings provide a perfect bed for Diana and the backing singers.

4. Sleepin’: This song was the second single pulled from Last Time I Saw Him, and it was a total flop, becoming only her second or third single as a solo artist to miss the Top 40 completely. There were probably many reasons contributing to the failure of the song on the charts, but quality is not one of them. “Sleepin’” is, simply put, a striking masterpiece; it’s one of Diana’s best performances of the entire decade. The song’s lyrics deal with a woman in denial that her lover has died of a drug overdose; the incredibly morose story is likely a big reason for the lack of radio play, as this is definitely not a ballad anyone was dancing to at weddings or other celebrations. Still, the sad story portrayed here is a perfect match for Diana’s skills as an actress and an interpreter of lyrics. Miss Ross is in full command of her voice here, lending just the right balance of dramatics and subtlety, and utilizing the jazz techniques from Lady Sings The Blues on her phrasing (in particular, the line “My man’s sleepin’ nice now…” sounds like it could have come from that film’s soundtrack). She also belts out several lines with a passion she hadn’t shown since her work with Ashford and Simpson, reminding listeners just how powerful her voice could be when she was putting her all into a performance. Aside from the vocal performance, the production here is perfect, with a gorgeous instrumental track highlighted by a complex bassline and haunting strings. Perhaps Motown pulled this Ron Miller-penned song as a single because it fell into a similar socially-conscious vein as Marvin Gaye’s singles of the era; in retrospect, “Love Me” would have probably been a better choice for radio, as it featured a catchier track and more relatable lyrics. Still, “Sleepin’” is the better song overall; it’s one of Diana’s best singles and deserves re-evaluation by soul fans unaware of this beautiful tune.

5. You: Another Ron Miller-penned tune, this one takes Diana into uncharted territory thus far in her solo career: light gospel. Opening with a bluesy piano line and classic gospel organ, the introduction consists of Diana singing a series of words (“Me…find…body…mind…”) which will then figure into future verses. Her voice grows stronger on each verse; she’s light and breathy during the introduction, but her voice is more powerful during the final minute. Diana is more than capable of a good gospel workout, and would blow the screens off TV sets in 1987 while singing “Ninety-Nine And A Half” on her Red Hot Rhythm & Blues television special; she doesn’t quite hit those heights here, but she still turns in a nice performance. The song itself is well-produced, but is almost killed by a long spoken verse which is so wordy and overdone that it’s almost impossible to understand. Diana Ross is a master of spoken passages in music – play “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” again for proof – but the words here are so clunky that even she can’t deliver them convincingly. Still, “You” is unique enough in the Diana Ross catalog to be a standout, and fits in well with the flow of the album.

6. Turn Around: After five really good songs, Last Time I Saw Him comes to a screeching halt with this, one of the weakest tracks on a Diana Ross album since “The Long And Winding Road” from Everything Is Everything. Originally recorded for the unreleased To The Baby album, “Turn Around” doubtlessly would have worked better in the context of other child-themed songs; here, coming on the heels of youthful, contemporary, and energetic tracks, it’s far too saccharine and overproduced to be enjoyable. Part of the blame has to go to Diana Ross; her vocals are so syrupy and overdone that they become shrill and hard to listen to. Now – years after the original release of this album – we know that there were tons of songs sitting in the vaults that didn’t make the cut. Had one of those been placed instead of this one, Last Time… would have been a superior work.

7. When Will I Come Home To You: Not as weak as the previous song, this one is nonetheless another questionable inclusion, as it’s cut in a key so high that Diana Ross seems to be straining her way through the verses. After strong singing on so many of the previous songs, Diana’s voice sounds thin, as it had on much of the Diana & Marvin album. She’s not helped much by the dated production and overall unmemorable lyric. As with “Turn Around,” a stronger song in place of this one (such as her cover of the Carpenters’ “Let Me Be The One,” which went unreleased for decades) would have lifted the overall quality of the album.

8. I Heard A Love Song (But You Never Made A Sound): Finally, after two underwhelming tracks, Last Time I Saw Him gets a kick in the pants thanks to producer Bob Gaudio, who provides Miss Ross with a rock/soul track that’s got a harder edge than anything she’d recorded up to that point. The live percussion work and thunderous piano get the track off to a spectacular start, and Diana’s voice is strong and full-bodied from the classic opening line, “Like a bat out of hell, and a fire deep within ya…” Thanks to the her forceful but simple reading of the lyrics and the funky but never over-the-top instrumental track, the tone here is never campy; certainly Diana Ross doing a rock song had the potential to be laughable, but she more than rises to the occasion. “I Heard A Love Song…” is one of the absolute highlights of the album, and is a perfect example of Diana Ross’s ease at crossing genres.

9. Stone Liberty: This funk/rock track continues the vibe set by “I Heard A Love Song…” and features another strong vocal from Diana Ross. This is also another Gaudio-produced track, and he has to be given credit for coming up with songs that advance the artistic growth of Diana Ross without sounding forced or inappropriate. Diana’s vocal work on the chorus of this song, especially during the last minute, is probably her most powerful on the entire album; she’s pushing the upper limits of her range here as she had on her first three solo album. She also sounds far looser than she ever did on Diana & Marvin, which is a shame; had she brought this kind of vitality to those recordings, the duets would have been far superior. Motown execs probably never ever considered this song or the previous one for single release; they were likely considered too rock-oriented to get radio play. I’m not sure that’s the case however; “Stone Liberty” likely could have gained strong R&B-airplay and showcased a different side of the singer to her public who mainly ignored this album.

10. Behind Closed Doors: Last Time I Saw Him, which opened with the country-ish title track, comes full circle with this song, a Charlie Rich classic produced here by Diana Ross herself. While never given much credit as a producer (or songwriter…or anything else other than an entertainer), Miss Ross showed a keen understanding of her strengths by choosing this song, which is a low-key, catchy number that allows her to show off a confident, soulful lead vocal. Her voice is deep and full of gravitas here; she never reaches too high or tries to do anything fancy with the lyrics. This simple, unfettered track is a perfect way to end the LP, which has been all over the musical map; it grounds the album and returns the focus on Diana the singer.

***

Last Time I Saw Him is something of a roller-coaster for listeners, soaring to exciting highs and, unfortunately, hitting some pretty low lows. But the variety of tracks and versatility of Diana as a performer are always impressive, and provide a sort of cohesion to the set; the theme here is that of musical exploration. Diana Ross had done a lot of things in the few short years she’d been a solo artist, and this album served as a chance for her to try a few new tricks. While nowhere near as successful as the Touch Me In The Morning album in terms of sales, this one is a more challenging record. Songs like “Sleepin’” and “I Heard A Love Song…” give Miss Ross a chance to explore deeper, more complex lyrics, and there’s an excitement and a fire to many of the recordings here that had been lacking on her last few projects. This, more than any other LP released by Diana Ross in the 70s, serves as a testament to her strength as a stylist and her skill in breaking the stereotypes that can come with being a female vocalist.

Final Analysis: 4/5 (A Unique, Exciting “Turn”)

Choice Cuts: “I Heard A Love Song (But You Never Made A Sound),” “Sleepin’,” “You”

“Lady Sings The Blues…she tells her side…nothing to hide…”

By 1974, Diana Ross had been a star for a full decade. Her first #1 hit with the Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” – had been released in 1964, and set off a string of five consecutive chart-toppers for the group. Diana had gone solo at the start of the new decade, and in four years had watched two songs soar to the top of the charts, garnered three Grammy nominations, and starred in an Oscar-nominated hit film. The sort of success she’d achieved in ten years – and the fact that her career was still gaining momentum – is still staggering to consider (perhaps now more than ever, when many music careers don’t last five years), and made that year a perfect one for a live album, capturing Miss Ross at a career peak.

Unfortunately, Live At Caesar’s Palace stands as an uneven record of Miss Ross and her career in the early to mid 1970s. The first problem has to do with timing. The LP was recorded in early 1973 – but held nearly a year before release. This means there is absolutely no material from her previous three studio albums – Touch Me In The Morning, Diana & Marvin, and Last Time I Saw Him – included here. Of her seven Top 40 solo hits, only “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out And Touch” are featured. The heart of the album is the medley of songs from Lady Sings The Blues, as would be expected, since the concert was probably being recorded while the film was still in theatres and still raking in awards.

And as good as that medley is, the second problem with the album lies with the structure of the show itself. There is no denying that Diana Ross is a master of live performance – even those who don’t acknowledge her enormous vocal talent have to agree that she possesses a rare charisma that makes her a spectacular live entertainer. But her best shows come when they’re built around a distinct theme, whether it be promoting a new album (like her concerts focused on The Boss and Take Me Higher) or, as with An Evening With Diana Ross, an entire storyline tracing her musical career. Here, other than the material devoted to Billie Holiday, there’s no immediately discernable theme to the show. Miss Ross performs a Supremes medley, a song from Broadway’s Pippin, and even Kermit the Frog’s theme song, “Being Green” — in other words, she’s all over the musical map.

Of course, seeing an actual concert and listening to a concert album are two very different experiences. There’s every chance that the order of material – and even the material itself – was different than what is presented on the album (according to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s Diana Ross: A Biography, some songs were edited out). The LP, however, is what we have to judge today, and while it’s a good demonstration of some of Diana Ross’s greatest strengths as a live performer (her voice, in some cases, sounds as good as it ever would on record), it’s also far from a Diana Ross essential.

***

1. Overture: Weird as it may be, I actually really love this 50-second long overture, led by Diana’s musical director, the brilliant Gil Askey. The blaring horns and jamming percussion have just the right mix of razzle-dazzle and soul, and set the right tone for the wide mix of music to follow…

2. Don’t Rain On My Parade: This is the second Diana Ross solo album to feature this Funny Girl classic (the first being the sountrack to her Diana! TV special); it had become her standard concert opener, and she’d also performed it while with the Supremes. At this point in her career, Diana could belt out this song while sleepwalking, and it was — to be honest — starting to sound a little tired. Though she still turns in an energetic, vibrant vocal here, it doesn’t quite match the fever-pitch reached on the Diana! special. Perhaps the problem is that while the “Hey, y’all, here I am!” lyric was a perfect way to introduce audiences to her solo act in 1970 and 1971, by this point she was an established solo act, and the lyrics didn’t quite have the same impact anymore. Nonetheless, her voice does sound strong, and her patter following the song (“This is another first for me…the first time onstage in two-and-a-half years that I haven’t been pregnant”) is cute.

3. Big Mable Murphy: A real surprise and treat of the album, this song — written and recorded in 1971 by country singer Dallas Frazier — is arranged for Diana Ross as a glitzy blues number complete with a finger-snapping beat, honkey-tonk piano, and fantastic background vocals (which consist of a grunting “huh-huh” punctuating certain lyrics). The song itself changes key several times, scaling higher and higher, and Diana’s voice impressively leads the way; her belting on the last few verses (especially her last “…knuckle-bumps on his head!”) is full-bodied and even a bit gritty, which is perfect for the song. Though the tune is a silly novelty — the lyrics tell the story of Big Mable Murphy and her boyfriend “little Melvin,” who she beats up! — it’s a fun addition to the concert and gives Diana a chance to really stretch her voice out.

4. Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand): Everyone knows that Diana Ross considers this song — her debut single and first solo Top 20 hit — an audience interaction song; for years she used it as a chance to walk amongst her fans, letting them sing along into the microphone and calling on everyone to hold hands and sway along to the music. She’d done the same thing with the song “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” while with the Supremes, and a highlight of the Farewell LP is listening to her hand off the mic to other celebrities, like Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, to sing a few lines. Unfortunately, for her Live At Caesar’s Palace recording, there apparently weren’t any singers as talented as Marvin and Smokey in the crowd. Therefore, your enjoyment of this song will depend a lot on your tolerance for hearing tone-deaf people sing along with Diana Ross. In person, the charm of this section is actually seeing the bashful faces of the fans that she allows a few moments in the spotlight, not to mention witnessing the complete ease with which Diana conducts her audiences and gets them to do what she asks. This is what makes her a superstar. Unfortunately, without actually seeing what’s happening, the effect is lost.

5. The Supremes Medley: Stop! In The Name Of Love/My World Is Empty Without You/Baby Love/I Hear A Symphony: Miss Ross returns to her roots here, with a medley of some of the hits that made her famous in the 1960s. It’s nice to hear her revisit songs like “Stop! In The Name Of Love” — and she sounds youthful and fun as she makes her way through the fast-paced medley. The songs, of course, sound nothing like the original versions, thanks to Askey’s big-band, Vegas-y arrangements — but Supremes medleys had sounded like that since the mid-1960s, so this really isn’t a surprise. What might surprise some casual fans is hearing Diana Ross acknowledge her former group-mates, calling them each out by name. Though she now has a reputation as a fame-obsessed diva who left her singing partners in the dust, Diana Ross always gave credit to the other Supremes during her shows, and often spoke of how much she loved and missed “the good old days.” Whether or not that was completely sincere, it shows a large amount of class on her part, considering she was no longer with the group and really had no obligation to mention the other women by name.

6. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Diana’s first #1 hit is always a high-point during her shows; it has become her anthem and is one song that she performs in just about every single concert and television special she appears in. However, it’s a bit odd that it’s placed directly in the middle of this album, as the song has such an emotional and dramatic climax that it makes much more sense as a closing number. Though not as strong as the “live” version featured on the Diana! TV special, it’s always a treat to hear Miss Ross perform the song, and she’s especially sounds strong on the encore — after she shouts “Stand up and do it!” She belts out the high notes confidently and nails them, and rather than let the background singers do all the work (as she sometimes would in future shows), she leads the way with her powerful singing.

7. Corner Of The Sky: The Broadway musical Pippin opened on Broadway in 1972 and became a Tony Award-winning hit; because it was partially financed by Motown, it’s no surprise that one of its most famous songs — “Corner Of The Sky” — ended up as part of Diana Ross’s repertoire (it was also recorded by The Jackson 5; another song from the show, “I Guess I’ll Miss The Man,” was recorded and released by the post-Diana Supremes). The Stephen Schwartz tune is a memorable one, but it’s not a standout on this album; Diana sounds nice, but she never quite sounds as deeply “into” the lyrics in the way she does on the jazz songs at the end of the show. Her high notes also sound a little bit thin compared to the singing she’d already done on songs like “Big Mable Murphy” and “Ain’t No Mountain…” Still, this isn’t a bad version of the Broadway standard.

8. Bein’ Green: Yes…this is the same “Bein’ Green” that was made famous by Kermit The Frog on “Sesame Street” in 1970. It’s actually been recorded by dozens of artists; everyone from Frank Sinatra to Van Morrison has tackled the song, and the line “It ain’t easy bein’ green” is part of pop culture, so maybe it’s not as bizarre an inclusion as it first seems. This was apparently part of a “Sesame Street” medley which was cut down to one song for the LP, and it’s too bad, because in the context of the medley, the song probably would’ve made much more sense; placed between “Corner Of The Sky” and “I Loves You Porgy,” it feels a little jarring — as a stand-alone song, the sentimental tone would’ve fit better following the Supremes medley. That said, Gil Askey’s band sounds partiulcarly gorgeous behind Diana (who speaks her way through most of the song, evoking a child-like voice) and the lyrics remain as potent and charming as ever, which make the song at least a pleasant surprise upon first listen.

9. I Loves You Porgy: A highlight of the album, Diana is in spirited voice on an upbeat version of the Gershwin classic from Porgy and Bess. The band is swinging behind her, and Diana’s vocals become almost trumpet-like as she reaches up an octave in the final 40 seconds of the song. This is one of her best live vocal performances ever captured on record; she’s confident and assured and the only problem is that it’s way too short (I’d much rather have heard a longer version of this than those out-of-tune people on “Reach Out And Touch…”)!

10. Lady Sings The Blues Medley: Lady Sings The Blues/God Bless The Child/Good Morning Heartache/T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do: Diana Ross follows up her brilliant vocal on “I Loves You Porgy” with some of the finest singing of her entire career on this medley of songs from Lady Sings The Blues. Opening with an extended, haunting rendition of the song “Lady Sings The Blues” — which is especially a treat considering she almost never sings more than the first few lines — her voice loses all of the brasiness of her earlier singing on songs like “Don’t Rain On My Parade” and immediately takes on the crisp, biting clarity of Billie Holiday. The last few lines of “Lady Sings The Blues” in particular, as she sings “She’s never gonna sing ‘em no more…no more” are absolutely masterful; this is as good as Diana Ross ever sounded. She transitions into the classic “God Bless The Child,” sounding as relaxed and slightly mournful as she did on the studio soundtrack version, and her live vocals on “Good Morning Heartache” are, amazingly, even better than her original recorded version; her voice is stronger and more assured here. The medley finishes with the upbeat “T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness…” — allowing Diana and the band to swing it on home with a crowd-pleaser. Again, this is such a standout that it makes one wish for an entire live album of Lady Sings songs (…of course, such a project would finally come…nearly 20 years later). Diana Ross had clearly spent so much time immersed in the life and music of Billie Holiday that she sounds much more natural singing these songs than even her own hits; this, as noted above, is the heart of the album and it alone makes the entire LP worthwhile.

11. The Lady Is A Tramp: Diana Ross had been performing this song for nearly her entire career; it was a standard in Supremes live concerts, and her rendition here isn’t nearly as fun as those she’d done with her former group. For me, her best recorded version of this song comes on the Supremes Farewell LP; the women sound amped up and energetic on that performance, and the contributions of Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong are important to the success, as their bawdy voices in the background help accentuate the devil-may-care tone of the lyrics. While with the Supremes, Diana also used this song as a chance to really belt; she basically growls through the ending of the song on the Farewell album. Here, while she ably handles the song solo, there’s a subtle lack of energy; perhaps, like “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” the song had just lost some of its freshness after being performed by the artist so many times.

12: My Man (Mon Homme): This song was perhaps the single best performance on the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack; her original recorded version is a masterpiece of heartbreaking emotion. Here, there’s a little too much “show-biz” in her performance (like the dreaded “I think the ladies know what I’m talking about” line…which still makes me cringe) for it to be as impactful. Had Diana kept her performance simple, as she had the songs on the Lady medley, this probably would have been the single best track on the LP. Instead, while her voice sounds gorgeous, especially during the song’s climax, it feels a little too forced; you can almost feel her trying to emote, rather than letting it come naturally.

***

Being released on the heels of Touch Me In The Morning, Diana & Marvin, and Last Time I Saw Him, it would have been nice for Diana’s first live album to feature some of the interesting, diverse material covered in those albums. Again, this show had been recorded before those albums, but because it was released after, it feels like somewhat of a step backward for Diana Ross. She’d grown a lot as a vocalist, especially with some of her country and funk experiments on Last Time…, and it would have been interesting to hear how that affected her as a live performer. Live At Caesar’s Palace is by no means a bad live album; there are some fun surprises and some incredibly touching vocal performances. However, it never feels like a really important Diana Ross record, in the way that her next live album (An Evening With Diana Ross) does.

Final Analysis: 3/5 (“Live”…But Not Quite Alive Enough)

“Now, looking back at all we’ve planned, we let so many dreams just slip through out hands…”

“Do you know…”…where Diana Ross has been? Music fans may have been asking that question by the time Diana Ross hit store shelves in 1976. It had been a long time between this album and her last offering, the live LP Live At Caesar’s Palace — maybe not a long time considering today’s music industry standards, but two years without a Diana Ross album on store shelves must have seemed like an eternity at the time, considering she’d basically been averaging about two-per-year. Still, Miss Ross had spent late 1974 and early 1975 devoting time to Mahogany, her second film, in which she starred and also designed her own costumes. The movie, while not a critical hit like Lady Sings The Blues, was a big hit with audiences, and set her up for a major return to radio.

That return came via the film’s theme song, the ballad “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),” another Michael Masser production that went to #1, becoming Diana’s third solo chart-topper. She then trumped that by releasing another, even bigger #1 hit, the now-classic “Love Hangover.” Those two songs, along with the Top 30 “Once Love In My Lifetime” and the beautiful single “I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love)” led this album to becoming one of Diana Ross’s biggest sellers. It soared to the Top 5 of both the pop and R&B album charts, becoming her first album since Touch Me In The Morning to do so (a Diana Ross album wouldn’t chart so well again until 1980’s diana).

This is, in a way, a shame, because as good as those songs are, I’d argue that Diana Ross is actually one of the more uneven albums Miss Ross would release in the 1970s. I know that statement will divide a lot of fans, but while the good songs here are great, and rank among her best…some of the others are among the most uninspired recordings of her career. There’s no doubt that Diana’s attention at this point was on other things; she’d been focused on her movie, her children, and preparing for An Evening With Diana Ross, her one-woman show that would conquer Broadway and earn a Tony Award. So while it’s understandable that some of the recordings here may sound more like afterthoughts than attempts to make great music, it’s too bad that an album that became such a huge hit couldn’t have been more of a consistent effort.

***

1. Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To): An Oscar-nominated, #1 smash hit, this is one of the great Diana Ross performances, and has become one of her most enduring hits. The song itself is a brilliantly written, instantly memorable composition by Michael Masser (who’d written hits “Touch Me In The Morning” and “Last Time I Saw Him” for Diana) and Gerry Goffin, and the soaring ballad is a perfect fit for the gorgeous vocals of Diana Ross. This is one of those deceptively simple performances that Diana Ross gives so well; it would be easy to say that song isn’t a particularly challenging one to sing, or that it doesn’t stretch her much as a singer. That, however, would be overlooking the skill it takes to put over the thoughtful, almost-abstract lyrics. This is not a song like “Last Time I Saw Him” or “I’m Still Waiting” or even “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – there’s not a specific story being told here. Instead, Diana Ross uses her sensitivity to convey the sense of a story behind the words; her ability to interpret a lyric and bring such a dreamy, pensive quality to it is something that sets her apart as an artist (and something that she’d surely become an expert at with her work on Lady Sings The Blues). The production is also top-notch; the instrumental track is sweeping and dramatic, fitting for its place as the theme song to a film. Strangely, this song was overlooked for a Grammy nomination in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category; it certainly stands as one of the great female vocal performances of the year, if not the decade.

2. I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love): This was the second single released from Diana Ross, and made it to the Top 50 on the pop charts before stalling out. According to The Billboard Book of Number One R&B Hits, Motown had been promoting this track when it was forced to rush-release “Love Hangover” as a single to kill a version by The 5^th Dimension. That makes sense, as this song is another stunning ballad from Michael Masser and seems like a natural hit for Diana Ross; had attention not shifted to “Love Hangover,” this one probably could have been at least a Top 10 record. “I Thought It Took A Little Time…” is just as beautiful a song as the “Theme From Mahogany,” and requires Diana to use more of her vocal range; she sounds controlled and relaxed here when using the lower end of her range as well as pushing herself higher during the song’s climax. Diana’s voice, particularly on the dramatic, string-laden intro, is also extremely mature here; though she’d turned in wise, sophisticated work on her past few studio albums, she actually does sound older and more seasoned here. The instrumental track, as on the previous offering, is dramatic and symphonic, with a prominent piano line, soaring strings, and dreamy, almost hypnotic background vocals. Though they turned out some amazing work together, and had much bigger hits than this, this is clearly one of the strongest collaborations between Mr. Masser and Miss Ross, and stands among her best work of the mid/late 1970s.

3. Love Hangover: If a song had to kill the chart success of “I Thought It Took A Little Time…,” at least it was a monster hit like this one. “Love Hangover” is, of course, a disco classic; it went to #1 on the pop and R&B charts, was nominated for a Grammy, and has more than stood the test of time, having now been sampled and remade by several artists in the years since its original release. The song is one of the most unusual of Miss Ross’s career; the album version runs nearly eight minutes long, as the slow-burning groove of the intro erupts into a feverish, guitar-popping beat at 2:45 into the track. The Diana Ross singing for those languid first two-and-a-half minutes is unlike any we’ve heard from her before; her vocals are breathy, sexy, mature, and relaxed. This is maybe the most effortless she ever sounded on record; it’s honestly as though she’s singing into a microphone straight from her bed. She’s helped immensely, of course, by the superb session players (consisting of Joe Sample of keyboards, James Gadson on drums, and Henry Davis on bass, according to The Billboard Book of Number One R&B Hits), who turn in a luxurious, sizzling groove that is completely irresistible. Of course, it’s the second part of the song that made it a dance-floor classic, as the beat suddenly kicks up with a fantastic guitar vamp that would later be appropriated for Thelma Houston’s similar “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” The second part of the song is particularly interesting in terms of Diana Ross as a singer because there are no actual lyrics; she ad-libs everything for the final five minutes of the track. This gives the singer a chance to completely cut loose in a way she rarely does on record; she actually sounds like she’s have a great time, changing up her voice and even laughing over the track at times. At 6:30 in the song, she goes from rumbling the lyrics “If there’s a cure for this” in the lowest section of her range to suddenly sounding like she’s channeling a jazz and blues singer again. The entire performance here is fun and surprising; this track was produced by Diana’s longtime collaborator Hal Davis, and this is probably their best collaboration.

4. Kiss Me Now: After three strong, dynamic songs that have all become Diana Ross classics, the high quality of Diana Ross comes to a screeching halt with this song, which gets my vote as one of the most irritating in the entire Ross discography. The song is written to sound something like a 1920s-era vaudeville piece, with rapid-fire lyrics and ragtime piano line that dominates the track. Unfortunately, the 1970s production values kill the song; the cutesy background vocals sound like something from a high school production of A Chorus Line. Diana Ross also gives a strange performance; though it’s a treat to hear her singing what might be the lowest notes of her career, and she easily keeps up with the challenging, fast-paced lyrics, she also breaks into a Louis Armstrong impression at about 1:45 in that’s unfortunate to say the least. Again, coming on the heels of three such great selections, this song comes off as something like a joke; it’s certainly a novelty tune that doesn’t add anything to the album.

5. You’re Good My Child: This is, at least, a stronger song and production than the previous track, but it’s still one of the weaker efforts on the album. Unfortunately, this time, it’s Diana herself who sinks the song; her vocals here are as affected and uninspired as some of her work on the Diana & Marvin album. The sexy and sophisticated performance she’d turned in on “Love Hangover” should have carried over to this song, which features a similar groove to the slow-burn opening of that #1 hit. Instead, her voice sounds a little out of control here; the raspy quality she affects makes her sound more tired than sexy, and there are moments where it sounds like she just plain goes off-key (for example, she doesn’t quite hit the “Move me!” at 1:20, nor does she quite nail the word “child” about twenty seconds later). The thunderous piano of this song is similar to that of Diana’s 1971 single “Surrender” – and it’s a shame that she can’t match her vocal performance from that earlier, far superior song. While she’s clearly trying to sound earthy and soulful here, it’s a forced performance that just doesn’t work.

6. One Love In My Lifetime: Thank God, after the previous two misfires, things finally click a bit again on Diana Ross with this, which became the fourth single from the album (and a moderate hit, peaking in the Top 30 of the pop charts and Top 10 R&B). An upbeat, funky, joyful love song, this is one of the catchiest on the album, and features a glorious, memorable chorus. Diana’s voice sounds pretty good here; her vocal at least features more energy and soul again, although she does sound like she’s straining a little bit at times — strange, consdering there’s nothing here out of her range. She trades vocals at the end of the song with a background singer, a nice and unique addition which adds some life to the already-spirited track. The instrumental is funky and rock-oriented, with prominent guitar work and a complex, popping bass-line. The joyousness here is a highlight of the album; it’s a shame it wasn’t an even bigger hit.

7. Ain’t Nothin’ But A Maybe: This song is a Nick Ashford/Valerie Simpson composition; it was recorded and released by the duo on their I Wanna Be Selfish album, and also recorded by Rufus for the funk group’s second album, Rags To Rufus. It’s actually interesting to listen to all three versions, as they’re remarkably similar — the song is a husky soul ballad, and all three artists perform it in the same way, keeping the pace relaxed and simmering. Diana sounds strong and confident here; her vocals aren’t quite as fiery as on her other Ashford & Simpson work, and it would have been nice to hear her do a little more “soul belting” toward the end, as she had on songs like “I Can’t Give Back The Love (I Feel For You)” from Surrender. Still, this is one of the better non-single additions to Diana Ross, and is a nice, mellow listen — it was also produced by Miss Ross herself, and is one of her best efforts in that regard.

8. After You: Originally released as an instrumental on the sountrack to Mahogany, this is another Michael Masser ballad that’s perfectly suited to the smooth, honeyed voice of Diana Ross. This tune is nearly as strong as the other two Masser-written and produced ballads on this album, which is saying a lot, considering just how good those songs are. As on “Theme From Mahogany,” both the production and vocals are gentle and soothing; to risk sounding too cliche, they really do have a “dreamy” quality. Diana Ross again turns in strong vocals that are never overdone; she matches her voice perfectly to the pitch required by the lyrics, but imbues them with a complexity that hints at a hidden subtext. This song, as with the other ballads featured on Diana Ross, is definitive proof of Diana’s gifts as an interpreter and storyteller. She was at the top ofher game in 1976 and getting to work with the best ballad material out there, and she easily made the most of it.

9. Smile: Unfortunately, after three strong tracks in a row, Diana Ross ends on another low point. “Smile” had originally been recorded in the early 1970s for the unreleased Blue album — a project proposed to have followed up the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack. When finally released in 2006, the Blue album proved to be phenomenal, but this song is not nearly the strongest on it — making the choice of its inclusion here something of a mystery. Certainly the fact that it was written by comedian Charlie Chaplin continues the “Hollwood” feel of this album, and as always, the orchestration by Gil Askey is beautiful. Diana’s vocals, however, are a rare case of her overdoing a standard; rather than retaining the aching simplicity of her other Lady and Blue recordings, she lays it on pretty thick. There’s a saccharine and syrupy quality to her performance here that echoes some of the most pretentious of her Supremes recordings, and this is especially evident in light of her masterful readings of ballads like “Theme From Mahogany” and the previous track, “After You” — there’s a subtlety and understatement to those performances that she pretty much throws out the window here. Though I’m sure a lot of fans are fond of this particular recording, Diana Ross really was capable of so much better.

***

Though it remains one of her most popular and best-charting albums thanks to the huge hits it contains, Diana Ross is, as mentioned earlier, an uneven album. Had the three weakest songs — “Kiss Me Now,” “You’re Good My Child,” and “Smile” — been replaced with stronger inclusions, this could have been one of her definitive works; the singles and best album tracks are absolute career standouts. Unfortunately, that trio of songs keeps the album from truly being one of Miss Ross’s timeless works. Another issue keeping this from being a true Diana Ross essential, of course, is that just about every great song here is easily available on another album. All four singles would show up the next year on Diana’s first Greatest Hits collection, and “After You” would later appear on the All The Great Love Songs collection. Therefore, while Diana Ross is an important part of the Ross discography, it’s not a highlight in terms of her album output. Her next studio collection, Baby It’s Me, would prove that Diana Ross was still more than capable of turning out a cohesive, seamless collection of songs — it is, in fact, perhaps the single best album of her career. This one is much more reminscent of some of her albums with the Supremes — some really great singles, a few classic album tracks, and weak filler.

Final Analysis: 3.5/5 (“You’re Good” — But Not Great)

“All I ever wanted was the music, and the chance to sing for you…”

If you asked several people on the street to name Diana Ross’s greatest achievement, you’d probably get a variety of answers. Some would surely say Lady Sings The Blues; others would name songs like “I’m Coming Out” or “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” A lot would probably say her time with the Supremes, or name one of the 12 #1 hits the group had with Diana singing lead. But chances are almost nobody would call out her one-woman show, An Evening With Diana Ross, which she toured with and won a special Tony Award for following its run at Broadway’s Palace Theatre.

This is a shame, because An Evening With Diana Ross really displays the artist at the very zenith of her accomplishments. The stage show – along with this double-LP recorded in Los Angeles and the Emmy-nominated television special built around it – is a masterful display of Diana Ross doing what she does best – putting on an energetic, versatile, fast-paced show filled with hit songs, standards, and some surprising inclusions. This is much more than a concert; it’s a song-and-story performance, in the same way that the more recent Elaine Stritch At Liberty is. Brilliantly directed by Joe Layton (known for his work on Broadway like Barnum and with Barbra Streisand on her early, successful television specials), the show tells the story of Diana Ross at various points in her life; she uses Harry Nilsson’s The Point! to talk about her children, songs from A Chorus Line to illustrate becoming an actress, and devotes sections to the story of Motown, the Supremes, and the great ladies of jazz and blues like Billie Holiday and Josephine Baker. It is a grand, overblown musical spectacular from start to finish, and never once loses the momentum set from the beginning with her mash-up of “Here I Am” and “I Wouldn’t Change A Thing.”

Best of all, the show is extremely successful as an album. Unlike Diana’s 1974 album release Live At Caesar’s Palace, the incredible energy displayed Diana Ross in her vocal performances compensates for the lack of visuals. There is so much more than music included here, which means the song choices are always explained and make perfect sense in context with one another (whereas certain sections of Caesar’s Palace seemed to come from out of nowhere). Diana is in fine voice throughout – in fact, she’s in more than fine voice. The nightly demands of doing this show clearly worked her vocal chords into tip-top shape; her performances here are extremely powerful, far more impressive than anything she’d displayed on her past few albums.

Because the album is long and includes many song-snippets as part of medleys, I’ll review it both track-by-track and also by section, depending on what makes more sense to me. It is, however, a work best listened to straight-through; as a whole, this is a brilliantly conceived show, and the album – thankfully – captures just how creative and dynamic Diana was at her peak of stardom.

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Overture/Here I Am/I Wouldn’t Change A Thing: Aside from the exciting “TCB” at the beginning of the Supremes’ Farewell album, I think this is the best opening of a recorded Diana Ross show; the instrumental overture, made up of music from the Mahogany soundtrack, leads into Diana’s stunning medley of “Here I Am” and “I Wouldn’t Change A Thing,” in which she’s in full, commanding voice. The lyrics perfectly sum up the entire show that will follow; Diana sings “Here I Am, and here I’ll always stay…wanting you…needing you…” to her audience, expressing appreciation that fans have been part of her life and assuring them she wouldn’t have it any other way. Again, her vocals are powerful and energetic; she sounds so much more vibrant than she had on Live At Caesar’s Palace. As she belts out the final word of the medley, holding “stay” for several seconds at the top of her register, she truly sounds like a Broadway star — in fact, her voice sounds far more powerful here than on most of her recorded work, which is competely opposite of most singers, who can’t always match their studio output in live performance.

The Lady Is A Tramp: Here we go again with this standard, which was pretty much a guarantee at a Diana Ross concert by this point. She’d recorded versions with the Supremes on Live At London’s Talk Of The Town and Farewell, and on her own Live At Caesar’s Palace. I imagine that for Diana, this was an easy inclusion that she knew would keep the energy pumping; certainly she could sing it in her sleep. For fans aware of her discography, the song is a little tired (I still think the best version is on Farewell), but she sounds good and again, it was probably a sure-fire way to help get her voice warmed up early in the show and to get audiences moving in their seats.

Touch Me In The Morning: After a quick welcome to fans (“Hello, LA!” she says, because the LP was recorded during the show’s stint at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles), she eases into her 1973 #1 hit. The tempo of the song is slightly increased, which it gives a nice groove, and Diana sings in a far more “show-biz-y” manner than she had on the original recording, which makes sense given the context. The placement of the song early in the show is clearly to please fans who were coming to hear Diana sing her hits; she’s still easing audiences into what will be an extended musical journey.

Smile/Send In The Clowns: Diana introduces “Smile” as one of her favorite songs, and turns in a lovely, effective performance of the popular tune written by Charlie Chaplin. The recorded version released on 1976’s Diana Ross was over-produced and overly saccharine, but it works far better here as part of a live show, and Diana’s vocals are more brassy and less syrupy, which makes the song more palatable. It then segues nicely into the Sondheim classic “Send In The Clowns,” from which Diana sings a few lines (including the great “Isn’t it rich…isn’t it queer…losing my timing this late in my career?”). There’s an extended musical break during which there’s clearly a visual performance going on, but it’s still a nice inclusion here and keeps things moving.

Love Hangover: This was, of course, Diana’s big hit at the time; the song had sailed to #1 on the pop and R&B charts in 1976 and had earned her a Grammy nomination. Here, it serves basically as the closing of the show’s extended “introduction” (and comes at the end of Side A of the original LP release); everything to this point has been handled in the fashion of a typical concert, and the songs have not been bound together by stories. However, from here on out, that will change, and the numerous autobiographical segments will begin. Much of “Love Hangover” consists of Diana’s pre-recorded vocals (which she jokingly points out to the audience by talking at the same time her voice is singing) — I assume this was a chance for her to make a costume change and prepare for what comes next.

Girls: Diana sings a cute, short rendition of John Phillips’s “Girls” — which she uses to discuss her own three children, Rhonda, Tracee, and Chudney. Her stage patter here is really funny and delivered with perfect comic timing (i.e. “I have girls in my bathroom, girls in my closet, girls wearing my shoes, my lipstick, my perfume, sleeping with my husband…). She also explains that the next few songs come at the request of her daughter Rhonda, and comprise her favorite story…

The Point (Everybody’s Got ‘Em/Me And My Arrow/Lifelife/Everybody’s Got ‘Em [Reprise]): Rhonda’s “favorite story” (don’t you wonder if it really was?) is the tale of Oblio, the little “round-headed” boy in the Land of Point. The Point! had been an animated special and album written by singer Harry Nilsson; his album had been released in 1971 and the film aired on ABC the same year. Diana uses three of the album’s songs to tell the story, acting out the parts of various characters (her different voices are pretty entertaining) and weaving in narration and the songs. Diana Ross is obviously a gifted musical storyteller, and “The Point” segment here is a lot of fun; because it’s well-known just how much of a devoted mother she is and how fond she is of children in general, it makes perfect sense that she’d dedicate part of her show to them. “Lifeline” in particular is a lovely performance, showcasing gorgeous harmonies between Diana and her background singers, The Jones Girls.

The Working Girls (Lady Sings The Blues/T’ain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do/I Cried For You/Aux Iles Hawaii/Stormy Weather/Jump In The Pot [And Let’s Get Hot][Instrumental]/I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl/My Man): From her own three girls, Diana transitions to another set of girls — “the working girls” — Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters, and Bessie Smith. Diana’s tribute to these jazz and blues divas is a real highlight of the show, as she croons pieces of their most famous songs and tells the story of each lady. Her affection for Billie Holiday is a given, of course, as Diana had played Holiday in the Oscar-nominated film Lady Sings The Blues in 1972. Her rendetions of Holiday standards like “Lady Sings…” and “I Cried For You” are excellent as always. However, her interpretations of the other women’s work is particularly exciting, as it’s something totally new for Miss Ross. She turns in an exuberant performance of Baker’s “Aux Iles Hawaii,” sexily murmuring the French lyrics (her quick, French spoken interlude is inspired and hilarious), and her high, breathy reading of Waters’s “Stormy Weather” is surprising in its freshness — it’s a shame she never recorded a full version of this classic, as she sounds gorgeous on it, especially her stunning high notes at the end. Diana tackles Smith’s “I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl” with an unexpected raciness, sounding as earthy and raunchy as Smith must have in her day, before nicely wrapping things up with “My Man” from the Lady soundtrack. It’s impossible to listen to this section of Diana’s show and not become totally entranced in it; her breathless energy and the ease with which she takes on the different styles of four musical pioneers is impressive to say the least. This is Diana Ross at her artistic best; it’s work like this that the public ought to be more familiar with, for it shows just how aware Ross was and is of her heritage as an African-American artist and how that legacy has impacted her own career.

The Motown Story (Overture/Money [That’s What I Want]/Please Mr. Postman/I Want You Back/Fingertips/You Keep Me Hangin’ On/Baby Love/Someday We’ll Be Together): Act II of An Evening With Diana Ross begins with a slamming instrumental overture of Motown classics before Diana arrives on stage and begins soulfully belting out Barrett Strong’s classic “Money (That’s What I Want).” This begins her musical tribute to Motown, the record company that launched about a thousand careers (including Diana’s) and provided the soundtrack to the 1960s. Diana sounds youthful and vibrant on her renditions of songs like “Please Mr. Postman,” “Fingertips,” and “I Want You Back” — it’s fun to hear her take on famous songs by her colleagues. She nails “I Want You Back,” nicely matching little Michael Jackson’s vocals, before launching into her own Supremes classics “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and “Baby Love.” Though it had been more than a decade since she’d recorded either song, she sounds just as young and energetic as she had on the original recordings, and stays much truer to the spirit of the original studio recordings than she had when she sang them in her last few years as a Supreme (and turned them into big-band numbers that really didn’t sound like Motown at all). Her voice on “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” in particular sounds strong and full, and more soulful than it had in any recorded performance of the song before. Instead of singing “Someday We’ll Be Together,” she speaks over the instrumental, introducing Smokey Robinson in the audience and singing a snippet of the early Supremes non-hit “A Breathtaking Guy,” which he’d written for the group.

The Supremes (Stop! In The Name Of Love/You Can’t Hurry Love/Reflections/My World Is Empty Without You/I Hear A Symphony): The high-octane tribute to Motown continues with an extended medley of hits by the Supremes, which is lengthier than anything Diana generally included in her solo shows. It’s especially nice to hear “Reflections,” a song that hadn’t been included in her medley on the Live At Caesar’s Palace LP a few years earlier. It’s also a chance for Diana to call out The Jones Girls (“Don’t they sound like the Supremes?” Diana asks), her backing voices on this show. The Jones Girls, of course, would go on to have hits of their own, and Shirley Jones would score a #1 R&B hit in 1986, “Do You Get Enough Love” — Shirley remembers Diana’s encouragement in The Billboard Book Of Number One R&B Hits, “’[Diana] told us we were ready to break out on our own and she was going to do everything she could to help us’” (369). Diana clearly knows that much of her audience holds a strong sentimental attachment to her hits with the Supremes, and she milks that here; judging from its recorded reaction, the crowd was eating it up. But Diana also seems to be having fun with the songs; her breathless energy running through her hits is far more effort than some artists would probably give to songs they’d sung so many times.

Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand): Diana’s first solo hit again serves as a way for her to connect with her audience; as she’d been doing and would continue to do, she leads the crowd in a sing-along and asks them to join hands and sway along to the music. Thankfully, unlike on the Caesar’s Palace live album, she keeps the microphone to herself. On that earlier album, she’d allowed others to sing into the mic with her for nearly seven minutes, which – without the benefit of seeing the people and their reactions – made for a trying listening experience. The truncated version here is far more effective, especially since it’s still possible to hear fans singing along and clapping. Diana, meanwhile, sings the heck out of the song at the end; her ad-libs are probably the most powerful that she’d ever performed on “Reach Out and Touch.”

One Giant Step (The Music And The Mirror/What I Did For Love/Improvisations/Dance: Ten; Looks: Three): This – along with the “Working Girls” segment – is the unqualified highlight of An Evening With Diana Ross; it’s a fun, touching, and downright electrifying segment about Diana’s decision to go solo and embark on an acting career, all set to songs from the Broadway hit A Chorus Line. That show had opened on Broadway in 1975, won the Best Musical Tony Award, and became one of the most successful musicals of all time, thanks in large part to the strong songs by Marvin Hamlisch. Diana uses four of the most well-known (although she doesn’t use the musical’s signature song, “One”) to trace her “one giant step” away from the Supremes. Her performances of “The Music And The Mirror” and “What I Did For Love” and as bold and brassy as anything you’d expect from a seasoned Broadway performer; she easily belts out the extended notes called for by both numbers, and especially soars at the climax of “What I Did…” Next Diana moves on to “Improvisations,” a light, upbeat tune about her uneasiness in an acting class during improv exercises. As with some of her earlier segments, her comic timing here is impeccable, especially as she pokes fun at herself and her figure and segues into “Dance: 10; Looks: 3,” which features the famous refrain “Tits and ass!” – which Diana gleefully sings, lamenting the fact that to be a Hollywood star, she needs larger…well…assets! Hearing Diana utter a little profanity is pretty entertaining in and of itself, but her performance here really is a marvel; her voice is strong and elastic, and she makes the well-known songs completely her own. It’s a perfectly crafted segment; this is Diana Ross showmanship at its finest and, again, is the kind of thing casual fans would likely be bowled over by. This is also another example of the power Diana Ross was capable of displaying in her voice; she sounds like she could have been part of the original A Chorus Line cast, and it kind of makes you wish that she had originated a role in a Broadway musical at some point in her career.

Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To): Listing off some of her idols – African-American pioneers like Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry – Diana begins singing her recent #1 hit, the theme from her popular 1975 film. She performs a shortened version here, only about a minute or so, but it’s a nice vocal, and it’s nice to hear the crowd go wild as she begins the first few lyrics, a reminder that Diana Ross really was at the peak of her popularity here. As she would do for the rest of her career, Diana uses this song to lead into her climactic song, and anthem…

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: A chief complaint of mine with Live At Caesar’s Palace was the fact that Diana’s first solo #1 hit had been placed in the middle of that show; the song, a glorious, dramatic classic, is so strong that it literally brought that album to a screeching halt from which is struggled to recover. Here, “Ain’t No Mountain…” is in its perfect place, a brilliant climax to an overwhelmingly superb show. After displaying her gifts as a performer and so easily interpreting songs from other artists, it’s appropriate that An Evening With Diana Ross ends with a song of her own, and the one that is perhaps Diana’s greatest achievement as a recording artist. What’s truly remarkable is that coming after more than an hour of high-voltage singing, Diana Ross still injects the song with the vigor it deserves; she must have been physically exhausted each night at the end of her show, but you’d never know it listening to her performance here. It’s always a thrill hearing Diana Ross perform this song, and it’s especially a thrill hearing it come at the end of on one of her greatest creations as an entertainer.

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To listen to An Evening With Diana Ross is to be confronted with the enormity of talent that Diana Ross possesses in all its glory; it’s impossible to listen to this double LP and not come away with the feeling that you’ve just heard something truly great. There are lots of great singers in the world, and there are some impressive live performers, too. Diana Ross is both of these things, but she’s much more than that; An Evening With Diana Ross manages to capture the staggering lengths she will go to in order to entertain an audience. There is never a single moment on An Evening With Diana Ross when it sounds like Diana Ross is giving less than all of herself, and that is a gift that she shares with very few of her contemporaries. Though most casual fans have no idea anymore that Diana Ross was given a Tony, or that she even appeared on Broadway, this is one of the great moments in her career; thank God it was recorded and can still be enjoyed today.

Final Analysis: 5/5 (“One Giant Step” To Perfection)

“Time will tell if love survives, but we only have today, and today love is alive…”

Coming a year after the huge success of Diana Ross – with its two #1 singles – and two years before her dance classic The Boss, this is one of the lesser-known, mainly forgotten albums of Diana Ross’s career. Though it managed to climb to the top 20 of the album chart, none of its three singles rose made the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and there aren’t any tracks that the general public would likely recognize. Though the album’s second single, “Your Love Is So Good For Me,” earned Miss Ross another Grammy nomination, the LP itself isn’t usually named by critics as a Diana Ross “classic” – at least, not in the way her work with producers Ashford and Simpson are.

All of that said…Diana Ross fans know better.

Baby It’s Me is one of the best albums of Diana Ross’s career; in some ways, it may qualify as the best. From start to finish, track by track, this is a pop masterwork; Diana Ross and producer Richard Perry chose ten absolutely perfect songs, and each one is performed and produced to the highest degree of quality. Diana’s vocal performances here are her most consistently exiting since 1971’s Surrender; she manages to recapture the youth and vibrancy of her Supremes recordings while still retaining the maturity and complexity of her forays into jazz and blues. Perry’s productions, meanwhile, are as classy and sophisticated as anything ever released by Motown. There is magic – not to mention inspiration – in these recordings.

Profiled in the August 11^th, 1977 issue of Rolling Stone (and featured on the cover), Diana talked to writer Ben Fong-Torres while recording this album, saying, “We wanted to make a record people could make love to – keep putting the arm on back to the thing, and make love to it” (35). This focus on consistency as an album, rather than on each individual song, is the reason Baby It’s Me works so well. It is indeed a love album, but it’s much more than that. It’s an album all about the joys of life – about love, longing, dance, and friendship. That joy is every bit as powerful 35 years after its initial release.

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1. Gettin’ Ready For Love: The album’s opening track, this was also its first single; it managed to climb into the Pop Top 30 and R&B Top 20. Though not a huge hit, it’s one of the best singles Diana had released up to that point, a soaring, enchanting pop record that’s at once mature, danceable, and romantic (and thus, a perfect opening song, since those themes will be repeated throughout the LP). The complex, jazzy instrumental track features the excitement of strings and a swinging sax, not to mention a hip rhythm section with the prominent sound of a classic, upright bass. This is a feel-good song, the lyrics revolving around the excitement of a new romance, and Diana’s vivacious performance perfectly sets the tone. She handles the tricky, fast-paced verses nicely (she never muddles the rapid-fire succession of words like “I-sit-by-the-telephone-waiting-for-you-to-call-me…”) and her voice soars into the higher end of her range during the last 35 seconds of running time, sounding much stronger and more assured than it had in quite some time. Her “Yes I am!” at 2:35, for example, sounds more energetic and engaged than almost anything she’d sung on Diana Ross (1976). In the same way “Surrender” set the tone for Diana’s classic 1971 album of the same name, “Getting Ready For Love” is the ideal way to introduce listeners to the sound of Baby It’s Me.

2. You Got It: A nice slice of sophisticated soul, Motown chose to release this song as the final single from Baby It’s Me, although it didn’t make much impact on radio or with record buyers. It is, however, another dynamic song, featuring a sterling vocal performance by Diana Ross. The climax of the song, coming just over three minutes into the song, is as powerful and exhilarating as anything she’d recorded with Ashford and Simpson; her voice is in full force as she nails some nice high notes, accompanied by a choir of soulful background singers. The chorus is also one of the most memorable on the album; it’s so deceptively simple and “sing-along-ish” that it sounds like it could have been a Holland-Dozier-Holland composition meant for the Supremes. Listen to the background singers on the verses, too – the musical line sounds lifted straight from a Four Tops song. Thus, “You Got It” could be considered the Motown Sound, Version 2.0 – it’s an intelligent update of the sound that made Diana Ross famous.

3. Baby It’s Me: This is a fun, funky song with a great guitar and horn-driven instrumental track. Diana sounds completely relaxed and loose here; this isn’t a performance where she pushes her voice much, but she doesn’t need to. She sings most of the song in unison with a deeper background voice, a nice effect that gives the song an added energy and an almost “live performance” feel. These elements – the prominent “other” voice, and the smooth funk feel – make the song an interesting continuation of Diana’s earlier single “One Love In My Lifetime” from 1976’s Diana Ross. As good as that tune was, though, this song has an even stronger focus and crisper production; it’s not quite as catchy, and thus probably wouldn’t have worked as a single, but it’s great album track.

4. Too Shy To Say: After three uptempo songs, the pace slows down with this Stevie Wonder cover, one of the most gorgeous ballad performances from Diana Ross since her work on Lady Sings The Blues. In the Rolling Stone piece written by Ben Fong-Torres, Diana is described as listening to her work on this song and saying, “That was a good one…very nice” (35). Indeed, this is one of her best – the song combines the dreamy, almost hypnotic feel of “Theme From Mahogany” with the passionate, emotional readings she gave to songs like “All The Befores” on Surrender. The production work by Perry on this track is some of the best on the album; the string-and-piano laden instrumental track is romantic and achingly beautiful. It’s interesting that Motown overlooked this song as a single candidate in favor of three upbeat singles; this is such a strong performance that it sounds like it could have at least been a big hit on R&B radio, and likely could have crossed over to pop, too.

5. Your Love Is So Good For Me: This is, really, only the second true dance-club track ever released by Diana, coming a year after her #1 disco smash “Love Hangover.” This one apparently found some success in clubs at the time, and managed to grab a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance – somewhat of a surprise given that it wasn’t a big chart success. It is, however, a really good song – a driving, upbeat R&B tune that manages to sidestep falling into the trap of sounding like dated disco thanks to Perry’s impeccable production. What’s more, the strong bassline and the blaring synth-horns don’t detract at all from vocal performance, something that often happened on dance songs of the era. Miss Ross is front and center, and full of energy. She truly sounds like she’s having fun on this track; it’s easy to imagine her grooving behind the microphone while in the studio recording it.

6. Top Of The World: This is one of the sparkling highlights of Baby It’s Me. A pop masterpiece penned by Tom Snow, the song skillfully connects the dots between disco, pop, soul, and jazz much in the way the album’s opener, “Gettin’ Ready For Love,” did (that song was also written by Snow). It’s similar in tone to the work artists like George Benson and Al Jarreau were turning out in the late 70s/early 80s; there’s an elegance to the music, in its tip of the hat to smooth jazz, that sets it apart from other pop songs of the era. The tune is catchy as all get out; the crisp, staccato, string-laden intro immediately sets a head-bopping beat, and the chorus is probably the strongest and most memorable on the entire album. The song boasts another strong performance from Diana; she sounds youthful here in a way she hadn’t in years. Hearing her work her way through such a strong melody, it’s impossible not to think of her work with the Supremes. That connection to her past as the lead singer of the most successful female group in history is strengthened even more on the next track…

7. All Night Lover: This song is, simply put, an all-out lovefest to the Motown sound. It is a splendid recreation of Diana’s best work as lead singer of the Supremes, but never feels derivative or like a parody of her performances from the 1960s. Like the previous track, there’s a real elegance to the production here; this is pop/soul at its classy, shimmering best. The bouncy, repetitive beat is incredibly catchy, and Diana’s vocal is masterful – she throws in some nods to her past hits (like her opening cooing, straight out of “Baby Love”) while still sounding like a seasoned, mature songstress. Diana was recording this song while being written about in Rolling Stone; it’s interesting to see how collaborative the process apparently was with producer Perry, as detailed in this exchange: “Perry says he thinks the word ‘dream’ seems to come up too often in the verse. ‘I don’t mind it,’ says Ross. ‘The repetition is good with me.’ They go over a lyric that reads: ‘Renew me, move me,’ and Perry suggests rewording it to ‘Renew me, do me,’ as Ross had sung in a run-through. Ross sings it again, then laughs at the naughtiness” (35). Perhaps it was that freedom and collaboration that led to the joy and “magic” in this song; it’s a shame it wasn’t considered for single release. It is, I think, one of the most exciting Diana Ross album tracks of all time, and a highlight on an album that’s already full of highlights.

8. Confide In Me: A nice change of pace from the past few songs, this is a smooth, laid-back ballad with a lovely performance from Miss Ross. Co-written by singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester (the first of two Manchester tunes here), this is a less-dramatic piece of work than “Too Shy To Say,” and gives Diana and Perry the chance to relax and “take it slow,” as the lyric says. Diana’s vocal performance is extremely assured and confident, and she soars beautifully when the song calls for it.

9. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh: This is another hidden treasure of the Baby It’s Me album, a funky Bill Withers track that gets a dark, driving reading by Perry and Ross. This is, perhaps, Diana’s best vocal performance on the entire album; the song itself requires her to stretch a little more than others do, and she powerfully wails the word “why” on the choruses, stretching it over several bars and exhibiting a lung power not often identified with her. She also gets the chance to do some wordless improvisation at just over 3:00 in that foreshadows her dynamic work on The Boss album a few years later. The production is beautifully done, retaining the prominent strings that feature on songs like “Gettin’ Ready For Love” and “Top Of The World,” but giving them a darker, more complex feel. This song sounds like it could have been a natural hit; it likely would have done well as a club record and hit on R&B radio. Since it was never released to radio, it stands instead as a terrific album cut waiting to be discovered by soul music fans.

10. Come In From The Rain: The second Melissa Manchester composition on Baby It’s Me (this one co-written with the prolific Carole Bayer-Sager), this is most purely “pop” song on the album. It’s a lovely ballad that begins with a simple, understated verse and slowly grows into a sweeping, almost cinematic finish reminiscent of Diana’s work with writer/producer Michael Masser (the song does sound like it could have been a film’s love theme). As on the pair of previous ballads, Diana’s clear, ringing soprano is showcased brilliantly; she’s never sounded better, and is bolstered by the strong material and production. Her voice here is warm and inviting, and this is a nice way to close out a perfect line-up of songs.

***

Unlike her previous few studio albums, which featured both strong singles and weak filler, each track here blends perfectly into the next, creating a complete musical work that is full of energy and romance (this is, perhaps, why none of the eventual singles, out of the context of the rest of the LP, did very well). This was her first really cohesive collection since Touch Me In The Morning, but easily surpasses that album in overall quality due to its better production and vocal performances. Just prior to recording Baby It’s Me, Diana had been focused on her one-woman show, An Evening With Diana Ross, and it certainly seems that the ambitious show had warmed her up vocally and unleashed her creativity.

But perhaps the real strength in this album lies simply in the fact that there’s a clear vision here; as Diana said while recording it, she and Richard Perry had set out from the start to create an album people “could make love to.” By keeping that goal front and center, the duo were able to execute their version with exacting clarity. As they hoped, the album is a compulsively listenable, timeless tribute to the joys of being in love; it has more than stood the test of time. And in the Diana Ross discography, this album stands as perhaps the single most consistently enjoyable work she would ever record.

Final Analysis: 5/5 (Diana’s On “Top Of The World”)

“Wouldn’t it be fine just to believe, wouldn’t it be wonderful…if life were like a song…”

This is arguably the strangest entry into the Diana Ross Motown discography; it’s certainly a confusing album that has inspired much debate amongst fans and critics. At heart of that debate is one single question: “What is Ross?” Is this a new studio album? Is it a compilation? Was this a calculated attempt at getting sales and hits…or was it simply a time-filler between Baby It’s Me and the release of The Wiz movie and soundtrack?

The issue here is the fact that the lineup includes new songs on Side A, but Side B is a collection of previously released, remixed songs and tracks from the vaults that had been recorded for other projects. “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” for example, is included here — although it had been featured on Surrender in 1971, released as a single, and been a Top 30 hit for Ross! “Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right,” a country ballad released as a non-album, one-off single three years earlier, is also here…even though it would’ve made much more sense as part of her Greatest Hits album in 1976. The lovely Michael Masser ballad “To Love Again,” meanwhile, had been worked up initially as part of the Mahogany soundtrack sessions, and it would have been a natural to include on the 1976 Diana Ross album in place of some of the weaker choices on that LP.

So what’s the story? Well…I have no idea. But the seemingly random lineup does make this album an interesting and challenging listen. Most of the material here is strong ; songs like “You Were The One” and “Never Say I Don’t Love You” are standouts that are as good as any hits Diana had during the era — both, really, should have been big hits. But it’s hard to call this a “cohesive” album, especially in light of the fact that it comes on the heels of Baby It’s Me, which is probably the most seemless collection of her career. So, in the end, it feels akin to albums like 1970’s Everything Is Everything and 1976’s Diana Ross — both more uneven albums that feature dynamite songs alongside some questionable inclusions.

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1. Lovin’, Livin’ And Givin': Originally featured as part of the film and sountrack Thank God It’s Friday (a disco-themed movie that starred Donna Summer and introduced her Oscar-winning hit song “Last Dance”), this disco track got a synthesized-remix for the Ross album. There is no denying that the arrangement here had to be heavily influenced by Summer’s “I Feel Love,” which had hit Top 10 the year before. That song was a club sensation, and is credited as one of the first to take dance music and marry it with electronic sounds. Suddenly, “Lovin’, Livin’ and Givin'” — which was intially a much more typical disco track — got as similarly icy, repetative electonic background. While this may be a case of Motown trying to jump on someone else’s train, it works; the synthesizer track is actually quite good, and matches well with the song and with Diana’s vocal. She begins the song with a breathy, low-key reading which builds throughout the song; by the end, her voice is spirited and she gets a chance to belt out some pretty good ad-libs. Because she never really recorded another song like this one, it’s a nice addition to her recording output and remains notable; it’s strange that while Motown released the song internationally, this was never released as a single in the US. Though it does sound like the earlier Summer hit, it stands on its own and is a good song, and seems like it could have done well in clubs at the time.

2. What You Gave Me: This is another case of Diana Ross mining vintage Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson; this song had been written by the pair and was recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell for 1969’s Easy album. Though it’s an Ashford and Simpson composition, it was produced in this case by Hal Davis (of “Love Hangover”) — and has been given a full-on disco treatment for Diana. Coming on the heels of the sleek, modern sounding “Lovin’, Livin’ and Givin’,” this song sounds quite dated; it’s disco in the typical sense of the word, meaning lots of handclaps, strings, and other assorted 1970s instrumental flourishes. Though Diana gives a nice performance, she doesn’t sound nearly as comfortable as she would the next year on The Boss (which, coincidentally, would be written and produced by Ashford and Simpson). Though she belts a little toward the end, she never quite sounds like she’s fully pushing herself; this is often the case in her work with producer Davis, who seemed to favor more laid-back vocal work from Diana (and is thus the opposite of her Ashford and Simspon-produced output, especially The Boss, where Diana’s voice is constantly being pushed higher and higher). This was the sole single released from the album, and only charted in the lower reaches of the R&B listings. It’s not a bad song, but it’s certainly weaker than the other two new dance songs here.

3. Never Say I Don’t Love You: This is an absolutely gorgeous ballad written and produced by Greg Wright; it’s one of the great hidden treasures of Diana’s late-70s album output. The song is almost as good as the stunning ballad work on Baby It’s Me, it’s shimmering, lush background and vocals just about matching the feel of that superior album. Diana gives a pretty, delicate reading of the lyric here; her voice quietly rides the melody, never overpowering the words but never sounding thin nor weak. The song itself is a piece of well-written pop, with a memorable lyric and chorus. It’s a mystery why this wasn’t released as a single; possible Motown wanted to focus on pushing dance songs for Diana in the wake of “Love Hangover” and her Grammy nomination for “Your Love Is So Good For Me.” Still, this song is so strong it sounds like it should have been a hit, and it’s a shame that it’s not better known in the context of Diana’s discography.

4. You Were The One: Speaking of lost hits…if ever Motown completely botched a chance to have a massive hit on Diana Ross, this was it. “You Were The One” is, quite simply, one of the best dance songs ever recorded by Diana — a classy, funky club song with the best Diana vocal performance in years. As with the previous track, this was written and produced by Greg Wright — and again, the song is a perfect fit for Miss Ross. A popping bassline is the driving heartbeat of the song — much like in “Love Hangover” — and Diana’s voice rides along the beat comfortably until two minutes in, when her voice suddenly soars to a high note on the words “…you were THE ONE…” in a thrilling, soulful moment that foreshadows her elastic vocal work on The Boss. Unlike this album’s sole single, “What You Gave Me,” this song doesn’t sound like dated disco; it is, for sure, a dance song of the 1970s…but the lush, shimmering feel of the instrumental and the background vocals is more in line with the Richard Perry production work on Baby It’s Me — and this helps the song feel much more timeless than it might otherwise. Again, this song has “smash” written all over it — it’s stronger and more memorable than “What You Gave Me” and Diana sounds much better. Someone should be kicking themselves right now for letting this hit get away!

5. Reach Out, I’ll Be There: And here’s where Ross gets…strange. This song, of course, was initially recorded back in 1971, and had been released as the second single from Surrender. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it did manage to make it to the Pop Top 30; it was slowed down and stretched out in an obvious attempt to replicate “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and while it wasn’t as successful sales-wise, it’s a beautifully done production that was among the best on Surrender (and featured gorgeous vocal work from Diana Ross). The question is, of course, why is it here? Did Motown execs decide that since it was left off 1976’s Greatest Hits that it deserved a second life? Were they trying to capitalize off the fact that Gloria Gaynor had scored a hit with a disco version of the song in 1975? Or did someone behind-the-scenes just really like the song…perhaps Diana herself? I’d love to know the answer — but for now, all we can do is judge the song in the context of the rest of the album. This is a slightly remixed version — there are some minor changes in the instrumental track and it runs a little longer — but Diana’s vocal is the same one used on the earlier release. Therefore, it’s still a great performance; her voice is crystal clear on the relaxed opening, and soars dramatically during the song’s climax. The song is also strong enough that it doesn’t sound jarringly out of place coming after the previous four songs, especially given that “What You Gave Me” provides an Ashford and Simpson connection. For a listener unaware that this is a much older, recycled track, “Reach Out…” would seem like a strong addition to the album. For fans aware of its history, though, it does feel like an odd inclusion.

6. Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right: And here comes our second big question mark in a row. This song had been released as a single back in 1975 but never made it on an album before; it’s a soft, country-styled ballad written by Michael Masser and was a Top 20 Adult Contemporary record for Ross, though it didn’t chart elsewhere. But even if this had been a bigger hit, it would still be a questionable inclusion, because the style is unlike anything else found on the album. The tone of “Sorry…” matches well with Diana’s work on Last Time I Saw Him; the title track and album cuts like “Behind Closed Doors” placed Diana in country/pop territory, as does this ballad. Therefore, it would have been a perfect fit on that album. By 1978, however, Diana had left her brief foray into country far behind…and she and Masser had worked up for stronger, more contemporary songs together. Perhaps the most likely reason for including the song here is that in late 1977, Gladys Knight & The Pips had released their version of the song, which rose to the Top 30 of the R&B charts; maybe Motown execs figured they could get some mileage out of it being listed on the back of this LP. “Sorry…” isn’t a bad song; it features a very pretty, delicate performance by Diana, who sings in a startlingly high register at the beginning, sounding almost as youthful as she had on her earliest Supremes singles. The track is as well-produced as songs like “Love Me” and “No One’s Gonna Be A Fool Forever” from Last Time I Saw Him — both of which were nice album cuts — again, it would have been a great addition to that album. Unfortunately, on this album, it does feel out of place; the style doesn’t match with the disco cuts or the smooth pop ballads, and it sounds dated.

7. Where Did We Go Wrong: Ross gets back to business with this contemporary ballad co-written by Ron Miller — a “second try,” if you will, since an earlier version had been worked up during the Last Time I Saw Him sessions (but that didn’t make the album). This 1978 version stands as a fine addition to this album; the instrumental opening is absolutely lovely, and Diana’s voice is smooth and restrained throughout. There’s a nice, laid-back vibe to the song; it is, actually, quite similar to “Touch Me In The Morning” in sound and structure, albeit more sorrowful in lyric and overall tone (which makes sense, since Miller was also co-writer on that #1 hit). I think it’s a little too slow to have been a radio hit. but it is a nice album track that merits rediscovery, especially since it’s one of the lesser known ballads of Diana’s late-70s output. (Note: This song was also cut by Maureen McGovern for her 1974 Nice To Be Around album).

8. To Love Again: This is another lovely Michael Masser production, and was written by him along with Gerry Goffin; it was apparently first worked up during sessions for the Mahogany soundtrack. The European feel of the song may be a result of that, since much of the movie takes place in Rome; it probably would have fit in well had the soundtrack featured Diana’s voice on more than just the main theme. The ballad is one of the more unusual of Diana’s career up to that point, thanks to the atypical structure and the interesting instrumental with the very prominent mandolin and accordian. It does, however, feature a classic Diana Ross ballad vocal performance — which is to say, it has a control and subtlety so skillful that it sounds extremely simple. This, I think, is a reason that Diana is all too often overlooked as a vocalist; because she doesn’t run up and down the scales here, showing off her range with bombastic gynmastics, the casual listener might mistake her singing for being weak or “limited.” However — a song like “To Love Again” requires careful, multiple listens; only then is the complexity of Ross’s singing revealed. Her vocal control during the first minute or so is extremely impressive; she is singing a challenging melody line and is required to hold certain notes and words for several beats at a time, but never sounds like she’s putting any excess effort into her performance. I’d also say that Diana’s singing of the words “to love again” at 2:19 (when she takes them an octave higher than she had earlier in the song) is one of the single most beautiful moments in a Diana Ross recording; her delicate, crystal clear reading of the words, and her four-note improv following them, combine with the soaring strings of the instrumental track to create a breathtaking musical interlude. This song stands among the best ballads Diana ever recorded, and is a masterpiece of her Motown days.

9. Together: Another holdover from the early 70, this had been the b-side of the “Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right” single, but had never featured on a Diana Ross album until now. The song is a snappy, upbeat pop tune that sounds a lot like the title track on Ross’s 1971 album Everything Is Everything; the version on this album features prominent finger-snapping throughout the track, and is consequently hard to listen to without snapping along to it. That said, it’s not really a partiulcarly good song; this is probably Diana’s weakest vocal performance on the album, in that there’s a noticeable effort and strain in some of the higher notes and she doesn’t sound as controlled as on the previous track. The song is also so repetitive that it becomes a little grating on the nerves by the end, and it certainly sounds much more dated than some of the other work on this album.

***

The highlights on Ross are career highlights for Diana Ross; though only die-hard have likely ever heard the songs “You Were The One,” “To Love Again,” and “Never Say I Don’t Love You,” they are among the best work Diana Ross released in the 1970s. After several years of relying on the smooth, sophisticated singing she’d perfected in Lady Sings The Blues and on her mid-70s LPs, she’d begun taking chances again on Baby It’s Me and on this album; her vocals are still glossy, but there’s a strength that would emerge full-blown on her work on The Wiz soundtrack later that year, and then again on 1979’s The Boss. Had the older, outdated songs — mainly “Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right,” and “Together” — been left off and replaced with some of the dance tracks that had gone unreleased, this album could have stood alongside Baby It’s Me and The Boss as a 70s classic for Miss Ross. But even as uneven as the album ended up being, it still deserves wider recognition and a “second life” on CD thanks to some stellar moments.

Final Analysis: 3.5/5 (Great Songs “Together” With Some Weak Filler)

“There’s nothing here but the fear of will I try? And can I stare it in the eye?”

As of 1978, Diana Ross’s film career had been brief but hugely successful, and had led her to new heights as a recording artist, as well. Her first film, Lady Sings The Blues, netted her an Oscar nomination as Best Actress and had produced a #1 soundtrack album, and her second motion picture, Mahogany, was popular with audiences and featured an Oscar-nominated, #1 hit love theme. Depite being her biggest budget and highest profile movie project to date, 1978’s The Wiz failed to duplicate her earlier successes on both the silver screen and on radio; critics just couldn’t accept Diana Ross as the “Dorothy” character in this urban take on The Wizard Of Oz, and the movie ended up losing money. The soundtrack, meanwhile, was only a minor success; though it gained Diana Ross a Grammy nomination (on her duet with Michael Jackson, “Ease On Down The Road”), it only managed to hit #40 on the album charts and certainly isn’t considered a musical soundtrack classic today.

That said, the talent on display on The Wiz soundtrack is pretty incredible. The original Broadway score by Charlie Smalls is here adapted and arranged by genius producer Quincy Jones, and features some new music written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Aside from Diana Ross, voices featured on the double-LP include Michael Jackson (playing the Scarecrow), Lena Horne (as the good witch), Tony Award winner Ted Ross, and a background choir including Luther Vandross, Cissy Houston, and Patti Austin. This is — aside from the all-star recording of “We Are The World” — the only time Diana Ross and Quincy Jones would team up, and the album is notable for being the project that brought together Jones and Jackson, who would collaborate the next year on the mega-hit Off The Wall album.

Though, like the movie, the soundtrack is long and at times laborious, it does emerge as an important piece of Diana Ross’s musical history. It may not technically be a “Diana Ross album,” but she offers some of the absolute best vocal work of her career here. After seemingly becoming re-energized during the recording of 1977’s Baby It’s Me, on which she sounded consistently fresh and vibrant in a way she hadn’t in years, she hits new (and literal) heights on her work here. In the liner notes of the LP, Jones writes: “Diana Ross, spelled S-T-A-R, gave us every drop – singing, dancing, and acting. She was singing a minor third higher than she’d ever sung in her life. Diana Ross is probably the hardest working performer I’ve ever worked with and just as beautiful a person.”

Indeed, Diana Ross under his direction becomes a singer of superb strength and range here; the raw power in her voice is on par with that exhibited during 1971’s Surrender. Even during the quiet moments of this album, Jones manages to bring out a rich, full sound in Diana’s voice that many other producers couldn’t seem to capture. Because this double-LP soundtrack is so long (26 listed tracks) and features so many instrumentals and different voices, I’ll narrow the track analysis down to just those songs that feature Miss Ross. That leaves ten songs to discuss — and among them are some of the most thrilling performances she’d turned in thus far in her career.

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Can I Go On?: This is the song that introduces Ross’s character, Dorothy, a young Harlem school teacher who is cripplingly shy and afraid to move out on her own and establish a life for herself. The song’s lyrics (it was written by Ashford, Simpson, and Jones) explore her inability to relate to the feelings of those around her, “like caring, and sharing, being together.” Because this song exists solely to establish her character, Diana is “acting” her way through it as much as singing; it’s a somber, wavering, imperfect vocal performance, and she certainly sounds like a woman lost somewhere in the depths of emotional confusion (her character spends so much of the movie talking about “feelings” that she ends up becoming pretty obnoxious). That said, there is a clarity to her voice here that is striking; it’s the first indication of what Quincy Jones will capture with Diana’s vocals on the rest of the soundtrack. Even when her voice wavers and cracks, there’s a smoothness to the tone of her voice that is lovely, especially when she’s singing at the lower end of her range.

Soon As I Get Home/Home: Essentially an extension of the previous song, this is another exploration of Dorothy’s “feelings,” and incorporates pieces of the score’s climactic song, “Home,” which will come at the end of the album. Again, because this comes so early in the movie (Dorothy has just arrived in Oz), Diana is using her voice to convey the insecurity of her character, and she sounds extremely childlike in much of the song. This isn’t a standout of the soundtrack, because it’s a meandering song that’s hard to appreciate out of the context of the film. Again, this is more of an acting performance from Miss Ross, though it’s a great example of the beautifully rendered score by Mr. Jones; the instrumental features his trademark crispness and it perfectly compliments the vocal work.

Ease On Down The Road: One of the two most famous songs from The Wiz, this is a duet between Dorothy and the Scarecrow, which means it features the dynamic voices of Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, appearing on the same album for the first time since the early 1970s. This song was also eventually released as the first single off the soundtrack, and though it didn’t quite make the Pop Top 40, it was a moderate R&B success and garnered the pair a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The song is an upbeat, joyous, and soulful celebration, and both Diana and Michael soar atop the funky, danceable track. Jackson, in particular, attacks the song vocally, displaying the kind of elasticity that would make him famous the next year with songs like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” While his voice is piercing enough that it, at times, overshadows Diana’s, she also displays impressive range (listen to her belt out the words “…just FINE!”) and turns in some nice, soulful ad-libs on the chorus. The pair sing much of the song in unison, which makes for an interesting listen because it does reveal their vocal similarities. Jackson was always open about the influence that Diana Ross had on him as a singer and performer, and that influence is audible here. I’d also bet that Diana’s emotional and purposefully shaky vocals on songs like the “Soon As I Get Home/Home” were a direct influence on Jackon’s “She’s Out Of My Life” on Off The Wall; he uses the exact same technique as Ross on that song. Though “Ease On Down The Road” is not necessarily a career highlight for either artist, it is an extremely enjoyable song that probably would have had much more success had the film itself been a bigger hit.

Ease On Down The Road #2 and #3: The song is reprised twice, each time with addition of a new character (first the Tin Man, then the Cowardly Lion), and each only runs about a minute and a half. The third version is most notable here due to a brief vocal intro by Diana, who croons the line, “Oh there may be times, when you wish you wasn’t born…” in a jazzy high soprano that is so lovely you kind of wish the entire song could be sung at that slow tempo!

Be A Lion: This is one of the great hidden treasures of Diana Ross’s discography; it is easily one of her best ballad performances of all time. That this recording is pretty much unknown by the general public is a shame; anyone who doesn’t believe that Diana Ross has strong “pipes” or can belt out a song would surely change his or her tune after hearing her work through this song. “Be A Lion” opens the second LP; by this time, Diana’s character is becoming less shy and more confident, and thus her voice is changing (or, thematically, she’s “finding her voice”). She begins the song with a velvet-smooth vocal performance that is, technically speaking, perfection; the melody is a challenging one, and her voice glides along with Quincy Jones’s lovely orchestration with an ease and assuredness reminiscent of her work on Lady Sings The Blues. As noted earlier, there’s a rich, full tone to her voice here that is unlike much of her work in the 70s, and she holds sustained notes (like the word “storm” at 48 seconds in) with the ease of a seasoned Broadway star (likely helped by her own stint on Broadway in her one-woman show the year before). But at about 2:40 into the recording, when she repeats the word “trying” three times, her voice suddenly soars; you can actually hear her voice opening up and for the rest of the recording she displays what is possibly the strongest singing of her entire career. Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion joins in, and the two trade off a few lines; perhaps the most thrilling moment here is Diana’s reading of the lyric, “You’re the bravest of them all,” during which she nearly screams out the words, belting higher than she had in years (probably since the Surrender album). Not only is she belting out the notes, but she sounds great doing it; there’s a power here that many people are unaware exists in her ablities, and she nails the notes spot-on. Though she was nominated for a Grammy for “Ease On Down The Road,” she was deserving of one for this performance; because the song was never released as a single and because it’s been outshined by the other big ballad of The Wiz, “Home,” this performance has been lost over the years. For me, however, it stands alongside 1984’s “Missing You” as her most satisfying ballad performance ever, and is a performance for which she and producer Jones should be proud.

Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy’s Theme): Essentially a reprise of the earlier “Can I Go On?” this is a slightly longer, but less meandering version and allows Diana a chance to again demonstrate her virtuosity in interpreting lyrics while staying in character. As with the songs at the beginning of the soundtrack, this is a raw and imperfect performance; there are moments where Diana allows her voice to crack and fade to near silence. During the last minute of the performance, she practically screams while singing and it’s a thrilling show of emotion, true to the character of Dorothy and where the song falls in the context of the soundtrack. This, like “Be A Lion,” is an incredibly satisfying performance by Miss Ross that’s completely overlooked in assessments of her ballad recordings. It is, however, a powerful piece of work; the song itself may not be a “radio-friendly” or catchy composition, but the vocal is masterful.

A Brand New Day: This is a fascinating addition to the soundtrack, because it’s written by Luther Vandross and his immediately recognizable voice is featured at the beginning. The tune is a grandiose, joyous, celebratory track (it’s basically The Wiz’s version of “Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead) and the entire thing runs nearly eight minutes long. Several voices are featured here, but Diana leads the way in a dynamite, gospel-infused performance. This song may be what Quincy Jones had in mind when he wrote that Diana was singing a minor third higher than she ever had; she impressively pushes her voice above the rest of the powerful choir. It’s exciting to hear Diana trading off lines with so many other artists, including the gorgeous voice of Vandross, and (unlike the earlier “Ease On Down The Road,” during which she’s at times overshadowed) she easily remains at the forefront of the recording. Had this been edited down and cleaned up a bit, it might have made a good single, as it’s just as danceable as “Ease On Down The Road.”

Believe In Yourself: After showing off some vocal firepower on “Be A Lion” and “A Brand New Day,” Diana gives a quiet, restrained performance on this song, which is later reprised by the great Lena Horne. Diana’s reading of the song is wise and relaxed; again, she remains firmly in character, and believably sings to the other characters about the power of having inner confidence.

Home: This is the most famous song from The Wiz; it was the standout from the original Broadway production, and helped make Stephanie Mills (who originated the role of Dorothy) a star. Mills, incidentally, would record the song again in the 80s and take it to #1 on the R&B charts, and it remains the song most associated with her. Diana Ross, meanwhile, also appropriated the song into her career and performed it often, notably during the first of her infamous concerts at Central Park in 1983 (she sang it before the rain started falling!). “Home” is the closing tune on the soundtrack; it’s a classic “11 o’clock number” that provides an emotional climax and ends the musical on a dramatic high note, and Diana Ross’s recording of the song is certainly a highlight of the project. She takes every aspect of her vocal performances thus far – the rawness, the passion, the strength and power – and pushes each full-throttle here; this is the most natural and unrefined she would ever sound in her career. She’s not so much singing the song as she is experiencing it; as the instrumental track builds and builds, Diana’s voice gets rougher and rougher, as she growls and belts out certain lyrics (her repetition of the word “real” at 2:50, for example) in a way that’s downright shocking considering this is the same singer whose glossy vocals sold us “Touch Me In The Morning” a few years earlier. It’s not a classically “pretty” vocal performance, but it’s a captivating one and is one of the most striking vocals of Diana’s career.

***

Because The Wiz was basically a failure at the box office, the soundtrack never really gained any major traction; it was also quickly be eclipsed by the albums Diana Ross and Michael Jackson would release the next year, The Boss and Off The Wall, both of which were extremely well-received. It’s also, as noted before, a long soundtrack, and features so many instrumentals that it wouldn’t really appeal to anyone other than fans of the film or film score buffs. That said, the vocal performances featured are stellar, especially those offered by Diana Ross. No matter what you think of her performance (it wasn’t well-reviewed at the time…and I’ll reserve judgement, since we’re focusing on her music here), there’s no denying that she was feeling this role as she hadn’t felt either of her other two; she is completely committed to the character and clearly conveys Dorothy’s emotions. She’s using her voice here in a way she hadn’t used it thus far in her career, and the workout she gives her vocal cords can clearly be heard on The Boss, which makes full use of her willingness to push her voice. As I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a “Diana Ross” album, and thus is hard to rate against others in her discography. Rather than put the album on a 5-point scale, I’ll just say that her work on the album is easily worthy of a 5/5 and deserves to be re-discovered.

“I’m here, and I won’t apologize…maybe at the end, there’ll be a surprise…”

To say Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson are essential fibers in the fabric of Diana Ross’s career would be a huge understatement; without the husband-and-wife writing and producing team, there’s no telling what Diana Ross’s solo career would have turned out to be. Ashford and Simpson, back in 1970, had been handed the monumental task of orchestrating Ross’s first post-Supremes album, and they’d delivered a stellar album and two hit singles, one of them the stirring #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” A year later, they’d written and produced Surrender; while not a huge commercial success, the album was a masterpiece and stands as one of the very best Ross albums ever. In 1976, Diana chose the pair’s “Ain’t Nothin’ But A Maybe” to produce on herself, and placed it on her hugely successful Diana Ross album.

It makes sense, then, that in 1979 Diana Ross would team up again with the duo for a new album. Her sales had been spotty since last hitting #1 in 1976 with “Love Hangover.” Though 1977’s Baby It’s Me is one of her best albums, and 1978’s Ross featured some solid songs, neither was a big hit. 1978 also turned out to be a tough year when Diana’s third film, The Wiz, became her first big failure, and the soundtrack didn’t achieve the kind of sales one would expect from a work featuring stars like Michael Jackson and the behind-the-scenes magic of Quincy Jones. So a lot was probably at stake with Diana’s next album; she’d been a solo star for nearly a decade, and I’d be willing to bet there were those in the industry who were wondering if she was close to her expiration date.

The Boss, of course, turned out to be a solid success; it went gold and gave Diana some major hits on the dancefloor. Its two singles (“The Boss” and “It’s My House”) are considered Diana Ross classics today, and the singer still regularly performs both in concert. It modernized Diana Ross without straying too far from the ingredients that had made her a star in the first place; a younger crowd could appreciate the driving beats and catchy lyrics, while established fans could enjoy the attention paid to the vocals and overall production.

Those vocals, it should be noted, were some of the best yet on a Diana Ross studio album; her voice hadn’t sounded so consistently powerful and alive since Surrender. Such inspired vocal performances were likely the result of a couple of things – first of all, it’s clear that Ashford and Simpson as producers always pushed Ross in the studio. But more importantly, the singer was coming off of The Wiz, on which she’d delivered her most raw and emotional performances ever. Though the film and soundtrack hadn’t performed up to expectations, there’s no doubt that the project was a creative breakthrough for Diana, who has repeatedly said that she was deeply connected to the story. She’d also pushed her voice nightly during her recent challenging live extravaganzas, an experience that must have amounted to a singer’s boot camp, whipping her vocal chords into shape.

Ashford and Simpson also must have been at a creative high point during this time; they were now established recording stars in their own right, and had continued to cut classics on others, like Chaka Kahn’s “I’m Every Woman.” Smartly, they also apparently tapped into that creativity brewing in Diana; according to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s Diana Ross: A Biography, “[Diana] would meet with Nick and Valerie to discuss the songs and what she wanted to the lyrics to convey” (325). Thus, unlike some of her recent, more uneven albums (with the exception of Baby It’s Me, on which Diana also had strong input with producer Richard Perry), The Boss truly feels like a “Diana Ross album” from start to finish. Though the songs are undoubtedly of the disco era and sound somewhat dated today, they’re still much more listenable and far more complex than most of the repetitive dance hits of the late 70s, thanks to the intelligence of Ashford and Simpson as songwriters and the exuberance of Diana’s performances.

***

1. No One Gets The Prize: The Boss opens with one of its strongest and most infectious tracks, a slamming dance track that features absolutely stunning vocal work from Diana and some of the best writing on the album. The song is, in a way, an updated take on “Keep An Eye” (one of the standouts on Diana’s debut album, Diana Ross), with a similar story about two friends torn apart by competition for a man. The track opens with an almost primal call from Diana, who wordlessly belts out a 7-note intro before the bouncing beats kicks in. The instrumental here, while on the surface typical of 70s disco, is upon further listens much more challenging, with Valerie’s pounding piano and funky, New Orleans-ish horn work setting it apart from more generic dance hits of the era. Again, the vocal work here is stellar; Diana’s crystal-clear annunciation is necessary to make the rapid-fire lyrics of the second verse work, and she powerfully belts through much of the song, easily matching the impressive range she showed on songs like “Be A Lion” from The Wiz. During the last minute of running time, Diana is singing at the top of her range; her “I was denied a love that satisfied” at 4:00, for example, is real soul belting, and sounds almost Chaka Kahn-esque. To hear Diana sounding so committed to a challenging song is a thrill; it’s clear right from the start that she’s feeling the material – likely because she was creatively involved in it. “No One Gets The Prize” – while apparently a hit in clubs – was never released as a single, and thus never charted. It’s a mystery why; this song is one of Diana’s best in years, and a perfect way to open the album.

2. I Ain’t Been Licked: The high energy continues with this funky, upbeat song featuring the kind of uplifting message that Diana Ross obviously loves; I’d guess this is one of the songs written with Diana’s creative ideas in mind. The lyrics are instantly relatable to anyone who’s ever been kicked down, and from the memorable opening line (“Roll down the gangway so they’ll see that it’s me…”) until her inspired belting at the end, Diana again sounds completely invested in the song. As with “No One Gets The Prize,” the vocals here are strong and clear; Diana’s voice sounds full and vibrant, and she never once seems to strain to hit the high notes required of her on the choruses. The backgrounds by Ashford and Simpson soar behind Miss Ross, providing a musical springboard for her, and the classic instrumental track really pops thanks to some great guitar, bass, and horn work. Had this been released as a single, I imagine it could have gained strong airplay, at least on R&B stations; it’s every bit as anthemic as the similar “I’m Every Woman.”

3. All For One: A lovely ballad in the vein of “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” which had been Ross’s first solo hit and was also written by Ashford and Simpson. Of the ballads on The Boss, this is the strongest, thanks to a nice performance by Diana and an interesting song structure. Diana initially offers up a relaxed performance, but her voice becomes more and more powerful, especially at around 1:50, during the bridge, as she cries out the words “…won’t you try?” Though it’s not as memorable as “Reach Out…” or some of the ballads on Surrender, it’s a strong addition to this album and provides a nice break from the energetic tunes that surround it. Diana also apparently liked it; she used it in her shows promoting the album, and even performed it as the encore to the second night of her famous Central Park concerts in 1983.

4. The Boss: This is perhaps the most joyous, celebratory track Diana Ross has ever recorded (well, it’s at least tied with “I’m Coming Out”) — if ever a song could be called “feel good,” this is it. The LP’s title track and first single (it cracked the Top 20 and hit #1 on the dance charts) is an irresistible dance song that features an instantly-catchy hook, brilliant instrumentals, and one of Ross’s best vocal performances ever captured in the studio. This is a perfect example of what Ashford and Simpson were capable of drawing out of Diana Ross; her energetic vocals inch higher and higher as the track plays out, culminating in her famous vocal run at around 2:10 which even she seems to know people went crazy over: “I was listening to ‘The Boss,’ and it still sounds really good. I remember when I used to do the high part at the end of that song, and everybody thought that wasn’t me, that [it] was probably somebody else” (David Nathan’s The Soulful Divas, 157). Being that this song is still recognized as a “Diana Ross classic” and is featured on many soul and dance compilations, it’s hard to imagine why people still label her as a singer that didn’t have much range — one listen to this song immediately disproves that. The production here is superb, and a fine example of how 70s dance music didn’t have to be boring, repetitive, or campy; the song, in fact, has far outlived it’s life as a 70s dance classic, having been resurrected by other artists over the years and topping the dance chart TWO other times. Miss Ross herself still performs the song in concert, often as the first or second song in her set — her enjoyment of the song after all these years is still evident.

5. Once In The Morning: The most purely “disco” song on the album, this is not really a vocal or production showcase; the point here, clearly, is to get people out dancing. Diana turns in a sexy, subdued vocal that sounds very different from her turns on “The Boss” and “No One Gets The Prize” – her breathy performance is much more akin to Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby” or Andrea True’s “More, More, More” than her more powerful work on other cuts here. She does get to do a little more emoting during the last 30 seconds, which is nice to hear, but again, this song is one of the few (if not the only) on the album that really seems to emphasize the beat over the lyrics and vocals.

6. It’s My House: This is probably the most unusual song on the LP, and was chosen as the second single. Though it only found moderate success on the R&B charts, it’s still remembered today, and often referenced in pop culture – proof that it made an impact on radio, even if the overall chart position was underwhelming. This isn’t a traditional dance song, and it’s not a ballad; it falls somewhere in between, a groovy kind of easy listening tune with an Island flavor and a finger-snapping beat. The song doesn’t require as much vocal energy by Diana, but she turns in a pleasant, relaxed vocal that perfectly fits the laid-back and confident theme. The lyrics here speak of an empowered woman inviting a man inside her house on her own terms (“…say you wanna move in with me…gotta follow the rules to get me…”), and Ross – who was a single mother at the time, and newly living in New York – was likely really feeling the idea; it sure sounds like she was, anyway.

7. Sparkle: Strangely, the longest song on the LP isn’t one of the dance tracks; it’s this tune, a light, classy pop/soul ballad that runs just over five minutes. The production work here is reminiscent of Richard Perry’s work on Diana’s Baby It’s Me; Valerie Simpson plays an almost jazz-influenced piano line and there’s a prominent sax featured, too. While this is a pleasant piece of easy-listening, it doesn’t pack nearly the punch of “It’s My House” or even “All For One” – it’s ultimately just not as memorable as the songs that have come before it. Diana offers up a performance not unlike that on some of her work with Michael Masser; there’s a softness and roundness to her voice here that’s very pleasing. This is by no means a bad song, but it’s a bit meandering and again, doesn’t quite match the excitement of the tracks that surround it.

8. I’m In The World: This song sounds like it could have come straight off of the soundtrack to The Wiz; the self-empowerment lyric is exactly the kind Diana Ross sang in character as Dorothy, and serves as almost a sequel to “Is This What Feeling Gets (Dorothy’s Theme)” – which, it just so happens, was also penned by Ashford and Simpson. There’s a cinematic quality to the entire production; the soaring strings could easily complement a film’s dramatic high point, and the long, slow fade-out at the end seems tailor-made for a movie’s end credit sequence. Diana’s inspiring performance foreshadows her work on the next year’s “It’s My Turn” (which, coincidentally, actually is a feature film theme song); again, I’d be willing to bet this one was written with Diana’s input, as she sounds completely invested in the words she’s singing. Though it’s not as full of hooks as “I Ain’t Been Licked” or as exuberant as “The Boss,” this is actually a perfect way to end the album – the lyrics are about finding one’s place in the world, and Diana Ross (by her own admission) was doing just that as she recorded the entire album.

***

The Boss is one of the most cohesive albums of Diana Ross’s career – and thus, one of the most consistently enjoyable. To me, the quality of the songs is just slightly more variable than on Surrender and Baby It’s Me, and thus isn’t quite as solid as those two offerings. Still, Ashford and Simpson prove once again that not only are they master writers and producers, but that they also know how to bring the very best out of Miss Ross. Allowing her creative input in the album clearly motivated Diana to push herself in the studio, and the vocals here reveal an artist with a depth and range that many people still don’t appreciate. Though The Boss went gold and was a hit for Diana, it wasn’t nearly the success that it should have been — it’s impossible to understand why she didn’t at least get a Grammy nod for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, considering her work on the entire album is stronger than on songs like “Your Love Is So Good For Me” and even “Love Hangover,” which had previously gained her nominations in that category. Of course, she wouldn’t have to wait long for a chart-busting, platinum LP…that would come the next year…

Final Analysis: 4.5/5 (Diana “Sparkles”)

“I think this time around I am gonna do it, like you never knew it…”

“In the spring of 1980, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, a very talented songwriting team, sat down with me to talk about my career and what was happening in my life. ‘I’m Coming Out’ was the result of that meeting” (Diana Ross, Secrets Of A Sparrow, 201).

In fact, the entire diana album – released in May of 1980 – was the result of the creative talks between Ross and the writing/producing team. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were the force behind Chic, an R&B/dance group that was on a major hot streak thanks to hits like “Le Freak.” They’d also taken Sister Sledge to the top of the charts with the hits “He’s The Greatest Dancer” and “We Are Family.” Diana Ross, however, was the first major star Rodgers and Edwards worked on an album for, and she was apparently ready for something radically different. According to Rodgers in The Billboard Book Of Number One R&B Hits, “She said, ‘I don’t want this to sound like L.A. at all. I left California, I’m in New York. I’ve got a whole new life here’” (275).

A new sound is definitely what she got and, it turns out, what the public wanted. diana shot to #1 on the R&B album chart and #2 on the pop album chart (her best showing since Lady Sings The Blues hit #1 in the early 70s). The first single, “Upside Down,” was a monster smash, topping the pop and R&B charts for a month (!) and garnering Diana another Grammy nomination. The second single, “I’m Coming Out,” hit the top 5. Both songs have become classics, with “I’m Coming Out” still showing up in movies and commercials and being sampled by other artists, more than thirty years after it was first released. The fact that diana was such a smash success isn’t necessarily a surprise – it’s a very cool album – but it’s pretty amazing when you consider that it came nearly 20 years into Diana Ross’s career. Ross had signed with Motown Records in 1961, and had been a full-fledged star since 1964 (when the Supremes first hit #1 with “Where Did Our Love Go”). Many artists are lucky to have a good ten years of making hits, if that. This LP, however, delivered Diana Ross to an entire new generation of fans – some of whom probably weren’t even born yet when she first hit the top with the Supremes.

All of the success aside, diana is a stunning album. Rodgers and Edwards managed to come up with a tracklist of strikingly original tunes, and Diana’s directive to not “sound like L.A. at all” resulted in an album far less glossy than previous LPs like Baby It’s Me, Ross, and even The Boss. Though the songs here don’t challenge her vocally in quite the same way her previous outing did, she turns in tough, forceful performances here, with an appealing sort of swagger that’s different than anything Diana Ross had ever released before. The lady singing “Upside Down” and “Give Up” here sounds like she could (and would) beat up the one who sang “To Love Again” just a few years earlier; after some soul-searching on The Wiz soundtrack and The Boss, she certainly sounds like she knows who she is this time around.

***

1. Upside Down: Diana’s 5th solo #1 hit (and 17th when you count her work with the Supremes) features a track built on major to minor chord changes that — according to Nile Rodgers — weren’t that complicated. However, when you’ve got the striking strings, Rodgers’s dynamic guitar, and Bernard Edwards blasting out his bass, it all adds up to a dizzying, hypnotic R&B dance track that sounds as complex as anything Diana Ross had ever recorded. Atop the head-spinning instrumental is a lyric that’s vague and repetitive — qualities that wouldn’t likely be a good thing on another song — but that are perfect (and necessary) here; with such a strong, percussive background, a simple lyric is exactly what’s needed to ground the song and keep it accessible. Diana’s performance here is crisp, clean, and down-to-earth; the vocal runs and powerful belting of “The Boss” are completely gone, replaced by a punchy, staccato performance. Again, she sounds tougher here — even though she’s singing about being cheated on by her man, she’d not weepy or over-emotive, and actually sounds kind of irritated. Diana Ross has never been a singer who gives more or less than what a song requires; when necessary, she can wail and her vocals can soar, and when it’s called for, she can dim her voice to barely more than a whisper. On “Upside Down,” she keeps it simple, and it works — after all, had she been over-singing and added gratuitous melisma, wouldn’t she have sounded totally ridiculous saying things like “Respectfully, I say to thee…”?

2. Tenderness: Much more than “Upside Down,” this song really sounds like a Chic tune — the recognizable backgrounds by Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin are loud and robust here, and the voices are identical to what you hear on songs like “Good Times” and “I Want Your Love.” That said, “Tenderness” is a strong track, and probably could have been pulled as a single and gained some good airplay. The track here isn’t quite as unusual as that on “Upside Down,” but spotlights the “Chic strings” on a clipped, stabbing instrumental line (in a way, almost reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s famous Psycho score) which is memorable. Diana’s performance is a little more vulnerable than on the previous track — but not much. She’s singing in a higher key, so she sounds a little more energetic and younger, but she’s still pretty no-nonsense; she sticks to the melody here, singing each note clearly and with strength, but with no embellishments whatsoever. In a strange way, songs like “Tenderness” and “Upside Down” take Diana’s vocals back closer to what they were in the 1960s, on songs like “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” Diana Ross had taken to letting her vocals lag behind the melody ever since her relaxed work on Lady Sings The Blues — but here, she’s anticipating the beat much more again, vigorously hitting her notes as she did on many of her urgent Holland-Dozier-Holland hits at the beginning of her career.

3. Friend To Friend: The album’s one true ballad, this is a strange, sparse song that comes almost as an antithesis Diana Ross’s work with Michael Masser. Unlike the string-laden ballads of her past — “I Thought It Took A Little Time,” for example — the instrumental track here is almost non-existent. Diana basically sings over a series of chords, her voice settling deep into the lower end of its range, nicely filling up the empty spaces. This is, again, an unadorned vocal performance, but it’s far more relaxed than on the previous two tracks — here, Diana sounds appealingly dreamy, as though she’s singing to a sleeping child. On an album that’s so heavy on percussion and bass, it’s important to give listeners a little bit of a break, and this song accomplishes that perfectly…especially in light of the explosion of energy that will follow with the next track…

4. I’m Coming Out: From the opening vocal announcement (“I’m…Coming…Out!”) atop an absolutely smoking guitar line and vibrant horn section, this song has “hit” written all over it. This is, easily, one of the greatest dance songs of the modern recording era, and is certainly one of the best singles Diana Ross ever recorded and released. As upbeat and joyous as “The Boss” and as anthemic as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” this is Diana at her best; the memorable lyrics (“There’s a new me coming out, and I just have to live, and I wanna give, I’m completely positive…”) are delivered with fiery certainty by Miss Ross, who clearly felt a close connection with the lyrics. The melody line here is much more complex than on any of the previous songs on the LP, so it’s nice to hear Diana use a little more of her range — in particular her shout during the word “out” at 5:10. The song structure here is brilliant — almost the entire first minute of running time serves as an intro, with Diana’s signature “I’m Coming Out!” repeated as the instrumental line builds, until the track finally bursts alive with Bernard Edwards’s booming bassline. Though the song is considered a gay anthem today for obvious reasons (I can only imagine the response this got in gay clubs when it first played during the summer of 1980 — it must have been wild), the lyrics truly are universal; Diana Ross has said that the song had a deep, personal meaning for her in terms of taking creative control of her career. “I’m Coming Out” was a huge hit, of course, and remains one of Diana’s most popular songs, but it’s hard to believe that she didn’t get a Grammy nomination for this song — I’d make the case that she should’ve won Best R&B Female Vocal Performance that year for this performance. It also deserved to at least be nominated as Record and Song of the Year — it’s rare that a recording captures the excitement of an entire movement in its words and music, but this one does.

5. Have Fun (Again): Nile Rodgers, in the liner notes to the CD re-issue of diana, has this to say about “Have Fun (Again)”: “I think the track that someone’s gonna have a No. 1 sampled record with is ‘Have Fun (Again).’ That is one of the coolest grooves we have ever thought of. It kills me when the track fades back in.” Listening to the song, it’s easy to understand why Rodgers is so fond of it; instrumentally, this is one of the heaviest-hitting songs on the album, with an aggressive guitar accompanying Diana on the verses, and one of the strongest bass lines on the entire LP. The song is also probably the strangest one here from a sonic standpoint; the backing vocals (the most prominent since “Tenderness”) are sung in a clipped, staccato manner and feature a slight echo which makes them sound almost like voices from outer space. In a way, that memorable track and the odd, generic voices foreshadow “Genius Of Love,” a hit for Tom Tom Club the next year (and, coincidentally, one that already does have a #1 sampled record – “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey – like Nile Rodgers hopes for this one). Diana works to show a little personality here, setting herself apart from the weirdly robotic voices behind her with some growls and some, truthfully, uninspired ad-libbing for the final half of the running time. Though it is indeed a “cool groove,” it’s not Diana’s finest hour on diana; she’s singing the words “have fun” over and over, but doesn’t really sound completely convincing. She sounded inspired and invested on “I’m Coming Out,” but that energy just isn’t quite matched here.

6. My Old Piano: This was the third single release from diana; it was a decent hit in the UK but didn’t really go anywhere in the United States (probably thanks to the fact that another Diana Ross single, “It’s My Turn,” had been released off the film soundtrack of the same name was doing well for her). Aside from “I’m Coming Out” and the LP’s final track, “Give Up,” this is the most energetic track, an upbeat ode to a baby grand piano with an “international style” and “eighty-eight key smile.” Though it’s really a pretty silly song, it’s extremely catchy and Miss Ross sounds great here – rather than using the Chic voices for background, Diana’s voice is layered on the choruses, which makes this more of a showcase for her. Though the song doesn’t require a lot of range, the vocal here is a powerful one, especially during the verse about 2:00 in, during which Diana puts a lot of force into her readings of lyrics like “…he demands the middle of the room…” Being that the song is about a piano, it makes sense that some prominent piano ad-libbing comes in toward the end, and it’s a nice change of pace from the album heavy leaning toward strings and percussion.

7. Now That You’re Gone: Overall, this is probably the least memorable song on the LP; it’s not a bad tune, but it’s much lower-key and more repetitive than most of the others, and thus gets a little lost, especially coming between the stronger tracks “My Old Piano” and “Give Up.” More than anything, “Now That You’re Gone” is a showcase for Bernard Edwards and his bass; the bass line here is the most important aspect of the instrumental track, and almost serves as a duet partner for Diana on the choruses. This gives the song a nice, urban edge – it’s certainly the most traditionally R&B/soul-sounding song on the LP. This is the second song in a row on which Diana is singing with herself – her own voice is layered on the chorus, and she sings in harmony with herself, which adds a little variety to the album. In a few years, Diana would team up again with Bernard Edwards for the song “Telephone” from her Swept Away album, and the two songs actually sound quite similar, with “Now That You’re Gone” coming off as a kind of rough draft for the later recording, which is a bit more complex (and was a Top 20 R&B hit).

8. Give Up: Though “I’m Coming Out” is the masterpiece of this LP, and “Upside Down” is a ridiculously strong track, the album’s closer features the strongest Diana Ross vocal performance, and is probably the best non-single on the entire work; this is a fun, high-energy dance track with equally fun, high-energy singing. Opening with a trademark Miss Ross “OW!” – Diana sounds completely alive on this song, which offers a more complex melody line than any other song here (aside from “I’m Coming Out”), and thus gives her a lot to work with. The lyrics are sexy and playful (“I have not met a man yet, to escape from my dragnet…”), and Diana’s voice is full and forceful as she attacks the words; she also hits what might be one of the highest notes of her career during her ad-lib at 2:55. This is a great Diana Ross hidden gem, and a dynamite way to end one of her biggest-selling albums ever.

***

Although diana features two of Miss Ross’s biggest and most-loved hits and became her first platinum album, not everyone agrees that it’s one of her best. In his book Diana Ross: A Biography, J. Randy Taraborrelli writes, “The album’s success seems ironic in that it’s actually one of her least exciting or even interesting records. Most of her vocal performances are a bit mechanical” (330). I’d argue that the LP really is one of her most exciting; there’s an energy captured in several of the cuts that’s akin to the proverbial lightning in a bottle. “I’m Coming Out” and “Upside Down” are enduring hits for a reason – there’s a freshness to these cuts that still translates today, hence both records being used as samples by other artists.

It may be true that diana doesn’t vocally sound like other Diana Ross records, but Miss Ross has always been an artist who adapted her style to fit the material – not the other way around. Lady Sings The Blues sure didn’t sound like a “Diana Ross album” in 1972, but it went to #1. “Love Hangover” didn’t sound like a typical Diana Ross single, either, and it also hit the top of the charts. Her ability to fit her voice into the confines of the Rodgers and Edwards compositions so successfully is what makes her work here so impressive.

Final Analysis: 4.5/5 (Diana “Comes Out”)

“And there ain’t no use in holding on, when nothing stays the same…”

After scoring two of the biggest hits of her career — “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” — and propelling her sound to a completely new place with the dynamic diana album, Diana Ross slowed things down considerably and took a step back to the past with her next album, To Love Again. The LP is essentially a Michael Masser songbook, featuring four new songs on Side A and five classic love ballads written and produced by Masser on Side B, including the #1’s “Touch Me In The Morning” and “Theme From Mahogany.” Therefore, like 1978’s Ross, it’s sort of a studio album/compilation hybrid, this time bound together with Masser as the common theme.

The album came after the success of “It’s My Turn,” a beautiful ballad of empowerment written by Masser and recorded by Ross as the theme song to the film of the same name. The song was a big hit, reaching the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in late 1980, following closely on the heels of “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out.” Diana herself has often cited the ballad as one that’s very close to her, having written in her memoirs, Secrets Of A Sparrow: “Michael…was a very difficult man to work with, maybe because he knew how fabulous he was, but he could surely write songs that were relevant. ‘It’s My Turn’ became very important to me” (202). It’s interesting that Diana pointed out in her book that she had trouble working with Michael Masser — perhaps that’s the reason half of this album is made up of older songs. For his part, Masser is quoted in the liner notes of the CD re-release of To Love Again as saying, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have known and worked with Diana.”

The entire To Love Again album holds great significance in terms of Diana’s discography because it contains her last batch of new recordings for a Motown album before leaving for RCA (unlike Diana’s Duets and All The Great Hits, which were both also released by Motown in 1981 and were outright compilation albums). After the enormous success of the diana album, the “It’s My Turn” single, and of course the monster-mega-insanely successfully “Endless Love” duet with Lionel Richie, Diana accepted a $20 million offer to leave her first and only record label; her debut album for RCA, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, would be released in late 1981. Because Miss Ross was so vocal about her reason for leaving Motown — she wanted more creative control over her career — “It’s My Turn” certainly feels like it could have been a personal anthem for her at the time. It also gives an interesting subtext to the rest of the new songs — which all have to do with the challenges of leaving one situation for another.

The problem with placing new songs and established hits on a single album is, of course, that the new songs have to compete against those that are already proven winners. Every single one of the final five songs – especially “Touch Me In The Morning,” “Theme From Mahogany,” and “To Love Again” — are strong, standout Diana Ross tracks. “It’s My Turn” easily stands among them; unfortunately, the other three new recordings aren’t even close. The very best Diana Ross ballad performances are built upon a foundation of simplicity; they’re not overproduced, and they allow Diana’s voice to take the lead. As much as Michael Masser clearly understood that, “Stay With Me” and “One More Chance” in particular are a sea of swirling production elements, and Diana’s vocals are pushed so far at times that they cease to even be pretty. Therefore, To Love Again is an uneven and not always satisfying listen, although it’s fitting that an album released less than a year before Diana’s “new start” at RCA features some of the greatest highlights from her career thus far.

***

1. It’s My Turn: This song still stands as one of the greatest ballads Diana Ross would ever record; it was a deserved Top 10 hit, and it’s a crime that Diana didn’t receive a Pop Female Vocal Grammy nomination for it. The vocal performance here is simple and powerful; there are no background voices to distract from Diana, and she stays comfortably within her range while still displaying impressive lung power as she belts out the familiar refrain. Michael Masser’s lyrics here are some of his most memorable; though lines like “I can’t cover up my feelings in the name of love…” and “…if living for myself is what I’m guilty of, go on and sentence me, I’ll still be free…” are admittedly schmaltzy, the song is instantly relatable to anyone who’s ever made the decision to go out on his or her own and try something new. Diana’s reading of the lyric is never overdone; she sounds wise and tempers the sometimes overly-optimistic theme with just a hint of sadness which adds complexity and depth to the entire work. Diana’s emotional crooning of the words “…it’s my turn” at 1:50 into the song and then again at the end is some of her best singing since The Wiz soundtrack back in 1978; she’s certainly feeling this song as she’d been feeling those songs back then. “It’s My Turn” remains a fresh, satisfying listen, and still sounds like it could be a hit today.

2. Stay With Me: In a strange way, this song could be considered a kind of “answer” song to “It’s My Turn” – in the previous track, Diana had been declaring her independence in a relationship, and in this one she’s begging for the opposite to happen, as though taking on the other party’s point of view. The song starts out promisingly enough; Diana’s vocal is tender and quiet, and there’s a nice vulnerability that as she sings “…I know there’s a whole new world you found, and it’s to that world you’re bound.” However, at about 1:10 in there’s a bit of a tempo shift, as the beat kicks up and the background vocals kick in alongside Miss Ross. This section is actually quite similar to the section of “Touch Me In The Morning,” when Diana sings, “Well, I can say goodbye in the cold morning light…” However, while the tempo had been steadily building in that previous #1 hit, the shift feels more jarring here (listen to the Roberta Flack version of “Stay With Me” recorded around the same time, without the tempo shift — the song feels much more cohesive). The backgrounds also hurt the song a bit for the duration of the track; Diana’s voice becomes a little lost in the wash of female voices, especially at 1:52, when Diana reaches way up into the top of her register to sing “Won’t you stay with me?” Hearing her sing such high notes should be a powerful, key moment in the song, but her voice quickly fades into the background as the other voices take over, which robs the moment of the emotional payoff — not to mention the fact that her voice doesn’t sound that strong to begin with. There are some nice moments here; I like the key change at 2:50, a case in which Diana’s voice does sound full and powerful and really does rise above the rest of the production, but on the whole this song just isn’t the classic you’d hope for out of two such talented artists.

3. One More Chance: This is an interesting early 80s ballad from Diana Ross; it was released as a single, though it failed to do much airplay or sales-wise. This may be the closest thing to a “power ballad” she had ever recorded at Motown, with the song building to an eye-popping climax in which Diana Ross growls in a way she never had on record before. Seriously — if you’ve never heard this song before — immediately listen to the final 40 seconds; Diana Ross sounds almost raging-angry in her repeated delivery of the words “one more chance.” Though there’s no doubt that, as J. Randy Taraborrelli writes in Diana Ross: A Biography, Diana’s voice is “pushed to the limit” here, it’s unfortunately not that pleasant of a listen. Diana Ross had proven on The Wiz and The Boss that she could soulfully and gut-renchingly belt out a song, and performances from those albums (for example, “Home” and “I Ain’t Been Licked”) feature an appealing rawness to her voice. Here, the near-screaming on both her lead and background vocals sounds way too forced; again, she sounds more angry than impassioned, as though she was ready to get the heck out of the recording booth and go home…and maybe that was the case.

4. Cryin’ My Heart Out For You: Aside from “It’s My Turn,” this is probably the best new recording on To Love Again; it’s not nearly as strong as the first track or the five on Side B, but it’s a nicely written tune by Masser, and the production doesn’t drown out the lead vocal here. Diana sounds confident and comfortable with the lyric; though this is a heartbreak tune, she’s not as vulnerable as she’d been at the beginning of “Stay With Me.” Diana’s performance instead sounds honest and simple for the most part, and certainly not overdone like her work on “One More Chance.” Still, this track does give her a chance to show some range and emote quite a bit toward the end, as her voices soars into her upper register (especially as she sings “What can I do?” at 3:15). This song was released as a single, though it didn’t even chart in the United States (although soon after it’s release, Diana would be back on top of the charts in a big way — with the theme from “Endless Love,” a duet with Lionel Richie.)

5. Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To): From Diana Ross (1976) Read My Album Review Here

6. I Thought It Took A Little Time (But Today I Fell In Love): From Diana Ross (1976) Read My Album Review Here

7. To Love Again: From Ross (1978) Read My Album Review Here

8. No One’s Gonna Be A Fool Forever: From Last Time I Saw Him (1973) Read My Album Review Here

9. Touch Me In The Morning: From Touch Me In The Morning (1973) Read My Album Review Here

***

In the end, To Love Again feels a bit thin, especially coming after The Boss and diana, both strong, cohesive albums filled with great original songs. Because the best songs here — “It’s My Turn” and those on Side B — are all available on other Diana Ross compilations, this album isn’t necessarily an essential in the Diana discography. To Love Again was re-issued on CD in 2003 with an expanded tracklist, and was far more successful creatively — it contains the superior Masser production “After You” (which was inexplicably left off the original 1981 lineup) and other non-Masser love ballads from the mid-to-late 70s, most of which are better (i.e. not overproduced) than the 1981 recordings included here. As mentioned before, later in ’81 Diana would score with the ultimate love ballad, “Endless Love” — a single that proves once again how important simplicity is to a successful Diana Ross recording. I’m sure a lot of fans have a strong attachment to the original To Love Again; surely a lot of the lyrics here are very relevant and there are those who love Diana Ross singing a ballad, no matter what it is. Still, I think Diana Ross and Michael Masser had set the bar so phenomenally high with their best work that they just couldn’t match it with all of these 1981 recordings.

Final Analysis (The “New” Songs): 3/5 (“It’s My Turn” Soars; The Rest Need More “Heart”)

“It’s Never Too Late to hold the power in your hands…”

In late 1981, Diana Ross began the third act of her career. Act I, of course, had been her rise to stardom as lead singer of the Supremes, the Motown supergroup that scored 12 #1 hits. Act II came with the 1970s and solo success, during which time she notched six more #1’s and made three feature films. But in 1981, in a quest for creative control of her career (and a way bigger paycheck), Diana Ross left Motown and signed with RCA Records. She apparently talked with a couple of producers about working with her on this important first album, but ended up in the hot seat herself, not only producing the album but also co-writing one song, the first case of Miss Ross being credited in helping to write her own music.

Sales-wise, Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a huge hit; it went platinum, and continued Diana’s string of hit singles with two Billboard top 10 singles, the title track and “Mirror Mirror.” A third single, “Work That Body” (the one featuring a writing credit from Miss Ross) nearly made the top 40. This is, then, one of the few solo Diana Ross albums to feature two top 10 hits; diana did it the year before (“Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out”) and so did 1976’s Diana Ross (“Theme From Mahogany” and “Love Hangover”). This success must have given Miss Ross great confidence; surely there was a lot of uncertainty about leaving Motown — the only record company she’d ever been part of — and striking out on her own.

Creatively, the album is largely successful, too. Though her RCA years would be marked by some very uneven albums to come, this one is a cohesive set; whether you love or hate the songs, they do have a very distinct sound and form a seamless collection. The high points here are the big hits; “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” and especially “Mirror Mirror” are vibrant, exciting recordings that sound still sound like hits today. Though some of the album tracks are pretty vanilla — “It’s Never Too Late” and “Two Can Make It” cry out for the harder edge of Diana’s work with Chic — they’re certainly not bad songs, and are pretty representative of pop/R&B music in the early 80s. Why Do Fools Fall In Love doesn’t necessarily break any new ground for Diana Ross, but as her first full-length producing effort, it’s not the mess it could have been, given that her imagination was finally allowed to run wild. Clearly Diana Ross was looking to continue the success she’d found in The Boss and diana as a high-energy dance queen, and in that respect, this album works.

***

1. Why Do Fools Fall In Love: From the opening, machine-gun-like drum roll, the bar is set high with the album’s title track, a remake of the 1956 Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers hit. Diana has often remarked that she’d been influenced by Lymon when she was a child in Detroit, so her choice to cover it isn’t really a surprising one, although it probably seemed strange at the time that she was pulling from the past while trying so hard to establish her “new” identity apart from Motown. Still, the song was a top 10 pop and R&B hit, and remains a staple in Diana Ross concerts; her version here would also stand as one of the strongest singles she’d ever release while signed to RCA. The song is given a brassy, swinging treatment here, with the driving percussion line, blaring horns, and a great guitar solo reminiscent of some of the work on diana. Diana’s vocal is superbly done; her crystal-clear delivery is perfect for the sing-song quality of the melody, and the choice to layer her voice and feature her as her own background singer adds an exciting complexity. This isn’t the most challenging or interesting song ever recorded by Diana Ross, but it’s got a joy and vibrancy that makes it a stand-out for the singer; she truly sounds happy and invigorated here, likely a reflection of her feelings about producing and being so creatively involved in the project.

2. Sweet Surrender: When appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1981, Diana specifically mentioned this song, noting that it “…is a song that was sent to me a writer, young writer, and I kept it for years, and finally when I did decide to do it, I couldn’t find the writers, and we almost didn’t use it because we couldn’t find them, but we did find them in the last minute.” Clearly Diana liked the song a lot, since she was probably hearing hundred and hundreds of songs a year as recording possibilities and chose to keep this one. It’s an interesting piece, with a bass-heavy, slowed-down track and almost hypnotic strings. The track is, in a way, similar to Issac Hayes’s classic reading of “Walk On By” — both songs are sexy, slightly dark, and feature hushed, husky vocals. What’s interesting to note here is the blurred, strangely echoed quality of Diana’s recorded vocal; while it works well in the context of this song, it’s a treatment that would feature heavily on this album and the next (Silk Electric) — often to very lackluster results. As she was producing these albums herself, clearly there’s a deliberate reason Diana was choosing to make her voice sound that way, but it often robbed the songs of the distinctive personality that made Diana such a recognizable voice to begin with. In any case, again, in a provocative setting like this, the almost-dulled sound of Miss Ross’s voice works well, and this is a memorable addition to the album. And back to the “Walk On By” connection, it’s surprising “Sweet Surrender” hasn’t been sampled by contemporary R&B artists like the Hayes song has — the distinctive instrumental here seems destined to be used again someday!

3. Mirror Mirror: The album’s second single was another major pop and R&B hit, and aside from “Missing You” later in the decade, I’d say it’s the best song Diana Ross would release during her tenure with RCA. This is slamming piece of pure funk, nearly as good as the best work on diana, and features a searing instrumental and vocal performance that probably should’ve gotten Diana another Grammy nomination (although she was well-represented at the awards for her work in 1981 due to “Endless Love” with Lionel Richie). As on the album’s title track, there’s a strong horn and guitar component here, but this time the instrumental is far more complex and haunting, and seamlessly combines a harder rock sound with the pop/R&B/dance vibe of the surrounding songs. Diana’s vocal, meanwhile, is also a more challenging continuation of her work on “Why Do Fools…” — she again layers her voice, providing her own background vocals, but this time puts far more emotion into them, portraying the agony of a woman “trapped in this mirror forever.” There’s also a nice display of strength and power in Diana’s voice during the final minute of the song, as she belts “Tell me Mirror Mirror, on the wall…thought you said you had the answer to it all…” The lyrics here are fascinating, featuring the classic opening line “You have turned my life into a paperback novel,” which seems completely appropriate for a woman’s of Diana’s star power to be singing, and the incredibly visual and startling, “You have nailed my heart upon the wall for your pleasure.” Not only is “Mirror Mirror” a top-notch track from her 1980s output, it’s also one of the best singles of her entire career.

4. Endless Love: The “Endless Love” included on this album is not that same “Endless Love” that became Diana’s biggest hit single ever; that one was a duet with Lionel Richie, who wrote the song as the theme to the movie of the same name. When released in 1981 (before this album was released), it shot to #1 and stayed there for an astounding 9 weeks, becoming one of the longest-running #1 hits in Billboard history. It also garnered Diana and Lionel several Grammy nominations (of which, incredibly, they won NONE) and the song was nominated for an Oscar. Miss Ross re-recorded the song solo for this album, probably a very wise move in that record-buyers seeing the name “Endless Love” on the sleeve might assume it was the duet that was included. The problem, of course, is that it’s impossible not to compare the two versions, since they came so closely together. The duet version was simple and clean, driven by a piano and acoustic guitar; Diana and Lionel both turned in crisp but powerful performances, their voices blending seamlessly. In the solo version on this album, everything is cranked up a notch; the instrumental track is embellished by a prominent flute and is far more glossy in nature, and Diana’s vocal is much showier and more emotive. While there are those who prefer this more dramatic reading of the song, I think this is a case of “less is more” — the simplicity of the original duet was a perfect counterpoint to the saccharine lyrics, whereas here it’s all just a little too much. There’s no denying that Diana’s voice sounds very powerful in this solo version; she’s extremely committed to this performance, and her voice soars. However, the over-production nearly kills the song; the instrumental is so clouded and muddled and overdone that it sounds more like elevator music than an appropriate track for Diana Ross. And as much as Diana’s voice displays impressive range here, she does tend to over-annunciate, turning the word “sure” into “shee-ooooore” and so forth, which can be a little grating. Though the original duet is an undeniable highlight of Ross’s career, the version on this LP is just okay.

5. It’s Never Too Late: One of the catchiest songs on the LP, “It’s Never Too Late” — as a composition — sounds like it could have been an outtake from The Boss; it’s a much more typical pop/dance tune than the funkier “Mirror Mirror” and title track. Though it was never released as a single, Diana did perform it on “Soul Train” to promote the album, and it certainly sounds like it could have gotten some radio play, too. That said, the simplicity of the song’s production, especially coming after the strangely compelling “Sweet Surrender” and the spectacular “Mirror Mirror,” is a little disappointing. Though Diana sounds nice here, she doesn’t push herself vocally; this is an extremely laid back, almost icy performance from her. The instrumental lacks fire as well — there’s no distinct edge to the music here (in the way that the drums give an edge to “Why Do Fools…” and the guitar does so on “Mirror Mirror”), and it sounds just a little too glossy to be truly exciting. Again, this is a well-written, catchy song, and it’s not a bad inclusion…it’s just not a standout.

6. Think I’m In Love: An unusual mid-tempo number that features another strangely hypnotic chorus, this one also layers Diana’s vocals to good effect. The song itself isn’t very memorable; the instrumental track is a kind of hybrid of “Sweet Surrender” and “It’s Never Too Late,” though it’s not as strong as either of those two. The most notable thing about the song is, again, the layering of Diana’s voice on the chorus, as she repeats “…think I’m in love…” in a dreamy, almost staccato manner reminiscent of the Chic background vocals on her diana album. Her vocal performance on the verses isn’t particularly inspired (she reaches a high note a few times on the word “love” — though it doesn’t sound as effortless as one might hope, like on “The Boss” and other earlier work); it’s not bad, it’s just not that impressive. Overall, I’d say this is the most “Easy Listening” tune on the album…which, if that’s what she was going for, is fine.

7. Sweet Nothings: Diana reaches back a few decades again, covering the popular Brenda Lee song from the late 50s, and finally brings back a little fire to the album in the process. This is a nice, swinging pseudo-Rockabilly number in the vein of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock And Roll,” with Diana turning in a playful performance that’s at once youthful, energetic and wise. Aside from the two hit singles, this is really the most energy Miss Ross displays on the album, and the instrumental may be the best, with a superb sax solo and a pulsing bass that helps elevate the song out of the “campy remake” territory that it easily could’ve fallen into. The only real flaw here is the vocal production; again, Diana turns in a fun and coy performance, but this song is another case of her voice sounding muddy. There are moments in which Diana almost seems to be singing into a tin can; the clarity of her voice on something like “I’m Coming Out” or “Give Up” from diana is noticeably missing. This is a shame, because had her voice been cleanly brought to the forefront — like the saxophone is — this would have been an even stronger entry than it already is.

8. Two Can Make It: Another mid-tempo pop tune that, if a little bland, is nicely produced and features a nice vocal performance from Diana Ross. She sounds confident and controlled here during the opening verse, with a nice dip to her lower register at 40 seconds in on the word “chances.” I’d compare her work on this song to some of her work in the early 70s, post-Lady Sings The Blues; she sounds relaxed and really doesn’t push herself vocally, but because the song doesn’t call for it, the laid-back vibe works. The production here sounds as dated as on songs like “It’s Never Too Late” and “Think I’m In Love,” but it’s still a pleasant listen.

9. Work That Body: Ah, “Work That Body”…this, the album’s third single, may be one of the most maligned of all Diana Ross releases; it wasn’t a big hit at the time (it just missed the top 40, though it did better in the UK), and in the years since has gained a reputation for being a “Physical” (Olivia Newton-John’s 1981 hit) knock-off and nothing more. It is notable in that it’s the first Diana Ross single ever to credit her as writer, along with Ray Chew. Personally, I kind of like this ode to aerobics; it’s as campy as The Weather Girls’s “It’s Raining Men” and incredibly catchy; Diana doesn’t so much sing as kind of speak along in a raspy voice, but at least she sounds like she’s having a good time. The choice to include another voice actually acting out the role of aerobics teacher during the dance break is actually kind of genius, as well. The lyrics are completely ridiculous, with the opening, “Every morning when we wake, to make up for that piece of cake, we ate last night…” ranking among the most brainless Diana ever released. But, again, this isn’t supposed to be a serious song; this ain’t “Theme From Mahogany” after all. This is a song about the joys of looking good, and if nothing else, it remains a completely entertaining listen, if only to sing along with Diana Ross about being the “hottest girl in town!”

***

In terms of Diana Ross’s career, Why Do Fools Fall In Love did exactly what it was supposed to do, which was to prove that Miss Ross could turn out a hit album and singles without the association of Motown Records. Although many have intimated that the success of the album and singles was due mainly to the fact that it closely followed diana and “Endless Love,” and therefore rode on the coattails of those Motown successes a bit, I think the two top 10 hits completely deserved to be recorded and released; “Why Do Fools…” and “Mirror Mirror” both still sound like hits today, and are great examples of Diana Ross’s talent at bridging the pop, R&B, and dance genres. While some of the tracks here are muddled and perhaps a bit bland, they are no more so than some of the songs on the Touch Me In The Morning, Diana & Marvin, and Diana Ross (1976) albums. And again, the fact that the songs do form a seamless collection qualifies the album at least as one of the more sonically smooth of her career, especially in light of the disjointed album that follows this one (1982’s Silk Electric).

Final Analysis: 4/5 (Diana “Can Make It” On Her Own)

“Right or wrong, I will stand up like a tree, happy or sad, good or bad, I Am Me…”

Diana Ross must have been in a really good place emotionally in 1982; she’d just scored the biggest single of her career (“Endless Love” with Lionel Richie) and her first album as an RCA Records artist — Why Do Fools Fall In Love — was a platinum-selling hit featuring two top 10 singles. More importantly, she’d executive produced the album herself and co-written one of the songs, finally allowing herself the creative control that she’d clearly been craving for quite some time. The fact that the album was a success had to be major validation for the singer, and probably inspired her to go even further in terms of artistic experimentation for her next album.

And that brings us to Silk Electric, which is again produced by Miss Ross and this time features her name as co-writer on four of the ten tracks. Her second RCA album featured another top 10, Grammy-nominated hit in the song “Muscles,” famously written and produced for Diana by Michael Jackson (his Thriller would be released later in the year). The second single, “So Close,” was one of Diana’s original compositions, and managed to make the lower reaches of the top 40. The album, while not as massive a seller as Why Do Fools… or diana, ended up going gold, thus continuing Diana’s streak of solid-selling albums.

So does all this mean that Silk Electric is a good album? Well…that depends on your definition of good. There’s no doubt that it’s her most experimental album ever; artistically Diana was pushing boundaries all over the place. “Muscles” is straight-up R&B, “Fool For Your Love” is hard rock, “In Your Arms” is a big pop ballad, and “I Am Me” features an unusual reggae beat; “Who,” meanwhile, is classic disco, and “So Close” is a 50s doo-wop throwback. You get the picture — perhaps the only genre not touched upon here is country. By this time, Diana Ross had been proving for 20 years that she could sing any kind of music, so hearing her branch out isn’t necessarily surprising. Hearing it all smashed together into one album is another story, though, and listening to Silk Electric straight-through can be a bizarre and jarring experience.

But a far greater issue than the material is the overall sound quality of the album. Much of the material here isn’t just produced…it’s over-produced. Diana’s voice often sounds so lost in echo that she seems to be singing from the far end of a deep, dark cave. There’d been a few cases of this less-than-clear vocal production on Why Do Fools Fall In Love, but here it’s every single track, and by the time the final song winds down, you might feel like you’ve been listening to the album through a pair of very old headphones. Since Diana was behind the wheel on this project, there’s obviously a reason she made herself sound this way. The excess echo and almost blurred sound make sense on some songs, but completely ruin others (most notably “So Close,” which was actually re-mixed before being released as a single), and that makes the LP a much more uneven experience than just the fact that it’s so stylistically varied.

***

1. Muscles: If “Work That Body,” the final single pulled from Why Do Fools Fall In Love, was Diana Ross dipping her toe into the pool of campy pop, “Muscles” is her jumping head-first into the deep end. Ten years earlier, Miss Ross had tackled the mature, challenging themes of Billie Holiday’s music in Lady Sings The Blues…and here she is, a decade older, girlishly purring about her need for a man “I can hold on to.” This ode to male beauty was actually written by a man — the one and only Michael Jackson — on his first collaboration with Diana Ross since 1978’s The Wiz. “Muscles” was released in September of 1982, and ended up charting in the pop and R&B top 10. The next month — October — Jackson’s debut single from Thriller would hit store shelves and music history would be made. Alas, “Muscles” is not really an important part of that music history; though it was a hit and earned Diana a Grammy nomination, it’s still a pretty thin and ridiculous song. The high-pitched, whispery vocal Diana turns in is certainly unique, but I wouldn’t exactly call it sexy (which is clearly the intention) — she sounded far sexier on early songs like “Baby It’s Love” and “I’m A Winner” on which she was just plain singing and not trying so hard. The track, meanwhile, is also unusual for Ross; it’s got that slick, dark feel that a lot of Michael Jackson songs of the era have, as though it were being produced in an old haunted house (complete with pops that sound like claps of thunder). All this said, “Muscles” is so weird that it’s kind of hard to dislike; there’s something about it’s weirdness that’s charming and compelling, especially knowing that Jackson was the mastermind behind the whole thing. And the totally insane music video? That’s another story!

2. So Close: The second single released from Silk Electric, this one wasn’t a big hit, although it did just make the pop top 40. The song is a nice 1950s throwback; Diana Ross’s first RCA single, “Why Do Fools Fall In Love,” was a re-make of a doo-wop classic, but this song — an original — actually sounds much closer in spirit to songs of the era. Co-written by Miss Ross, the lyric and melody are both strong; this is actually one of the best songs bearing Diana’s name as writer. The problem with “So Close” is in the production; Diana’s vocal is echoed and doubled and buried under every other effect that could possible make it sound muddled. The background vocals (led and arranged by Luther Vandross, who is clearly audible in the song’s great breakdown of the word “always”) sound great, and the track sounds fine…but the sound quality of the lead vocal is just maddeningly poor. What’s worse is that this isn’t a reflection of Diana’s performance in the studio; she actually sounds strong and shows some range on this song, which was made evident when producer Richard Perry remixed it for single release. This remixed single version is far, far superior, as Diana’s voice is cleaned up and brought to the forefront; the song also sounded much better when Diana performed it live during her famous Central Park concert in 1983 (and almost fell off the stage during the performance — giving a frightening double meaning to the title of the song!). It’s a shame Richard Perry didn’t produce the song in the first place, as it would have been such a stronger addition to the album, and might have helped it become a better-known song.

3. Still In Love: One of the better Diana Ross album cuts of the decade, this is a classic 80s power-ballad, led by electric guitars that share center stage with the lead vocal and sharp drum work that nicely accentuates the dramatic high points of the song. Melodically, this is easily the strongest song on the entire album; it’s a very well-written tune with a nice, simple lyric and a catchy chorus that’s hard not to sing along with (I can totally envision a crowd of people holding up lighters and chanting along “Still In Love…” during a concert!). Though the production is mired in echo, it actually works on this song, helping to set a haunting tone which matches the words — Diana is singing about a lost love, and the almost distant sound of her vocal manages to enhance the mood. And listening beyond that echo, this really is a classic Diana Ross ballad performance; her work on the verses is delicate and deliberate, and she sounds passionate and emotional on the chorus — especially at the end, when her voice is double-tracked and she sings along with herself. Though there’s nothing classically R&B about this song, it is a great pop/rock ballad that, if marketed well, I think could have worked better as a single than “So Close.” This is one of those songs that Diana could have killed in concert, too, and it’s a shame that it didn’t become a well-known cut for that reason alone.

4. Fool For Your Love: So did you ever wonder what Diana Ross would sound like singing hard rock? Me neither…but she goes ahead and shows us anyway with “Fool For Your Love” — which, amazingly, is another song that features her name as a co-writer. Though she’d treaded lightly into the rock sound with earlier work like “I Heard A Love Song (But You Never Made A Sound)” on Last Time I Saw Him, this song is full-on early 80s rock, with Diana throwing herself into the role of Alice Cooper like she did Billie Holiday a decade earlier. Miss Ross actually performs the track with an impressive energy, turning in a gutteral, growling performance that doesn’t even remotely resemble her tender work on songs like “It’s My Turn” or “Touch Me In The Morning.” I can’t think of a single comtemporary of Miss Ross’s who could have pulled this off to the level that she does; it’s impossible to imagine Dionne or Aretha attempting “Fool For Your Love,” let alone helping to write it. That said…”Fool For Your Love” really isn’t a great song; it’s certainly one-note, and the lyrics are rather clunky (“I don’t want to be around, for that famous final scene, I just can’t help myself, I’m a Fool For You Love” doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue). This is another case of Diana Ross sounding as though she’s shouting through an air-conditioning vent — although the poor sound quality of her lead vocal isn’t that jarring since it’s such a different vocal performance for her anyway. “Fool For Your Love” isn’t a highlight of the Ross discography, but — like “Muscles” — it’s kind of a fun listen just because it’s so weird.

5. Turn Me Over: This isn’t actually a song…this is a short, strange musical interlude with Diana’s Martian-like command to “Turn Me Over…” — cueing listeners to flip the LP to Side 2. What can I say? It’s kind of clever…and I like it. Her imagination was certainly running wild.

6. Who: After a couple of very strange songs kicking off the LP, Diana Ross heads back to much more comfortable territory with “Who,” a bass-heavy disco song that sounds a lot like some of the songs she’d recorded for Why Do Fools Fall In Love the year before. The track here is pretty typical of late 70s/early 80s dance; there are prominent, swirling strings, that regular pop of the bass, and and a robotic drum-beat. Diana turns in a very cool, icy performance; there’s an almost startling pack of passion from her here, and the layering of her voice on the entire song only further makes her sound detatched. In this case, Ross the producer may have had a reason for making Ross the singer sound like this; the lyric is about being left alone, and she repeatedly asks the question, “Who washed away the colors in my life?” So maybe it makes sense that she sounds devoid of any emotional “color” herself. Still, at this point in the album, there’s been a distinct lack of personality for too long (other than on “Still In Love”), and this song in particular feels a little too generic. It’s not hard to imagine any other female singer of the era recording this tune and doing just as well if not beter, which is sad considering when Diana Ross is at her best (such as on “Love Hangover” or “I’m Coming Out”), it’s impossible to replace her.

7. Love Lies: This is the LP’s second rock power-ballad, and it’s produced and performed similarly to “Still In Love.” It is not, however, as strong as song as that previous track, due to a less-catchy melody and the fact that Diana’s voice is pushed much further back into the mix. She is nearly buried by the instrumental; the electric guitar mirrors her melody vocal closely, and overpowers her in many cases. The best and most exciting part of the song comes at around 2:40 — which is the instrumental break, where at least there’s no competition for center stage. The lyrics here portray a bitter woman realizing that love isn’t what she thought it would be; for such an emotional concept, the overall song is really lacking in fire, and Diana doesn’t inject a whole lot of passion into her performance. This isn’t the worst song on the album, but it does emerge as perhaps the least memorable.

8. In Your Arms: This is what I’d consider to be the worst song on the album, which is completely surprising given that it’s a ballad written by Michael Masser, the man responsible for Diana Ross classics like “Touch Me In The Morning,” “Theme From Mahogany,” and “It’s My Turn.” There is no doubt that the team of Masser and Ross were capable of creating magic, but there’s a key difference between the aforementioned singles and this track: Michael Masser had always produced his songs on Diana Ross…and this time, Diana produced it herself. According to writer J. Randy Taraborrelli in Diana Ross: A Biography, Diana decided to record the song but didn’t want to return to the studio with Masser because she’d found him difficult to work with. This is unfortunate, because even on their less-than-stellar tracks (like some of those that appeared on To Love Again), Diana’s voice was always the center of attention. Take, for example, a song like “To Love Again” (from 1978’s Ross), on which Miss Ross handles a challenging melody line with a delicate skill that becomes more and more apparent with repeated listens; though she never oversings the song, and while there’s a complex instrumentral line behind her, she’s still the star of the piece. On “In Your Arms,” Diana Ross completely overdoes the lead vocal; she lays it on thick here, again layering her voice (practically duetting with herself) and blurring it with echo and making herself sound so syrupy and saccharine that she’s honestly a little hard to listen to. In this way, “In Your Arms” is similar to her solo rendition of “Endless Love” on Why Do Fools Fall In Love, on which her normally effortless way with a ballad becomes laborious to listen to. And the proof here, I think, is that two years later, this same song (re-titled “Hold Me”) became an R&B hit for Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston — it was actually Houston’s first single. Their version is much cleaner, crisper, and less dramatic, and doesn’t sound nearly as dated as Diana’s, even though only a few years separated the two. Had Mr. Masser been given the chance to cut this song on Diana, perhaps the results would have been much different.

9. Anywhere You Run To: This is an upbeat pop/dance tune, and comes as an enormous relief after the one-two punch of “Love Lies” and “In Your Arms,” both of which are slow and pretty morose. “Anywhere You Run To” isn’t a great song, but it at least has a little personality and Diana’s voice sounds crisper on the verses than it does on most of the rest of the album. The bouncy chorus and the fantastic instrumental break feature some nice horn work similar to that which was so predominant on Why Do Fools Fall In Love, and the popping bass adds some spunk behind Diana’s vocal. Miss Ross, of course, is a master of giving great upbeat, joyful performances; her first solo single, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” boasts a climax so uplifting that it’s practually a religious experience in and of itself, and works like “I’m Coming Out” and “The Boss” are master classes in emoting joy and energy through song. It’s too bad that she couldn’t quite channel that energy for this song; had she pushed herself a little harder, it would have elevated the quality of the song exponentially. As it stands, “Anywhere You Run To” does add some energy to Silk Electric, but certainly isn’t a standout Ross dance track.

10. I Am Me: There are an awful lot of strange songs on this LP, but it closes with one of the strangest, a reggae-styled piece bearing the amazing writing credits of Diana Ross, Janie Bradford, and Freddie Gorman. Both Gorman and Bradford were big players in Diana’s early days at Motown; Bradford was a Motown staffer and songwriter and the woman credited with coming up with the list of names from which “Supremes” was chosen, and Gorman co-wrote the Supremes first single, “I Want A Guy,” and was part of the label’s group The Originals. From what I’ve read, Bradford and Gorman submitted the song to Diana, who then re-tooled it and recorded it for this album (she also reportedly chose it as the b-side to the “Muscles” single purposefully, knowing that it would help make the pair a lot of money). However it came to be recorded, it’s one of the most unusual songs of Diana’s career; there really isn’t another song in her entire catalogue that sounds like it. The Jamaican-beat is extremely catchy, and though the lyrics aren’t particularly strong, they do almost serve as an unapologetic mission statement for the entire album: “Should I fail and come to my ruin, or if I succeed it will be, be my doing…” Diana Ross doubles her voice again here, and the song (as on “In My Arms”) almost becomes a duet with herself; the effect works pretty well, even though her vocal performance overall is lacking in fire — especially given the nature of the lyrics, which revolve around a self-empowerment theme that generally brings out superb work by the singer (as on “It’s My Turn,” “Home,” “I’m In The World,” and many others). Still, “I Am Me” is a good way to close the album, as the cut is striking enough to be a cut above most of the others here.

***

Because Diana Ross had been on such a unprecedented hot streak in 1980 and 1981, it makes sense that she could finally really experiment and unleash her creativity on this album; she was selling millions of records, and there wasn’t as much pressure to play it safe and come up with a sure-fire hit. Therefore, it’s a little hard to be really harsh when judging Silk Electric. True, it’s nowhere near one of her best albums, and really is of a lesser quality than even some of her more mediocre work from her Motown days. But there is some courage in releasing an album that is so deliberately diverse — perhaps a little too much courage. Still, again, it’s not the material that ends up sinking the album, although there really aren’t any truly strong songs here, aside from maybe “Still In Love.” The major issue remains the dated, muddled sound quality, which just becomes hard to listen to after awhile. Though this was an issue on her previous album and is a big one here, it thankfully would stop with her next album, 1983’s Ross, which would return her to a crystal clear sound. So while Silk Electric is a challenging and at times not very pleasant listen, it at least offers a little glimpse into the creative mind of Miss Diana Ross, and shows some new sides of her, whether that’s (as she sings in “I Am Me”) good or bad.

Final Analysis: 2.5/5 (Diana Flexes Her “Muscles,” But Misses The Knockout)

Choice Cuts: “Still In Love,” “I Am Me,” “Muscles”

“But I’ll tell you this for sure, if nothing is ventured, then nothing is gained…”

1983 would turn out to be one of the biggest years of Diana Ross’s career, although it had nothing to do with the new material she was releasing. Coming after the platinum Why Do Fools Fall In Love and the gold Silk Electric, 1983’s Ross — Diana’s third album for RCA Records — pretty much sank without a trace. There wasn’t a major hit single to be found here — the closest was “Pieces Of Ice,” which just made the top 40. Still, Diana Ross would garner as much publicity as she ever had in 1983 — first, due to her appearance and “reunion” with the Supremes on the TV special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever,” and next with her infamous Central Park concerts, broadcast on Showtime.

Considering the fact that the Central Park concerts (the first of which ended with Diana singing in the rain, which led to all the publicity) got her enormous amounts of press, it’s surprising Ross — released around the same time — is such an unknown album. Diana did perform two songs from Ross during the concerts — “Pieces Of Ice” and “Let’s Go Up.” Perhaps the problem is that the drama of the wind and rain lent itself, of course, to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” — with the lyric “No wind…no rain…can stop me…” — and thus most of the news coverage showed clips of Diana singing that song (too bad there hadn’t been an ice storm…Diana could’ve sung “Pieces Of Ice” and maybe it would’ve been bigger on radio!).

The real surprise, though, is that while Diana’s third album for RCA wasn’t a hit, it’s far superior in quality to her previous two. Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a good album, but had moments married by poor sound and some bland songs. Silk Electric was almost completely marred by the poor sound, with Diana’s voice tough to listen to and some songs that were not only bland, but downright bizarre. Ross, meanwhile, is an album that feels like a complete musical work; each song is a natural progression of the last, and the sound quality is crisp. The majority of the album was produced by Gary Katz, known for producing the albums of Steely Dan — and he and the group were notorious for their attention to sound and details in music. Diana’s voice here is crystal-clear and completely unfettered; unlike on her previous two albums, she is never lost in the mix, nor is she competing with the instruments for attention.

Of course, the cool, synthesizer-heavy sound has also turned off fans and critics over the years, likely another reason for the album’s failure — All Music Guide’s review of the album notes “…that precise, icy sound those guys always get, not a sound that meshes well with Ross.” I don’t think this is necessarily true; while on some songs there’s no doubt that Diana sounds almost a little too laid-back and unengaged, there are some really nice highlights here, especially Diana’s confident, powerful turn on “Let’s Go Up” (a song that should have been a big hit for her). Though there’s not one single song here that’s as strong as other 80s hits like “Mirror Mirror” or “Missing You,” there’s also not a single song that sounds like it should have been left off the album, which helps elevate it above the rest of her RCA work.

***

1. That’s How You Start Over: The album’s opener is one of the strongest compositions on the album, a light and bouncy R&B tune co-written by Michael McDonald. It actually sounds a lot like a song McDonald would have recorded; it’s a slickly-produced piece with some fine piano and horn work. Diana’s vocal is incredibly refreshing after the heavy, plodding feel of several songs from Silk Electric; here she keeps the performance clean and simple. The only flaw is that Diana sounds almost a little too relaxed; the instrumental track is so joyous that it would have been nice to hear Miss Ross let loose just a little bit more with some ad-libs a la 1979’s “The Boss.” Still, this is a nice way to open the album; the song still sounds good today, and is strikingly more modern than pretty much anything on Diana’s previous two RCA albums, thanks to the classy production (seriously, listen to this back-t0-back with “Who” from Silk Electric — it sounds like more than five years passed between them…not one!).

2. Love Will Make It Right: This song was written by Donald Fagan, the co-founder of Steely Dan, who had just released his successful solo album The Nightfly the year before. “Love Will Make It Right” sounds similar to the songs on Fagan’s album; it’s a mellow, synth-heavy tune and features a repetitive chorus of voices chanting “Love…will make it right…love…will choose the night…love…will make it right” in an eerie, staccato manner that becomes hypnotic. Diana actually matches the tone well with her restrained vocal performance, and the song gives her a chance to sing in her lower range a little bit, which is nice to hear. Though the synthesizers are dated, the song overall has such a cold, remote feel that it seems to be beamed in from the future. The jazzy harmonies that surround Diana’s voice periodically (when she sings the words “love will make it right”) are classic Fagan and a nice touch, subtly nodding to Diana’s own past forays into jazz. Though there are stronger songs on Ross, this is a memorable one in that it doesn’t really sound like anything else in the Diana Ross discography.

3. You Do It: After the restrained, remote feel of “Love Will Make It Right,” Diana and Katz bring back some warmth with this lovely, simple mid-tempo pop tune. This is one of the more engaging songs on Ross; it’s got a nice, straight-forward lyric, and Miss Ross delivers a performance that is full of feeling while never being over-dramatic. In a way, it’s reminiscent of “I’ll Settle For You” from Diana’s 1971 album Surrender; both songs feature an easy-going and pleasant vibe that is compulsively listenable. Had this been released to radio, I think it could have gained some strong pop airplay; Diana’s crystal-clear soprano rides the pretty melody in the way that only her voice can, and it’s hard not to sing along. Perhaps the song just sounded too simple for execs to consider it for single release, but they missed an opportunity here; certainly it seems like a much more natural choice than “Up Front” to go to radio, and it’s a song that still sounds contemporary and probably could have had a nice, long life.

4. Pieces Of Ice: This was the album’s first single, a rock/dance track that stylistically foreshadowed her hit “Swept Away” the next year. “Pieces Of Ice” wasn’t a total bomb, although it wasn’t a big success; it topped out at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and made the R&B top 20. It has, however, virtually disappeared from the Diana Ross discography; you won’t find it on her collection Greatest Hits: The RCA Years or her box set Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs or anywhere else besides this original album. Whether that’s because Diana doesn’t really like the song, or because someone else doesn’t, I have no idea…but it’s too bad, because it’s not actually a bad single. The song has been criticized over the years by many writers for the lyrics, which don’t seem to mean anything — but let’s be honest, “Mirror Mirror” is just as abstract, and songs like “My Old Piano” and “Muscles” may have had a clear subject matter, but were pretty silly. “Pieces Of Ice” is really a song more concerned with atmosphere, and opens with a perfect, solo organ chord that sets an appropriately chilly tone. The tune is led by a driving synthesizer beat and features some nice, but never overdone, electric guitar work; Diana’s vocal, meanwhile, is incredibly focused. Her work here is actually pretty outstanding, in that she’s projecting both a somber and sexy vibe at the same time; this is a far more mature and accomplished vocal than on her hit from the year before, “Muscles,” in which her similarly hushed vocal came off as more of a one-note joke. She provides her own backing vocals on the chorus, and the layering of her voice works as well here as it did on earlier hits like “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” Perhaps the bottom line is that this record is just too low-key to have been a massive success for Diana; again, it’s not too far removed from the next year’s “Swept Away” or the earlier “Mirror Mirror,” but those songs feature far more dynamic melodies and vocal performances from Miss Ross. “Pieces Of Ice,” however, is a song that’s supposed to sound cold (as the title conveys) and sparse, and thus her performance is perfectly pitched.

5. Let’s Go Up: This is the album’s very best song, and really is one of the best singles of Diana’s RCA years; it was released as the third single from Ross, but basically bombed, stalling in the lower reaches of the top 100. The only explanation is that by this time, there was really no interest left in the album from the public, and both Diana and RCA were probably over it, too. This, however, is one of the saddest cases of RCA losing a major hit on Diana. “Let’s Go Up” is a classy, shimmering mid-tempo number with a gorgeous and powerful lead vocal; it’s case where producer Gary Katz’s more low-key, jazzy sound and Diana’s emotional interpretive abilities come together perfectly. Diana’s performance here is one of the very best of her work from the 1980s, as the song makes full use of her range; she mines her lower register to sound wise and relaxed on the verses, but the choruses build to exciting heights in which she does some powerful singing on par with her late-70s work with Ashford & Simpson. Notice, for example, the way she nails the high note on the word “up” during the lyric “…is up to us….” at 2:00 in; this is the sort of assured singing that had been sorely missing on Diana’s previous album, Silk Electric. Really the entire final minute of running time is pretty thrilling; Diana’s voice has an energy as she ad-libs that is irresistable and demonstrates just what a skillful singer she is. Most exciting of all is that when performing this song live on television in both her Central Park concerts and especially on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” Diana sounded just as good; what a shame that it didn’t become a hit…it would have been a great addition to future live shows.

6. Love Or Loneliness: After five songs in a row from Gary Katz, production duties on this one were handled by Ray Parker, Jr., who also wrote it. The singer/songwriter/guitarist is, of course, best known the hit song “Ghostbusters” from the movie, but had spent the early 80s leading the group Raydio, and this song is strikingly similar to his 1981 smash with the group, “A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)” — the guitar line here is pretty much lifted directly from that earlier hit. That’s not a bad thing; the song fits Diana well in that it’s a “story-song,” which means her interpretive, story-telling gifts are on full display. The easy-listening, light-funk tone is also a nice match for Miss Ross, whose vocal is warm and inviting and relaxed. This isn’t the most memorable song on the album, but it’s a great album track — and since Diana sounds nice vocally on it and the following song, it hints at what might have been a strong partnership with Ray Parker, Jr. had the two teamed up again.

7. Up Front: The second Ray Parker, Jr. tune in a row, this is the stronger of the two and was eventually released as the album’s second single, though it only barely hit the R&B charts. It’s a good song, but seems like a very odd choice for a single; the rock-themed tune isn’t the catchiest on the album, and really doesn’t sound like a “Diana Ross song,” which is probably why it didn’t do very well (after “Pieces Of Ice” only found moderate success, it seems like it would have been a wiser move to release either “Let’s Go Up” or “You Do It,” which are both much more accessible and classic Diana songs, and strong ones at that). That said, again, it’s a great addition to the album, and features a dynamic performance from Diana, who gets to really dig into the lyrics and melody here and show some vocal muscle again. Though it’s not produced by Gary Katz, the clean production and the addition of synthesizers along with the rocking guitars help it to feel like a natural fit with the earlier songs on the album. Back to the lead vocal, repeated listens really reveal just how much Miss Ross was pushing herself here; listen to her belt out the words “Get it straight!” at around 1:55 and again at 2:55 — this is some strong singing.

8. Girls: The album ends with a song both co-written and produced by Miss Ross herself, her first production on this album after handling just about every track on both Why Do Fools Fall In Love and Silk Electric. Though many have written off this song as a weak and unnecessary addition to Ross, I think it fits in well with the rest of the album, and is certainly better than most of the songs she produced on her previous LP (i.e. “Love Lies” and “In Your Arms”). The frantic, jazzy guitar line and the jamming percussion work are both as accomplished as anything else on the album, and while the lyrics don’t make much sense, Diana offers a confident vocal that once again allows her to display some range and power. Certainly this song isn’t strong enough to have been pulled for single release, and is more dense than the clean-sounding tracks at the beginning of the album, but it’s a fine way to end the LP and stands as one of the more interesting Diana Ross compositions.

***

As noted above, Diana Ross spent most of 1983 in the public eye for reasons other than this album; by 1984, attention had shifted to her fourth RCA album, Swept Away, which featured three top 20 hits (including the astounding #1 R&B hit “Missing You,” one of her best vocal performances of all time)…thus, everything Ross just slipped out of the public eye. This really is a shame, because Ross is the most complete album she turned out while signed to RCA, and is her most cohesive set since 1980’s diana. There’s a feeling to Ross that carries through the entire album; whether you like or hate that feeling, it’s there in every single song. Personally, I like it; the album’s not as immediately grabbing as warmer works like Baby It’s Me or Surrender, but there’s a lot of technical skill here that can be appreciated the more the album is listened to, and it sounds far better today than most of the other albums she worked on during the 1980s.

Final Analysis: 4/5 (Diana’s “Up Front” Again)

“I saw your light on the horizon, and I knew that I was blown away again…”

After a major hot streak lasting from 1979’s top 20 hit “The Boss” through 1982’s top 10 “Muscles,” Diana Ross had a brief cooling-off period music-wise in 1983. Her LP Ross wasn’t really a hit, and featured only one top 40 single, “Pieces Of Ice.” Though the year was high-profile for Ross due to her Central Park concerts, which enjoyed tremendous publicity, it’s likely she was already looking for her next big hit. It came via an unlikely source — Julio Iglesias, the legendary Spanish singer. Julio and Diana teamed up on the love ballad “All Of You,” for his album 1100 Bel Air Place; produced by Richard Perry (who’d helmed Diana’s masterpiece, Baby It’s Me), the single leapt to the top 20 of the pop charts, hit #2 Adult Contemporary, and was a smash in many other countries around the world.

The song set her up for a nice return to churning out hits, and 1984’s Swept Away didn’t disappoint. Along with including “All Of You,” the album featured the energetic and slightly dark title track, produced by Daryl Hall, which also went top 20 (and hit #1 on the dance charts). This, then, was Diana’s first album since 1981’s Why Do Fools Fall In Love to contain two top 20 hits. But Swept Away went one better, when the Lionel Richie-written ballad “Missing You” was pulled for release in late 1984; it shot to #1 on the R&B charts, her first since “Endless Love” (also written by Richie), and the top 10 on the pop charts. This then, incredibly, became the first Diana Ross solo album ever to contain three top 20 pop hits, a major achievement for a woman who’d been a star for 20 years.

“Missing You” is the undoubted highlight of the set, and remains a career highlight for Miss Ross; however, Swept Away is a somewhat uneven album. Though the hits are strong and there are some nice album tracks, the misses are big misses; “We Are The Children Of The World” and “Nobody Makes Me Crazy Like You Do” are two of the most unlistenable songs Diana would ever release. In this way, Swept Away is kind of the 80s equivalent of 1976’s Diana Ross; that earlier album contained two of Diana’s biggest hits (the #1’s “Theme From Mahogany” and “Love Hangover”), but also featured “Smile” and “Kiss Me Now” among other very weak efforts. Though the really great material on both albums helps elevate the works as a whole, it doesn’t quite balance out the really poor songs, either, making both albums interesting but at times challenging listening experiences.

***

1. Missing You: Though Diana Ross now has a lifetime achievement Grammy award, there are at least two competitive awards that deserve to be hers. The first is a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” for which she was nominated but lost to Dionne Warwick (who won for “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.”) The second is a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy for “Missing You.” Diana had no chance of winning this one — because she wasn’t even nominated — and this is one of the great Grammy mysteries of all time, given that the song was a solid hit (#1 for three weeks on the R&B singles chart) and is, I believe, the best ballad performance of Diana Ross’s entire career. The genesis of “Missing You” came soon after the death of Marvin Gaye in 1984; Diana is quoted in The Billboard Book Of Number One R&B Hits as saying, “It actually came out of a conversation that Smokey Robinson and I had one evening about how we were missing Marvin…and what he meant to us, as well as to music. Then Lionel and I got to talking about how we need to tell people that we love them while they’re still alive. Lionel used all this to write that beautiful and special song” (340-341). Certainly Lionel Richie knew a thing or two about Diana’s gifts in singing ballads, given that he’d teamed up with her on the massive hit “Endless Love” in 1981. This song takes the best aspects of that previous hit — a touching simplicity and relatable, meaningful lyric — and adds to it an emotional depth and power that highlight the best qualities of Diana’s voice. Her performance here is absolutely masterful; there’s a sorrow and somber quality to her voice that never becomes overdramatic or schmaltzy — the yearning in her voice as she sings questions like “Where did you run to?” and “What were you going through?” is completely authentic. The real thrill of the song comes during the bridge, though, during which Diana unleashes a rare power in her voice; starting around 2:30 into the song, as she wails “I cried so many tears,” she’s pushing her voice in a way she really hadn’t since 1979 and her The Boss album. The production is also beautifully done; never once do producers Richie and James Carmichael allow the instrumental to compete with Ross or become too overbearing. This is, simply, one of the great R&B ballads of the decade; again, that it garnered no Grammy nominations at all seems baffling now, especially given that the song which followed it at #1 on the charts, “Nightshift” by the Commodores (coincidentally also dedicated to the late Marvin Gaye) won one for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Still, it gets my vote for the best ballad performance of Miss Ross’s career, and remains definitive proof that she’s among the very best pop and soul singers of all time.

2. Touch By Touch: The mood lightens considerably for Swept Away‘s second track, a bouncy, upbeat Island-flavored pop song that sounds like it could have served as a nice counterpart to Lionel Richie’s massive hit from the year before, “All Night Long.” This track was released as a single internationally but not in the United States; had it been sent to radio and given some push by RCA, I think it could have been a major pop hit for Diana, likely even bigger than “Swept Away.” The song has a fresh, vibrant feel even today, and Diana’s soprano is clear and confident, nailing all the notes with a crisp precision that matches the staccato feel of the instrumental track. The song itself (co-written by Joe Esposito, writer of hits like “Flashdance…What A Feeling”) is extremely catchy; the “Touch…by…touch…” chorus is a great hook, and would have played nicely on radio (the instrumental break, by the way, is identical to the opening of the “Magnum, P.I.” television series theme song, a show that I loved as a kid, which made this song a favorite of mine!). Certainly the heavily featured synthesizers sound dated today, but not to the point of distraction; they’re used effectively enough that, again, there’s still a freshness about the song more than 20 years later. In terms of Diana’s RCA output, this is one of the better album tracks and is a nice way to follow the mastery of “Missing You;” Diana also performed it live several times, notably on the American Music Awards during a hosting stint in the late 80s, and she sounded great singing the energetic song in front of an audience.

3. Rescue Me: As she seemed fond of doing in the 1980s, Diana reaches back to the past for the LP’s next track, “Rescue Me.” This is a remake of the 1965 Fontella Bass song, which had hit #1 on the R&B charts (coincidentally just a few months after Diana and the Supremes had scored their first #1 on the R&B chart, “Back In My Arms Again”). While Diana had scored with a successful cover of the R&B classic “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” a few years earlier, and would turn in a nice version of “Selfish One” a few years later, this particular track is not one of her strongest efforts. The biggest problem here is her vocal; she’s singing in a high key (as she had on “Touch By Touch”), but sounds to be straining at times; rather than really pushing her vocal to the higher register and giving it some power, she doesn’t inject much fire into the performance, which ends up making her sound a little shrill when singing so high. The instrumental track isn’t particularly strong, either; though there’s some nice guitar work (sounding very Chic-like on the solo), the track overall seems to be a little too sterile for a song that features such passionate lyrics. This song isn’t terrible, and it’s not unlistenable, but after the one-two punch of “Missing You” and “Touch By Touch,” it does feel like a weak effort.

4. It’s Your Move: An interesting 80s pop song that, like “Touch By Touch,” still sounds good today despite featuring a dated instrumental track. This is one of the strongest album tracks on Swept Away, thanks to the fact that it’s both a well-written song and features a nice, relaxed performance by Miss Ross. Though it’s heavy on the electronic instruments, the actual melody line of the verses is written in the vein of the hits Diana was singing in the 1960s; just listen as she sings the opening words, “I don’t understand it ’cause you won’t say ‘yes,’ but you don’t say ‘no’…” — it could have come straight from a Supremes single. The background vocals are also arranged in an almost vintage way that nods toward Diana’s Motown heritage while still sounding contemporary and youthful. What really sets this track apart from several other weaker ones on the album, however, is that while it sounds youthful, it also sounds appropriate for Diana Ross to be singing. Miss Ross turned 40 the year this album came out, and this song never once comes off as a case of the singer trying to sound younger; it’s modern and exciting while still allowing her to sound confident and seasoned while singing it. I’m not sure that “It’s Your Move” could have been a big radio hit, given the fact that it doesn’t have the immediate excitement of “Swept Away” and “Touch By Touch” or the poignancy of “Missing You” and “All Of You,” but this is a well-chosen addition to the album.

5. Swept Away: Since signing with RCA earlier in the decade, Diana Ross had shown a real fondness for rock music; the harder sound hinted at in her 1981 hit “Mirror Mirror” led to the full-on rocker “Fool For Your Love” on Silk Electric and the electric guitar-driven “Up Front” on Ross. That penchant for edgier music continues with this album’s title track, a rock/pop/dance track that features a powerhouse vocal from Diana. The song was penned by Darryl Hall and Sara Allen — Hall, of course, is half of the pop/R&B due Hall & Oates, who’d owned the decade thus far with major hits like “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” and “Maneater” — and Ross herself contributed the opening spoken verse. The rock tone is set immediately with the urgent drum beat; from there instruments begin to layer in, creating a swirling musical environment that becomes an almost literal translation of the title, “Swept Away.” Most notable are the electric guitar (the solo is played by Hall) and shimmering, bell-like synthesizers, not to mention the superb background vocals. Diana’s lead vocal, meanwhile, is her most urgent, frenetic performance in years; she’s completely committed to the lyrics, and really lets loose with her ad-libs, soaring to the top of her range and even growling out some lines here and there. This is a perfect example of Diana’s talent in crossing genre lines; her performance could be categorized as pop, soul, dance, or rock, which is why the song charted all over the place. Along with topping the dance chart (it was knocked out of the #1 spot by Chaka Kahn’s “I Feel For You” — and would be Diana’s last #1 on the dance chart until 1995’s “Take Me Higher”), it was a top 20 pop hit and also reached #3 on the R&B chart. That success still seems deserved today; “Swept Away” may not be as timeless as “Missing You” or as focused as “Mirror Mirror,” but it’s a dynamic addition to Diana Ross’s long list of hits.

6. Telephone: This is sort of the “forgotten single” of Swept Away; the trio of pop top 20 hits get most of the attention, but “Telephone” was pulled as the album’s fourth single and reached the top 20 of the R&B chart. What’s really interesting is that the song reunites Diana with one of the men responsible for her biggest album ever, diana (which featured the hits “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out”). Bernard Edwards — who along with Nile Rodgers had written and produced diana in 1981 — wrote and produced this tune, which could be considered Diana’s first foray into hip-hop territory (something she’d explore further with, coincidentally, Nile Rodgers…on 1989’s Workin’ Overtime). This is a sparse, beat-heavy chunk of soul with an extremely unusual vocal by Diana Ross; rarely since her early days with the Supremes had she sung in such a high register, and some of the notes she hits are pretty amazing, especially her run on the word “need” at around 3:30. That said, Diana’s performance on “Telephone” is a little limited; though her voice has a striking clarity and pitch, the song doesn’t allow her to do much, and thus it’s not a song that reveals new layers with repeated listens, as “Missing You” and “Swept Away” do. Interestingly, I think “Telephone” may have been a little ahead of its time for R&B radio — had it been released a year or two later, with artists like Janet Jackson and Pebbles scoring hits with songs built on strong, harder beats, perhaps it would have charted even higher than it did.

7. Nobody Makes Me Crazy Like You Do: This is one of the most jaw-dropping songs of the entire Diana Ross discography; it is so completely wild and bizarre that it makes earlier oddities like “Work That Body” and “Fool For Your Love” sound conservative by comparison. Thus far the songs on “Swept Away” have ranged from really good to a little bland…but nothing could have prepared listeners for this manic, cartoon-like pop song that sounds like it was created on another planet. Consisting of strange, electronic sound effects…a frantic, almost Europop beat…and Diana Ross sounding like she just sucked in a helium balloon, the song is certainly a novelty, and is impossible to take seriously after the tremendously grown-up tone set by the LP’s opening track. The song’s bridge, during which Diana sings “Say…it’s alright…say it’s alright…say we’ll spend some time together…” has a campy horror-movie feel that makes you wonder if Diana wasn’t looking for her own “Thriller” here. Of course, this song is no “Thriller,” and could never be…because Diana Ross was, at this point, a seasoned superstar who was just too good for one-note recordings like this one. Is it an entertaining first listen? Of course…it’s so weird that it’s totally entertaining. Is it a song that sounds good with repeated listens? I don’t know…because I can’t stand to keep listening to it.

8. All Of You: The album’s first single, this was a big adult contemporary hit that still gets play today (I hear it in grocery stores all the time), even though it’s almost never featured on Diana’s “Greatest Hits” collections and seems to have been totally forgotten by the singer herself. It’s a very strong song, though, which isn’t surprising; Richard Perry, who produced it, was a master and certainly knew how to get a great performance out of Miss Ross, and Diana herself almost always acquits herself well during duets (minus several tracks on Diana & Marvin), knowing just how to showcase herself while allowing her partner to shine as well. In this case, I think Diana turns in a far stronger performance than Julio Iglesias; he sounds fine, but she is really emoting here, and her sensitive performance allows her to display tenderness as well as some satisfying strength. Listen, for example, to her sing “As long as you live!” at around 3:30, her voice soaring above the track and background singers; it’s a great moment of belting that sounds worlds away from her high-pitched performance on the previous track. If there’s any issue for the song, it’s that it does sound a little dated, thanks to the high-gloss, echoey production, although the vocals are strong enough that I don’t think that detracts from the quality much. The real problem the song probably faced is that each artist followed it up with a much bigger hit; Diana with “Missing You” and Julio with “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a duet with Willie Nelson that shot to the top 5 of the pop charts. Thus, attention on “All Of You” probably faded a little faster than it would have otherwise. Still, this is among the better singles Diana Ross released while signed to RCA, and it deserves more attention in her discography.

9. We Are The Children Of The World: A spirited performance by Diana Ross is about the only reason to recommend this song, which is basically a collection of some of the lamest cliches in pop music. Sadly, this song boasts her name as a co-writer; of the tunes she helped write during her stint with RCA, I’d say this is the bottom of the barrel. The psuedo-rock instrumental track, with electric guitars, power drums, and popping bass, lacks any kind of excitement or edge, and the chorus of children that sings along with Miss Ross takes the song down to the level of a Saturday morning kids’ TV show theme. Diana sounds strong during much of the song, but her vocal during the bridge borders on painful; to my ears, she doesn’t quite hit the right note on the word “lose” at around 2:50. Most disappointing is that there is another Ross-written song that was left off Swept Away that would have been a much stronger addition than this one; “Fight For It” was the b-side to the “Swept Away” single, but never appeared on an album. A slow-burning, funky rocker, it may be the best song Diana co-wrote in the 80s (she apparently produced it, too), and would have really elevated the quality of the second half of this LP. What was she thinking?

10. Forever Young: Diana Ross ends the album with this famous Bob Dylan tune, which has been covered many times by many different artists. After some very questionable choices over the second half of Swept Away, this song at least takes Miss Ross back to basics; she keeps her performance mature and simple, and at times almost sounds choked with emotion. That said, the song has such a sad, somber quality that it’s almost tough to listen to. While the lyrics of “Missing You” are far more morose, there’s a crispness to that production that allowed it (and the listener) to breathe. This song is almost oppressively heavy; Diana really sounds like she’s singing it to someone who’s in the process of dying, and thus the song becomes almost too depressing to really enjoy, although the quality of her performance certainly can be appreciated.

***

Swept Away certainly did what it needed to do, which was to give Diana Ross some new hits and keep her on the charts. Beyond that, it gave her a classic, “Missing You,” on which she offered one of the great performances of her career; as noted before, that she didn’t win that elusive competitive Grammy for this song — that she wasn’t even nominated for it! — is just a travesty. The album itself holds up pretty well, although it’s bogged down by some very poor choices, especially during the underwhelming (and, at times, just plain bad) second side. Had a few of those songs been replaced, this album could have easily been Diana’s best at RCA; instead, it features some sparkling highlights but lacks the consistent quality and cohesiveness of its predecessor, Ross.

Final Analysis: 3.5/5 (Some Great Tracks, But “Missing” More)

“…you got the best time, the last time, but this time you’re gonna get burned…”

The first half of the 1980s was extremely successful for Diana Ross from a sales and chart standpoint. 1980 had given her the platinum diana album and three top 10 hits, and early 1981 brought her biggest single ever, “Endless Love.” Between 1981 and 1984, she’d released four albums under her huge new RCA recording contract; one had gone platinum, two others were certified gold, and the singer had also achieved six more top 20 hit singles from them. At the same time, Barry Gibb was also riding high; as a member of the Bee Gees, he’d ruled the 1970s with the blockbuster Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, one of the best-selling albums of all time. As a producer and songwriter, he’d been delivering major hits for other artists in the 1980s; he’d given Barbra Streisand her Guilty album in 1980, and it was a smash (and, coincidentally, the #1 album when diana peaked at #2!). In 1982 Dionne Warwick scored a major success with the Heartbreaker album, written and produced by Gibb. And, of course, in 1983 Gibb wrote “Islands In The Stream,” the hit duet by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton which peaked at #1 on the pop, country, and AC charts.

Thus, the news that Diana Ross and Barry Gibb were teaming up for an album had to have been greeted with excitement by fans and those in the music industry. And on top of those two major music stars teaming up, no less a superstar than Michael Jackson was also involved, co-writing and co-producing the first single. Jackson, of course, had just joined Diana (and dozens of other music artists) at the top of the charts on “We Are The World,” the #1 hit charity single credited to USA For Africa. Earlier in the decade, he’d also provided her with the top 10 pop and R&B hit “Muscles.” Thus, many factors seemed to be coming together to make Eaten Alive one of the best and most successful Diana Ross albums ever. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Eaten Alive is a really good album…but not necessarily a great Diana Ross album. Had Barry Gibb recorded all the songs and released it himself, it probably could’ve been a smash. Unfortunately, Diana Ross working hard to sound like Barry Gibb isn’t quite as successful. There are those who say this is Diana’s best RCA album, and they blame a lack of proper single choice, promotion, and negative publicity surrounding Ross are blamed for the album’s lackluster performance. Those factors are all probably true, but I’d also say another factor is that Diana Ross just doesn’t really sound like Diana Ross here. The issue, I think, is Diana’s incredible talent for mimicry. Listen to her discography and watch her TV specials; there are some striking examples of Miss Ross imitating another artists to startling effect. Here, she goes so far adapting her style to Gibb’s that her voice at times becomes high, thin, and raspy (not that Gibb has a weak voice; however, Diana Ross trying to match his high falsetto makes hers sound that way), and the rich, soulful tone of recent hits like “Missing You” and “Swept Away” is sadly absent. Gibb’s demos for the album have since been released, and it’s clear that Diana stayed very close to his guide vocals in some instances, rather than singing the cuts in her own unique style. Thus, although Eaten Alive is indeed a cohesive set with some strong tunes, it’s not the vocal showcase that it could have been.

***

1. Eaten Alive: There had to be a huge amount of optimism surrounding this song; Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Barry Gibb together on one song had to potential to be a hit on multiple formats. It was a decent success on the R&B and dance charts, hitting the top 10 on both, but it tanked on the pop charts. While there are cases in Diana’s discography of the general public totally missing the boat on a great song (“Take Me Higher,” “Sleepin’,” and even some songs on this album), this is not one of them…”Eaten Alive” is a mess. To call it a Diana Ross single is almost a stretch, given that her voice is far less memorable than either Gibb’s or Jackson’s; it’s hard to even hear Diana on the chorus at all. During the verses, when Diana is allowed to sing a few solo lines, it’s impossible to understand what she’s singing; I’ve owned the Eaten Alive album since it was first released (I made my parents buy it for me on cassette tape!) and I still have no idea what all the lyrics are. There’s no doubt that the beat is dance-worthy, and the chorus (“I don’t wanna get Eaten Alive, ’cause you’re so dangerous, no more hearts I can trust”) is catchy, but that’s about all the song has going for it. Gibb’s high-pitched ad-libs are unnecessary and distracting, and Jackson sounds a little too frantic on the cut. Miss Ross, aside from being hard to understand, offers up a weak performance displaying very little range, allowing herself to become the least important element of the song…which is probably the biggest crime of all. In theory, the rock/R&B/pop feel of this cut isn’t that different from “Swept Away” from only a year earlier, but Diana sounded far better on that single; her voice was allowed to remain center stage, and she displayed real emotion and power in her voice. Here, as with some songs on the album to follow, the production buries her and she doesn’t do much to fight it — for proof, watch her live performance of the song on the American Music Awards; it’s far better than the recording, thanks to the fact that she’s the only voice featured.

2. Oh Teacher: A simmering, sexy song that had the potential to be a hit, this is a great example of the damage done by a vocal pushed back into the production. The synth-laden instrumental is strong; there’s a darkness and complexity to the composition which is nice. In tone, it’s a song not unlike the #1 hit “Love Hangover” or “Sweet Surrender” (from the Why Do Fools Fall In Love LP)– all have a sizzling, sensual quality, and feature Diana using breathy, hushed vocals. However, Diana’s performances on those songs featured a sly confidence that set them apart from the backing tracks. Here, her voice is dominated by other elements; Barry Gibb’s voice is extremely prominent, to a fault, and the synthesizers here are turned way up. The lead vocal is, therefore, hard to understand and really becomes part of the background instead of standing out or even blending seamlessly with the other elements. Diana also — as is the case on Gibb’s demo — sounds not just breathy, but almost out-of-breath…as though she just finished running a long, hard race. Had she sounded a little less rushed and a little more brash and boastful in her sexiness, this could have been an album standout.

3. Experience: This is an interesting track; as a ballad, it has a nice simplicity that sets it apart from some of the more complex arrangements on the album (and thus, it sounds a little less dated). That said, the chorus bears a strong resemblance to Dionne Warwick’s “Heartbreaker,” also written and produced by Mr. Gibb. In fact, I’d say it more than resembles that earlier hit; you can actually sing one song’s chorus over the other and they match extremely well. This means it’s hard not to compare the two songs, and of the two, I think “Heartbreaker” is a stronger song. For one, while the chorus of “Experience” is strong, the verses aren’t as much; the song doesn’t really hit its stride until the “Experience” refrain begins. Diana’s vocal here is better than on the previous two tracks; she’s still a little hard to understand at times, but she at least shows some power in her voice, especially toward the end, as she sings “I love you…” She does sound eerily like Gibb at times, especially with her clipped pronunciation on the second verse, while singing “And you can make the earth move…” Warwick on “Heartbreaker” retains her signature sound, managing to fit her voice into the confines of the song’s style; unfortunately, Diana doesn’t quite do the same, and so the end result is that the song overpowers her to a degree again.

4. Chain Reaction: This is without question the best song on the album; it was a massive #1 hit in the UK, her first since “I’m Still Waiting” way back in the early 1970s. I wonder if it’s a coincidence that years later, when Gibb released the demos from Eaten Alive, this song was not included — I’d guess there was no demo vocal for her to sing along to, which is why Diana Ross actually sounds so much more like herself on the cut. This is her best vocal on the album; never once is she difficult to understand, and her voice is treated as the star, which means she’s not competing against the rollicking instrumental. Along with a pitch-perfect, energetic performance on the verses and chorus, she also finally gets to display a little more power, like when she wails out “…a chain reaction!” at around 3:30 amidst the constantly changing key of the music. The song itself is a catchy, well-written upbeat tune evocative of the charming work churned out by early Motown artists; listen at 37 seconds in, after she sings “…something that you do,” and Diana lets out a coy sigh straight out of her Supremes days. If there’s a fault with the song, it lies with the prominent background vocals; that Gibb sound rings through loud and clear, and it doesn’t quite fit the vintage feel of the song. This would have been a nice chance for Diana to provide her own backing vocals, as she had on RCA works like “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” and “Mirror Mirror” — having female voices behind her would have continued the fun, retro feel of the song and also allowed it to sound like a much more signature “Diana Ross” song. Still, the tune is a strong one, and should have been a hit in the US; sadly, it only charted in the lower reaches of the pop 100…even after its success overseas. In retrospect, this probably should have been released as the album’s first single.

5. More And More: A slinky, sexy nightclub number, this one should have been a home run for Miss Ross; this is the woman who mastered the classic torch song, “My Man,” more than a decade earlier on the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack. Here, she goes for vulnerability by practically whispering the vocals; once again, she’s so breathy and her voice is so weak that she almost sounds like she’s losing it completely. Diana Ross is a singer who wrote the book on conveying vulnerability; the emotion comes naturally to her in songs like “Don’t Explain” and “To Love Again,” and she didn’t compromise her voice in either case. Here, she’s “acting” the part of the woman laying all her cards on the table — and it sounds a bit too forced. It’s a shame that she she’s audibly trying, rather than letting the lyrics speak for themselves; the piano-driven, jazzy number is really a perfect fit for her and should have been the centerpiece of the album.

6. I’m Watching You: One of the prettiest songs on the album, this is a cool, shimmering ballad on which Diana offers a refreshingly straightforward performance; it’s one of her best efforts on the album. Though (like many of the other songs here) it’s cut in a very high key, Diana acquits herself nicely, especially when she’s required to put some power behind her voice at the end of each chorus. The signature synthesizer line that opens and closes the song is lovely and memorable, and alone probably could have garnered the song some pop airplay. While she still clips her words at times, in the manner of the Bee Gees, she at least injects some of her own personality into the piece, and in fact her performance here is similar to some of those on Swept Away. It was a wise move to keep Diana’s as the only voice on the tune, allowing her to take more of the spotlight; that said, this is also a nice showcase for Gibb’s incredible songwriting talent. Mr. Gibb certainly knew his way around a strong pop ballad, and this is a good example of his interesting melodies and ear for creating catchy instrumentals.

7. Love On The Line: A dated number featuring a track that sounds like the theme to an early Nintendo game, this is nonetheless not a bad song; Diana sounds great on the verses, belting out some of the lyrics with a passion that’s sorely missing on other cuts. Listen to her starting at around 55 seconds in; there’s a power as she wails “But then love don’t mean surrender…” that makes you wonder where in the heck this woman’s been. When the chorus hits, though, she fades into the wash of Gibb backgrounds. This is the kind of song that deserves a swagger in the lead vocal, a kind of street confidence that Diana showed no problems with back in 1980 on the diana album; it’s there at times, but disappears completely at others, and the inconsistency hurts the overall product. Still, I’d rank this one among the more easily accessible of songs on Eaten Alive; I’m not sure it could’ve been a big hit, but I bet it could have made for a killer video, and possibly would’ve gained some pop airplay.

8. (I Love) Being In Love With You: This is perhaps the best example, aside from “Oh Teacher,” of Diana Ross trying to sound like Barry Gibb; Diana’s pronunciation of certain words and singing style are completely removed from the body of work she’s known for. A minute into the song, when the chorus begins, listen to Diana singing along with Mr. Gibb; they both deliver the words in an almost staccato manner, pronouncing the word “love” as “lav” — with all of Diana Ross’s love songs (and this is a woman who could probably claim a world record for singing the word “love”), she’s never sung it like that before. The way she sharply punches the words robs them of any warmth; the song has an oddly sterile feel considering it’s one of the most romantic lyrics on the LP.

9. Crime Of Passion: This is the best upbeat song on the LP aside from “Chain Reaction” — it’s a fun, rocking piece that allows Diana to show some energy and vibrancy. The song is pure pop/rock, with an electric guitar and keyboard dominating the track, and it certainly sounds a lot like the kind of upbeat pop that was topping the charts in the mid-1980s. Had “Chain Reaction” been the first single and been a hit, this could have been a nice follow-up on radio. This is a case where the prominent Gibb background vocals work; Diana matches them well on the chorus, and also manages to stand out on the verses. I wish her voice sounded a little clearer; there’s a lot of echo here, and it does makes her tough to understand at times. That said, her voice doesn’t sound nearly as weak or forced as on other tracks, and it’s nice to hear her “bite into” the material a little bit here.

10. Don’t Give Up On Each Other: Eaten Alive ends on a nice note, with what is one of the better ballads on the album (it’s tough to say if this one or “I’m Watching You” is superior). This is a beautiful song featuring simple, repetitive keyboard chords that almost have the feel of an early Janet Jackson tune (in a way it’s similar to “Let’s Wait Awhile” from Janet’s Control album). Diana’s voice shines here, as the song gives her the chance to coo softly and display a little power, too; she sounds nicely connected to the lyrics in a way she hasn’t always on this album.

***

Let’s face it — if you wanted to demonstrate to someone what a great singer Diana Ross is, someone who’d never heard her sing before, you’d probably never choose a song from Eaten Alive. On every one of her solo albums before this one — Diana Ross in 1970 to Swept Away in 1984 — she’d included at least one song that exemplified her gifts as a vocalist. From “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “I Love You (Call Me)” to “I Can’t Give Back The Love I Feel For You” and beyond…there are numerous examples of the range and power Miss Ross was capable of delivering, as well as the tenderness and subtlety she could convey. Unfortunately, only “Chain Reaction” really shows why Diana Ross became a superstar in the first place; the uniqueness of her voice is just too often lost on the album. The material here is strong; there are several really good songs that are catchy and sound like hits, and the talent involved in this project is undeniable. Had Diana Ross just sounded a little more like herself here, and claimed a little more authority vocally, this might have been her strongest RCA set from start to finish. In the end, I’m just not sure it stands the test of time the way so much of Miss Ross’s other work does.

Final Analysis: 2.5/5 (Leaves Us Wanting “More”)

“I wanna put my winter life away, Summertime I need a sunny day…”

This would be the 6th and final studio album by Diana Ross while signed to RCA records; the relatively short tenure began with 1981’s Why Do Fools Fall In Love and, for the most part, continued successfully through the decade. Three of the six albums went gold (or better), and Miss Ross scored six top 20 pop hits and nine top 20 R&B singles (including this album’s “Dirty Looks”). Certainly this is not a bad showing for seven years of recordings; most artists would love to have that kind of track record. The problem for Diana Ross is that her work was (and still is) being judged against her ridiculously successful Motown years (1961-1981), during which time she hit #1 on the pop charts a whopping 18 times. Had Miss Ross’s RCA output ended with a smash success, perhaps they would be better looked upon today. Unfortunately, her final two albums for the label were her worst two showings chart-wise, which cast a shadow over just about the entire decade.

Red Hot Rhythm & Blues teamed Diana with legendary producer (and engineer) Tom Dowd, who’d worked for years at Atlantic Records, recording with artists like Rod Stewart, Chicago, the Eagles, and Aretha Franklin. The songs the two chose for inclusion are an interesting mix of classic R&B, contemporary pop, and new soul, led by the first single “Dirty Looks,” which was an R&B hit. That it didn’t find any success on the pop charts is somewhat surprising, given that Miss Ross promoted the single and album with a television special that featured the song’s video. The one-hour program was an exciting and touching tribute to soul music, featuring Diana playing both herself and an elderly singer having flashbacks on her career. Guest stars included Billy Dee Williams (the pair sang a duet, “You’ve Got What It Takes”), Etta James (singing “At Last”), and Bernadette Peters playing a singer re-recording pop versions of R&B songs (and, by the way, Diana turns in a thrilling rendition of the gospel song “99 And A Half” that abolsutely must be heard!).

Though this album was the lowest charting of her RCA years, it features some of the best performances of her years there. Diana’s vocals on “Summertime” and “It’s Hard For Me To Say” rival the strongest of her ballad work from any decade, and she sounds every bit the mature, confident artist that she is on “Selfish One” and “Cross My Heart.” It’s not her most consistent album in terms of styles or song quality — there are a few tracks here that don’t really seem to fit in very well — but her voice does sound consistently good, in terms of both performance and production. Whereas Miss Ross’s voice was often lost in the production on Eaten Alive, and sounded downright weird on a few of Swept Away‘s tracks, she always sounds like herself on Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. It may not have been a commercially stellar way to end her contract with RCA, but the LP does offer some extremely satisfying moments proving that more than 25 years into her recording career, Diana Ross was still taking chances and pushing herself.

***

1. Dirty Looks: The All Music Guide review of Red Hot Rhythm & Blues refers to this song as “another of Ross’ patented cute, quasi-sophisticated numbers,” a strange thing to say, considering it doesn’t really sound like any singles she’d released before. This is a sexy, adult soul number, a far better first single than “Eaten Alive” had been from her previous album, for the simple reasons that Diana sounds really good and the song is much more focused. It was a top 20 R&B hit but failed to chart pop-wise; though it should have been more successful across the board, the song really is an R&B tune and is probably a little too adult in tone to have crossed over to the pop charts, which in 1987 were dominated by songs like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and Madonna’s “Who’s That Girl.” Miss Ross offers up a sizzling performance here, her breathy vocals never once coming across as weak (as they often did on Eaten Alive) — she gets to turn in some nice spoken moments (“I love it when you look at me like that, boy….dirty”) and also displays some range, matching the powerful choir of background vocals when reaching for higher notes, especially on the bridge, when she sings (solo) “You know how it makes me feel inside…” at around 2:50. The instrumental track is a nice, sparse one, dominated by a powerful bass and percussion line and well-placed, shimmering synthesizer chords. As mentioned before, the background vocals are perfection — the chorus of soulful voices behind Miss Ross sound far more appropriate than the majority of the Bee Gee backgrounds on Eaten Alive. The bottom line with “Dirty Looks” is that it really is a perfect fit for Miss Ross; in 1987 she was 43 years old, and the song allows her to remain confident, sexy, and classy without ever sounding like she’s trying to be younger. Though it’s not one of her better-remembered singles, “Dirty Looks” still sounds good today and is one of her stronger releases from the 1980s.

2. Stranger In Paradise: An interesting, atmospheric pop tune that’s not necessarily the strongest work here, but does feature Diana in fine voice. The song sounds a bit dated today, with an keyboard-and-percussion vibe not unlike some of the songs on Swept Away and Eaten Alive. The difference here is that Miss Ross isn’t drowned out by the production as she occasionally had been on those albums; her breathy, cooing vocal continues the mature, sexy feel of “Dirty Looks,” and the chorus here allows her to stretch a little. Her growl as she sings “I’m a stranger…” at three minutes in, meanwhile, is a nice reminder of how deep Miss Ross can dig when she wants to. Again, this isn’t one of the album’s standouts, but it’s not a bad inclusion.

3. Summertime: Diana Ross’s performance on the Leonard Cohen-penned “Summertime” is one of her best ballad performances ever; it comes close to “Missing You” as her greatest vocal of the RCA years and is really one of the most beautiful, haunting songs she’d ever release. The orchestration on this track is breathtakingly beautiful; the strings seem to ebb-and-flow behind her like ocean waves, matching the lyric, a mournful ode to the warm summer months. But above all, this song is a masterwork of a vocal performance; Diana Ross becomes one of the instruments here, gliding along as easily as the string and wind instruments accompanying her. This is a song with a challenging melody; like 1977’s “To Love Again,” it never allows for Miss Ross to oversing, lest she become completely tangled up in the words and kill all emotion. Thankfully, Miss Ross is a singer for whom subtlety comes naturally, and her performance is one of emotional complexity disguised in simplicity. As with the best Diana Ross recordings, it’s almost impossible to imagine any other female singer doing a better job with the piece; she truly paints a vivid, detailed picture with her performance, and it more than stands the test of time, sounding just as affecting 25 years later. I wish “Summertime” had been released as a single; I don’t think it ever could have stood a chance at being a hit, as it’s way too adult and somber for radio, but perhaps had it been part of her singles discography it would be a song more people referred to and remembered today. This is truly a song that people unaware of Miss Ross’s vocal abilities should hear.

4. Shine: In what seems at first a strange twist, Diana Ross takes on Simply Red with “Shine,” which the British group recorded and released on the album Men And Women (which also came out in 1987). The song was written by Mike Hucknall, lead singer of Simply Red, and certainly has the feel of his other work — he was by all accounts influenced by soul music and, coincidentally, wrote a few songs with Lamont Dozier, who’d been part of the team who wrote/produced most of the #1 hits for the Supremes. With this in mind, it’s perhaps not as strange an inclusion as it might seem initially. The song itself is an upbeat pop tune that does seem to have its roots in the Motown formula of driving instrumentals and catchy lyrics and melodies. The production, however, is similar to that of “Strange In Paradise” — it sounds dated today, relying on the electric-feel that was so in-vogue in the 80s. That dated production hurts the overall product a bit, especially coming after the timeless “Summertime,” but Miss Ross does sound pretty good on it, although this isn’t the most challenging song on the LP for her.

5. Tell Me Again: This was second and final single pulled from Red Hot Rhythm & Blues, and it failed to chart at all — a sad end to her RCA career. The song itself is a sweeping Diana Ross ballad reminiscent of her work with Michael Masser; she certainly knows how to sell this kind of song, and she sounds fine (although this is far from her most powerful ballad work). It is, however, an odd choice for a single; there are much stronger songs on the album which probably would have sounded far better on radio and represented the album better, too (namely “It’s Hard For Me To Say,” which had the potential to be a huge R&B hit, especially thanks to its Luther Vandross connection). This song was penned by Wintley Phipps, a pastor who actually sang at Miss Ross’s wedding (and, during a concert I attended in Florida during her I Love You tour, joined Miss Ross onstage for an impromptu rendition of “Amazing Grace” which was absolutely lovely). Diana gives a delicate reading of the lyrics, and certainly sounds invested in them and committed until the very end. I wish, however, that she’d injected just a little more power into her performance; this is the kind of ballad that builds and builds until an emotional climax, and it would have been nice to hear a little more of that rawness of which Diana was more than capable. The last note, in particular, in which she reaches up an octave and holds it until the song’s fade, sounds a little weak compared to her gutsier work on songs like “Missing You” or those from The Wiz soundtrack. In the end, this is a very pretty song with a pretty vocal, but not necessarily the big power ballad that it probably wanted to be.

6. Selfish One: Because the album is called Red Hot Rhythm & Blues, and the television special was all about celebrating the history of R&B history, it does seem a little strange that thus far, most of the songs have been contemporary pop tunes. That changes with this song, a remake of the 1964 Jackie Ross hit. This is an absolutely perfect song for Miss Ross, and her version is every bit as strong as the original recording; it’s really one of the best songs on the album. Mr. Dowd’s production here is extremely well-done; it sounds similar to the 1960s original while still managing to remain contemporary and not falling into the “campy remake” trap. But it’s really Diana who shines here; she keeps her vocal simple and strong, and there’s a joy and confidence that rings through that makes this a really pleasurable listen. I love her “Is it really you?” around 1:40, as she easily nails the high-note and proves again that she has a range many aren’t aware of. Toward the end of the song, her ad-libs are soulful and spot-on as well. Bottom line, this song is a real treat and a highlight of the LP; it’s another song that probably could’ve been lifted as a single, though I’m not quite sure what market it would have been aimed at — but it’s certainly adult R&B at its best.

7. Cross My Heart: Diana follows one great vocal performance with another, hitting a home run with this pop song (again, this isn’t exactly a “Red Hot R&B” number…but it’s still a good one!). This is a nice, mid-tempo track that features a classic Miss Ross performance; her voice is smooth and sensual, and there’s a confidence and energy here again that makes it hard to resist. If I’d been a label executive at RCA (oh, if only…), this would have been my choice for a single, as it’s a strong, adult pop song that would have sounded great on radio; had it been given a push, I think this could have charted and probably could have been a big overseas hit, too. Miss Ross really sounds great after the bridge, starting around 3:20, when the key changes and her vocal soar higher; she’s still breathy, but her voice doesn’t sound weak, and it’s nice to hear her deviate from the melody line a little at 3:43 when she sings the “Cross My Heart” refrain. This is another album standout, and an RCA recording that really stands the test of time.

8. There Goes My Baby: Miss Ross returns to the classic soul theme with her version of the popular Drifters song; on her TV special, Diana says this was the song she and the Supremes sang, pre-stardom, and won a talent contest in Canada with. Therefore, it must have a very special meaning for her, and it’s not surprising that she chose it for this album. Though the song is a good one and Diana sounds fine, it lacks some of the passion and energy you’d hope for; Miss Ross is very laid-back on her performance here, and thus it doesn’t quite stand-up next to the similar “Selfish One.” On the special and on the international version of this album, Miss Ross performed the Etta James song “Tell Mama,” and it’s a much more energetic and fiery performance than this one; it’s too bad that listeners in the US didn’t get to hear that recording. Again, “There Goes My Baby” is a good inclusion, but she doesn’t push herself much on it, and thus it’s not quite as memorable as the songs that come directly before and after it.

9. It’s Hard For Me To Say: This is a sparkling highlight of not only the album, but Miss Ross’s career in general; the song was written and produced for her by Luther Vandross, who admittedly worshipped Diana and had always wanted to cut an entire album on her. The results here are so satisfying that it’s too bad Vandross never got his wish; he’d created some strong works for Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick and probably could have worked up a stellar album for Diana. This is a passionate, soulful ballad with Diana turning in a crystal-clear vocal that showcases the very best qualities of her vocal abilities; she sounds relaxed and comfortable throughout, and her voice blends beautifully with Vandross’s backgrounds on the chorus. Her repeated “ooh” after the line “It’s in the heat…” is a the kind of flourish that only Diana Ross can do and get away with; she truly sounds like she’s feeling the song and enjoying singing it. The tune itself is a beautiful one with a nice, thoughtful lyric; Vandross later recorded it himself on his 1996 album Your Secret Love. Miss Ross started performing this song again in concert years later, after Mr. Vandross passed away, and even performed it on her final appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” It’s the kind of song that she sounds beautiful on live, and it’s a shame this was never released as a single. Had it been, I believe it could have been a #1 R&B hit, and should have garnered her a Grammy nomination for Female R&B Vocal Performance. This is a heartfelt, lovely song and a real treasure of her 80s output.

10. Shockwaves: It’s fitting that the final song on Diana Ross’s final RCA album is one that was co-written by her; the whole reason she left Motown Records for RCA early in the decade was for more creative control, allowing herself the opportunity to do thing like write her own music. Her songwriting track record was admittedly spotty over the decade, ranging from silly songs like “Work That Body” and “We Are The Children Of The World” to stronger compositions like “So Close” and the b-side “Fight For It.” “Shockwaves,” thankfully, falls on the better end of that spectrum; this is a fun, upbeat tribute to the Motown sound with a strong hint of the classic “Heat Wave” (by Martha & The Vandellas) here, which allows it to fit in nicely with songs like “Selfish One” and “There Goes My Baby.” Diana offers up a fun, energetic performance here, drawing a little on the early “coo-ing” style of her Supremes recordings and adding in the surprising and humorous “brrrrrrrrrrr” sound toward the end. Perhaps it’s also fitting that this “Motown-ish” song ends her RCA career given that her next move would be back to Motown; in that way, “Shockwaves” is a little prophetic.

***

As noted above, the idea of Red Hot Rhythm & Blues as a tribute to classic soul music really becomes lost due to the choice to include to many pop songs; the album probably should’ve just been called Dirty Looks or Shockwaves or something like that. At any rate, it’s still a strong work from Miss Ross; she hasn’t sounded this consistently clear and strong since 1983’s Ross, and there are some cuts here that really do rank among her best work ever. As much as I like “Dirty Looks,” it might not have been the best choice for a first single; I think “It’s Hard For Me To Say” could have made a bigger impact on R&B radio and “Cross My Heart” could have done better on the pop side. Still, although this album made a middling impact on the music scene and on Diana’s career, it is an album for which she should be proud and on which she put forth some really strong efforts.

Final Analysis: 4/5 (Diana “Shines”)

“If you choose the wrong path you will lose, that’s alright…be prepared, you might have to make some sacrifice…”

If, as I wrote in my analysis of Why Do Fools Fall In Love, the RCA years comprised the third act of Diana Ross’s career, then this album could be considered the beginning of Act IV. Diana Ross had not scored a major hit single since “Missing You” in early 1985, and her final two RCA albums (Eaten Alive and Red Hot Rhythm & Blues) were commercial disappointments. Thus, Miss Ross left RCA Records after her sixth album, and made a move that may have surprised many — she went back to Motown. Her former label had, by this time, been sold to MCA Records (now known as Universal Music Group), and Diana not only re-signed as an artist, but also a stockholder in the company. Internationally, her releases would be handled by EMI — this is important, because it meant in the next several years, there would be different versions of her albums domestically and overseas, not to mention a few albums that were never officialy released in the US at all (Greatest Hits Live, A Very Special Season).

Considering that her past few releases hadn’t been huge hits and that she was now back on the label on which she’d created some of the most successful pop/R&B songs of all time, pressure must have been high for Diana Ross to turn out a strong album. Also, in the years between 1987’s Red Hot Rhythm & Blues and this album, Diana’s life had changed dramatically — she’d had two more children. She’s quoted in David Nathan’s The Soulful Divas as saying, “I stayed off work for about a year…I was having my babies, and during that time I spent a lot of time watching BET on television, the kids doing the hip-hop and so on…and, you know, I’m a risk taker” (164). So she decided to take the “risk” and do a similarly youthful, hip-hop influenced album, and turned to a familiar face to help her. Writer/producer Nile Rodgers, of course, is one half of the team who helped created Miss Ross’s blockbuster diana album in 1980, and gave her two of her most enduring hits, “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out.”

As much as they might have hoped — and as hard as they might have worked — lightning did not strike twice. Workin’ Overtime was not a commercial nor a critical success, with most people focused on the fact that the music (and her image on the album cover) did not fit Diana Ross at all. Despite the fact that most people would rank this among the least successful Diana Ross albums ever, there are some strong moments here and it’s certainly a cohesive album. It really isn’t the disaster that many painted it to be; it is, however, very narrow in focus. Appreciating the album means listening beyond the New Jack Swing beats and dated production, which are so persistent that the songs tend to run together. These songs don’t always fit Miss Ross’s voice; at times she’s forcing herself to hit notes that really just don’t sound very good, not to mention that she’s a melody singer and some of the songs here don’t really feature strong melodies. That said, other tracks reveal a power and range missing from a lot of earlier 80s recordings, which makes it an interesting listen.

***

1. Workin’ Overtime: Although the album’s title track and first single missed the pop charts completely, it was her biggest R&B hit since 1985’s “Missing You” — hitting #3 on the chart — and was also successful in dance clubs. In terms of the production, this may be the “hardest” song on the album; it’s an angular, tough work that’s light on melody and heavy on beat. As mentioned before, Miss Ross is a great melody singer — she’s a vocalist that generally sticks close to the notes as written, letting her voice glide along as the songwriter intended, interpreting the lyrics with subtlety and intelligence. In the case of a song like “Workin’ Overtime,” there’s not much “gliding” to be done; she’s required to really punch through the noisy and dense instrumental, which is made up of loud, electronic percussion and keyboards. This “punching” results in her voice sounding pretty raw and worn; those who prefer the velvety vocals of a song like “Touch Me In The Morning” probably won’t find much to like about the performance here. Despite not sounding particularly pretty on the song, there is an energy and determination in Diana’s performance that’s compelling; she’s certainly not coasting here, and she hits every single note she reaches for. In retrospect, this was probably the wrong choice for a first single; according to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s Diana Ross: A Biography, Motown had pushed for “Bottom Line” to be released first. I think that would have been a wiser move, as “Bottom Line” makes better use of Diana’s voice atop the more modern beats, and wouldn’t have been as jarring for listeners and longtime fans. Still, as much as this single is disliked in many circles, I wouldn’t call it a failure, and it does sound better today than some of Miss Ross’s other 80s recordings.

2. Say We Can: Ditto everything I said about “Workin’ Overtime” for “Say We Can” — the album’s second track is similarly hard and angular, with Diana pushing her vocals as far as they’ll go, practically shouting during the chorus. As on the previous track, Diana’s performance is full of energy, and I’d say she’s actually more successful here; her voice doesn’t sound as thin and raw on the higher notes, and she holds some nice sustained notes (such as on the chorus, when she sings, “…say we ca-a-a-an”) which reveal that her voice was in pretty good shape during the recording of this LP. Nile Rodgers layers Diana’s voice on the verses, an effect that’s nice in the few moments when she sings a subtle harmony with herself. The production is a little dense and noisy, as on the previous song, which is probably the greatest fault here; it certainly sounds dated today. Some of the lyrics also sound a little too forced and dated; I’m not a huge fan of Diana singing “…take it to the max.” Still, this isn’t a bad song, and purely in terms of Miss Ross’s performance, it’s one of the better inclusions here.

3. Take The Bitter With The Sweet: This song completes a trio of similarly-sounding songs; in a way, it finishes out the first chapter of the album. Also, in a strange way, the three songs follow the arc of a live performance; Diana sounds better and more “warmed up” as they progress, and “Take The Bitter With The Sweet” finds her in the groove and in fine, full voice. She nails what sound like her highest notes yet; she sounds fabulous on the line “…would change the way it feels” at around the one-minute mark (she reaches into the “stratosphere” as Valerie Simpson might say), and does it again 20 seconds later as she belts out, “and I HAVE my faults.” The energetic, impressive vocals here are a joy to listen to; unfortunately, the production here is not. This is perhaps the most “industrial” sounding of the album’s first three songs — clearly Rodgers was taking a page from Janet Jacksons’s recent work here — but the loud, staccato percussion and keyboards don’t sound nearly as accomplished or pleasant as the work Jackson was turning out with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Had Diana’s vocal rested on a more harmonious bed, this could have been a real album standout.

4. Bottom Line: This is the real album standout; it’s the best song on the album, and one of Diana’s best recordings from the second half of the 1980s. Had this been the album’s first single, it probably could have been an even bigger R&B hit than “Workin’ Overtime” — maybe a #1? — and even made dent on the pop charts. The key to this song’s success is that it is a song; yes, it’s got a strong, youthful, modern beat like the other tunes here, but it’s also got a much stronger melody line that allows Miss Ross to really display her gifts as a vocalist. The biggest difference between this song and the others on the album thus far is that Diana sings in a far lower key; she sounds mature and relaxed on the verses, her voice settling deep into the groove and sounding sexy and confident on lines like “No imitations…give me the real thing…” at 1:15 in. This is also a track that features a more complex music arrangement; again, there’s a strong beat, but there’s also a nice melody line and background vocals that comfortably groove along for the duration of the song. The youthful beat behind a relaxed, soulful vocal make this song a much better fit for the wide audience that Diana clearly wanted to reach with her albums; younger listeners could dance to the song, but her longtime fans could appreciate the good lyrics and great vocal. “Bottom Line” was eventually released as the album’s third single, but didn’t stand a chance at that point; the album had already fallen off the charts. It’s an absolute shame that this wasn’t chosen as the song to kick off the project; had it been the first single released to the listening audience, the fate of the album could have been much different.

5. This House: The album’s best song — “Bottom Line” — is followed by another very strong entry, a modern R&B ballad that gives listeners a break from the strong beats and lets Diana get back to her roots as a crooner of love songs. Written solely by Nile Rodgers, this has the classic feel of one of his songs; if you took away the late-80s synthesizers and replaced them with strings and a muted guitar, “This House” sounds like it could have come from 1980’s diana. The lyrics here speak of a house “built on a foundation of love” — it’s the kind of song Diana Ross clearly enjoys recording; she sounds appropriately wrapped up in the words and the feel of the song. There’s a dreamy feel to her performance that sets it apart from pretty much every other recording on the album, and it’s a nice repreive from her more abrasive work on other tracks. This was another song that eventually got pulled for single release; it ended up only charting in the lower reaches of the R&B listing. Had it been better promoted, or followed a stronger lead single, I think it could have done better; I’m not sure it would have ever been a pop hit, but it’s a nice, soulful song that would have sounded good on radio.

6. Paradise: One of the weakest songs here, “Paradise” is a full-on club song; the intention here is clearly to get people dancing, and perhaps in that respect it’s not a total failure. Unfortunately, it’s one of Diana’s worst performances on the album; her voice sounds weak and thin and really is never given the chance to do anything but raspily sing the repetitive lyrics. Think back to the best dance songs of Diana Ross’s career — songs like “Love Hangover,” “You Were The One,” “The Boss,” and “Swept Away” — though they were intended to get people moving, they also featured great, energetic vocals. Hearing Miss Ross really let loose on something like “The Boss” and “I’m Coming Out” is half the reason those songs are so much fun to dance to; there’s a joy within her that translates to the listener. Here, she might as well not be singing at all; she sounds totally uninspired, not that the weak melody line gave her much to work with.

7. Keep On (Dancin’): The second club-song in a row, this one is a little more challenging than “Paradise,” but still not one of the better songs on the album. Miss Ross is at least given a little more to work with here; the lyrics and melody are more complex, and she gets to show off a little range. That said, this is another tune cut in a very high key, and she sounds like she’s straining quite a bit here to keep up, which robs her voice of a lot of its appeal. As is the case with “Paradise,” this really isn’t a song that’s meant to be a vocal showcase; the instrumental here is clearly far more important to everyone, and it sounds like a pretty typical late 80s/early 90s club song (especially with those repetitive keyboard chords that were so popular in that era). Taken purely on the level of being a dance song, this is an okay inclusion…but it certainly doesn’t so much to further Miss Ross’s reputation as a vocalist.

8. What Can One Person Do: Speaking of high keys — had Diana been able to record “What Can One Person Do” in her mid-range, it might have been one of my favorite songs on the album; this is a soulful, sizzling tune that’s far more melody-driven. However, Miss Ross is straining here — really straining — and her voice really sounds pretty shrill. There’s really never a moment on the song during which she can let her voice rest a little bit; both the verses and chorus require her to really stretch, and it’s all just too much. I do like Diana’s ad-libbing on the backgrounds during the final 30 seconds or so; those nice flourishes could have been a good way to allow Diana to demonstrate her ability to hit higher notes had the rest of the song been cut in a lower key.

9. Goin’ Through The Motions: This song is, to me, the strangest entry, in that it doesn’t quite sound like any of the other songs here — it’s actually far closer in spirit to the work Diana recorded for Eaten Alive (right down to the repeated use of the phrase “love’s on the line”). The good thing about the song is that it adds a little variety to the rest of the proceedings; the bad is that it sounds even more dated than some of the other material. Diana at least gets to sing with a little more subtlety here; she’s not shouting as she had been on the previous track, though the melody here is pretty limited, so it’s not really a great chance for her to show off. The biggest fault with this song, I think, is that it’s just not that memorable; for better or worse, most of the other songs on the album stand out a little more.

10. We Stand Together: Workin’ Overtime ends on a really strong note, with what is probably the best song and performance aside from “Bottom Line.” Like that track, this one is a good example of balancing a youthful feel in the instrumental with a mature, seasoned vocal performance and lyrics that won’t totally turn off Diana’s longtime fans. Miss Ross, from the opening “la la…la la…” sounds much more comfortable in this song than she has on the last several; her voice is stronger on the verses — for example, her “I believe…” at 1:15 in showcases a nice, soulful shading — and when she lets loose on the choruses (reaching way up on “Together we STAND together…”) it sounds far more natural, because she hasn’t been straining and stretching for the entire running time. Allowing her this kind of variety within the track is what makes it so successful; while the vocal on “What Can One Person Do” was way too forced and harsh and the vocal on “Paradise” was so low-key it almost didn’t exist, it seems Ross and Rodgers were able to strike a perfect balance on this song, which makes it a perfect way to end the album.

***

There are those who write off Workin’ Overtime as an album to be forgotten; admittedly, it’s an experiment with a new sound that isn’t wholly successful. It’s a move by Diana Ross that makes sense, however, when taken into context; she’d been away from the business for two years, and the two albums leading up to this one had underperformed commercially. Under a new record label deal, there’s no doubt that she was “workin’ overtime” herself to come up with a hit; unfortunately, this album was not the answer. Still, the hard work she and Nile Rodgers put in is audible, and makes this album more worthwhile than it might have been otherwise; there’s not one song here on which Diana doesn’t sound like she’s giving 100% (even when, on songs like “Paradise,” the 100% required is pretty lackluster). That’s more than can be said of some of her other work from the 80s, especially certain albums like Eaten Alive and Silk Electric, which featured some tracks on which Miss Ross seemed to be really coasting.

Perhaps the most important result of Workin’ Overtime, though, is that its lack of success pushed Diana back to basics with her next few albums. Rather than take such drastic risks, her Motown albums of the 1990s would remain closer to the tried-and-true Diana Ross formula of songs with strong melodies on which her voice could really shine. Considering her next two studio albums for Motown — The Force Behind The Power and Take Me Higher — really do feature some of her best work ever, maybe we should be a little more appreciative of Workin’ Overtime and what it would lead to.

Final Analysis: 3/5 (Diana’s “Workin'” A Little Too Hard)

“Can I fight the battle all by myself…can I make a miracle happen…”

The album Greatest Hits Live — Diana Ross’s first live album since An Evening With Diana Ross in 1977 — is an extremely interesting addition to her discography, mainly because for some, it’s not part of her discography at all. Greatest Hits Live was released in 1989 by the EMI label, which handled Diana Ross internationally; her record label at home, Motown, did not release the album, and thus it never hit stores (officially) in the United States. For fans in the US, 1989’s Workin’ Overtime was not followed up until 1991 with Diana’s next studio album, The Force Behind The Power. Internationally, fans got this release between them (and this duo-label deal is also the reason many of Miss Ross’s albums in the 90s and beyond would be released in different versions with alternate tracks in different countries).

This album was recorded at Wembley Arena in London on June 2, 3, and 4 in 1989, while Diana was on tour promoting Workin’ Overtime. Thus, while the eventual title implies that this is a “best-of” collection, it’s actually an interesting mix of her early Motown, RCA, and contemporary work. Because it contains Diana’s live renditions of songs like “What Can One Person Do,” “Dirty Looks,” and “Paradise” — songs that really weren’t big hits — it’s a rare opportunity to hear alternate versions of those songs, and to listen to how Miss Ross interpreted them in front of an audience. Even some of the bigger hits, like “Muscles” and “Endless Love,” are songs that she doesn’t frequently perform live anymore, and so it should be nice to have her live renditions preserved forever.

I say “should be” because…well…Greatest Hits Live is not a good record of Diana as a live performer. Unfortunately, June 2-4 at Wembley were shows during which Miss Ross was obviously struggling with her voice, and every weak moment is crystal-clear for fans to listen to. From the very beginning of the first song (“I’m Coming Out”) it’s obvious that Diana’s voice was strained and a bit hoarse; she tries like a trooper, but it never really improves much. It’s really a mystery as to why she allowed this album to be released at all; she is listed as Executive Producer. Perhaps the cost of recording the concerts was great enough that they just couldn’t afford not to release it. Whatever the case, Motown (which made its share of mistakes with Diana in the decade to come) was right not to put it on store shelves; it wouldn’t have done anything to add to Miss Ross’s reputation as a singer.

Diana Ross is undeniably a gifted live performer — one of the best ever, really — and she’s a superb vocalist capable of delivering stunning live vocals. She’d proven that on her earlier live albums, Live At Caesar’s Palace and especially An Evening With…, and would prove it again in a few years with Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings…Jazz And Blues. The concerts recorded here were clearly a case of Miss Ross’s voice being compromised from her busy touring schedule, and while the band sounds great and the audiences were eating it up, this is really a disappointment, and not always an easy listen for those who really appreciate Diana’s vocal abilities.

***

1. Intro — Dirty Diana: A quick intro inspired by Michael Jackon’s hit song from Bad; the crowd sounds amped up and ready for the show, and Diana’s background singers (Bobby Glenn, Rocq-e Harrell, and Peggy Taft) sound great.

2. I’m Coming Out: And here she is! Diana begins the show with her triumphant shouts of “I’m Coming Out!” as she had in concerts pretty much ever since the song became a hit in 1980. It has to be mentioned that the band sounds fantastic; throughout the entire album, the musicians are in fine form, and the sound quality where the music is concerned is really good. The audience noise is also kept to a minimum, present enough to remind listeners that this is a concert, but never distracting from the music. Of course, the superior sound quality isn’t such great news for Diana later in the album; here she sounds pretty good, although she endearingly messes up the words a little bit (jumping from “I think this time around…” to “Just understand!” — which comes a verse later). Her vocals do sound a little thin, and the lower notes are just slightly raspy, but Diana’s obviously feeding off the crowd here, and thus there’s at least some energy that makes this a better listen than some of what’s to come…

3. Upside Down: …like this song. The slight raspiness present on the previous song is on full display here as Diana mines her lower register for the song’s familiar lyrics; as she sings, “Upside Down, boy you turn me, inside out, and round and round..” she barely controls her voice enough to keep it on tune; it’s obvious that she’s having trouble hitting those lower notes, and it results in her sounding extremely weak. This is terribly unfortunate, since “Upside Down” is such a great Diana Ross song.

4. What Can One Person Do: This was one of Miss Ross’s “current” songs at the time; originating on Workin’ Overtime, it’s one of the better songs on that album, although the recorded version required Diana to sing in such a high key that she really sounded to be straining. She doesn’t sound bad on it here; since she’d been struggling with the lower notes on the previous songs, this one is a better fit in that she’s comfortably out of that compromised range. The song itself is actually a little more enjoyable in live form due to the presence of the band; the players here make it sound far funkier (and less harsh) than it did on the album, and the live instruments bring a life to the song that was missing before.

5. Missing You: This is, of course, one of Diana Ross’s masterpiece recordings, a #1 R&B hit for her back in 1985. Though she doesn’t totally match the warmth and power of her original recording, Diana sounds really good here; the slowness of song’s pace allows her to relax and bring more focus to her vocals, and she sounds far stronger here than she does on most of the tunes that surround it. Although she struggles a bit to reach the high notes on the song’s emotional bridge, she carries it off by just going for it and pushing through; a lot of artists would have modified the song’s melody to make it easier to sing, and it’s to Diana’s credit that even when her voice wasn’t at its strongest, she’s still giving her all.

6. Mirror Mirror: After a bit of a “rest” with the slow “Missing You,” the pace quickens again with her hit from 1981. This is another one of the better performances on this album; the song is well within her “comfort zone” when it comes to range, and so she’s able to easily keep up with the racing band behind her. She also really lets loose toward the end of the performance; listen to her growl the word “tell” at 2:30, an example of the kind of strength lacking on so much of this album. Her backing singers also get to really let loose during the quick “reprise” of the song, which is nice to hear.

7. Chain Reaction: This was Diana’s huge #1 hit in the UK back in 1986, so it was probably one of the most anticipated songs of this concert at Wembley. Unfortunately for the audience, Miss Ross isn’t at her best here; she begins well enough, but begins to sound more stressed vocally during the second verse and chorus. The breakdown starting at 2:30 is a nice theatrical addition, though, as the band stops cold and Diana and the background singers continue singing “We talk about love, love, love…” a few times to the obvious delight of the crowd.

8. Muscles: Here’s a case of the missing visual aspect of a performance really hurting the audio recording of it. Since the Michael Jackson-written/produced song became a big hit in 1982, Diana had used “Muscles” in her show as a chance to have men in the audience take off their shirts and flex their muscles. This is captured forever in her Central Park concerts, during which she brilliantly sang the song and used it to flirt with the massive crowd. Here, though it’s fun listening to her yell “Rip that shirt off!” and “More, more, more, more…,” it’s a bit laborious listening to it without actually seeing what’s going on. There was a similar case of this on Diana’s 1974 live album, Live At Caesar’s Palace, during which audience members sang along with her to “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” and not seeing the action really hindered the enjoyment of the recording. Aside from this, Diana really doesn’t do much singing; she sounds pretty good on the first verse (handling the lower notes much better than she had during “Upside Down”), but she quickly turns her attention to the audience interaction.

9. Dirty Looks: The band is popping on this song…really popping; the live instrumentation on this tune is so good that “Dirty Looks” sounds far more fiery and alive than it did on Red Hot Rhythm & Blues two years earlier. At this point, Diana’s vocals are sounding pretty raw on certain notes; this becomes especially apparent at 1:08, when she goes for a high note on “I want you to…” and misses it totally. It is such a shame that Diana Ross couldn’t have recorded this concert when she was in stronger voice; the band and background singers are so on point during “Dirty Looks” that this had the potential to be a much better final product than the studio version (and I really like the studio version). Unfortunately, as good as the other elements are, Miss Ross just can’t quite match them here.

10. Love Hangover: The party is in full effect as Diana’s 1976 chart-topper erupts into its famous uptempo climax; again, the band is really cooking, and you can practically hear the sparks flying off the bass. This is a mix of live and pre-recorded vocals; Diana usually used some pre-recorded vocals during this song as a chance for her change costumes, and I’m not sure if that was the case here, but I’d assume so. She sounds okay on the slower intro, though she’s a little “punchy” on the notes rather than duplicating her sexy, laid-back performance on the studio version, but once the famous bass and guitar vamp takes over, it really doesn’t matter; the whole point of the song is to get people to dance, and there’s no question that the audience was doing just that in the aisles.

11. The Man I Love: Though Diana says in her patter that she’s going to do some “songs” from Lady Sings The Blues, this is the only one here; I’m not sure if she actually performed others in the concert and they were edited off the album, but I’d guess that’s the case. If so, it’s too bad, being that she sounds good on “The Man I Love” and probably sounded good on any of the jazz songs she performed. It cannot be denied that Miss Ross always delivers when interpreting the jazz music of Billie Holiday; hearing her sing “God Bless The Child” and “Don’t Explain” never fail to be moving, emotional experiences. Though “The Man I Love” isn’t one of my favorites off of the film’s soundtrack album, Diana croons it beautifully here. The band is just as adept at this tune as on the funky “Dirty Looks,” providing a bluesy, dreamy background for Miss Ross. Her voice gains a warmth and a roundness as she sings this song that’s been missing from most of the show thus far; clearly letting her voice relax into the jazz melody here and lag behind the music (rather than chase it) was soothing on her vocal chords. Hearing her sing “The Man I Love” makes you wish she’d record an entire show of jazz standards; thankfully, she did just that a few years later.

12. Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To): From Diana’s first movie to her second, this was the chart-topping theme song to her film Mahogany from 1975 and is always a highlight to hear live. She sounded brilliant on the song during 1977’s An Evening With Diana Ross, and had performed it on television specials for years with a real sensitivity and depth of feeling. The performance here isn’t bad, but it’s strangely affected; rather than just embrace the simplicity of the song, she seems to be trying too hard to perform. Listen to the way she sings the line, “…we let so many dreams just slip through our hands…” at 1:45; the word “hands” becomes “hahnds,” as if she’s suddenly a Great Lady of the London theatre. In any case, the song ends quickly, leading into the next…

13. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: …which, as fans probably already knew, would be her first solo #1 hit (Diana had been joining the two songs together in concert for years). Diana’s breakthrough hit is arguably her greatest recording ever, and her vocal performance on the original LP cut sounds as fresh and dynamic today as it must have in 1970 thanks to her soulful, chilling ad-libbing. The arrangement here is extremely truncated, which means it’s mainly speaking from Miss Ross; it’s always a thrill to hear her say, “If you need me, call me…” — and it’s a thrill on this version, too. However, by the time the song reaches its climax, erupting into the feverish “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” refrain, Miss Ross’s voice is clearly tired, and she stays away from any ad-libbing at all. This results in long pauses where Diana isn’t singing at all, and while the background singers and band are bringing the energy big-time, the entire point of the song is to hear the diva herself cutting loose. Without that, it loses much of its impact.

14. Paradise: One of the least-melodic songs on Workin’ Overtime becomes a better vocal showcase on Greatest Hits Live; as on “What Can One Person Do,” the replacement of electronic beats with some live instruments and live vocals brings a new energy to the song, and hearing the audience response also helps liven this one. As for Diana, she actually sounds better doing this song live than she did on the studio version, which says something, since her voice isn’t even at its best here. The fact is that the song still doesn’t require much from her vocally, but she manages to imbue it with some personality (including a nice, guttural growl on the phrase “what life’s about” at 2:04). Hearing the band jam on this tune again proves that some of the songs were pretty good on Workin’ Overtime, and that it’s the dated, heavy production that at times makes them a challenge to listen to on that album.

15. This House: In a flip-flop from the previous tune, “This House” — one of the better tracks on Workin’ Overtime — just doesn’t work as a live performance at all. The biggest issue here lies with Miss Ross; the strain on her voice is obvious and distracting. During the choruses, she misses quite a few notes; she also, again, messes up the lyrics a little bit (jumping from “I’ll try…” to “we’ll strike it rich…” — lyrics from two different parts of the song). Aside from that, this is a song that works because of the dreamy, languid atmosphere, which can’t really be replicated in a huge live setting like this.

16. Workin’ Overtime: A decent performance of the previous studio album’s title track and lead single, although Diana injects the spoken verse with more passion than any of her singing. The long instrumental break displays some nice keyboard and horn work; it’s really the best part.

17. Supremes Medley: Miss Ross sings snippets of the songs that made her a superstar in the 1960s, beginning with “Where Did Our Love Go,” which — oddly — isn’t listed on the CD booklet anywhere! She quickly moves into “Baby Love,” sounding just a little shaky at the beginning, but smoothing her vocals out by the end; next comes “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” on which she sounds pretty good and seems to be having a good time. Diana has a strange tendency to sing more background than lead when she performs “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and that is the case here — although all of the lyrics are extremely memorable, she focuses more on the “You gotta wait…you gotta give and take…” background lyrics than on some of her own. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” sounds nice; the band is definitely banging out in the spirit of the Funk Brothers, and Diana shows some urgency here that echoes her performance on the original — it’s also fun to hear her end with “Go on, boy, get out of my life,” as she had on some TV performances back in the 60s. Last up is “Love Is Like An Itchin’ In My Heart,” on which Miss Ross again sounds good, and the arrangement is full of life and has a gospel feel that wasn’t nearly as noticeable on the studio version back in 1966.

18. Why Do Fools Fall In Love: Diana races through this version of her 1981 top 10 hit; her voice sounds a bit thin, but the energy is certainly there, and she manages to remain the focus of the song. During the instrumental break, she says, “This song was first released in 1957…I wasn’t there…I’m too young!” It’s a joke, of course, but it is kind of eye-opening to think that Diana Ross was indeed “there” in 1957…and was only a few years away from signing with Motown. No matter how rough she sounds during this show, you’ve got to hand it to her — not many stars who’d been around as long as Miss Ross could have packed Wembley Arena with screaming fans!

19. Endless Love: The pace slows down for this, her biggest hit ever, with one of the male background singers taking over for Lionel Richie as her male counterpart. As on “Missing You” earlier in the show, the slowness of the song here allows Diana to focus on her vocals more, and she sounds nice and full of emotion singing here. Her belting toward the end, while a little thinner than normal, is still impressive and nice to hear; beginning at around 2:40, with “No one can deny…,” her voice sounds more powerful than it has on the majority of this album.

20. Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand): For an encore, Miss Ross returns to her first solo single ever, and the song many consider to be her anthem (and she refers to it as her anthem while introducing it). Amazingly, she sounds completely rejuvenated singing here; her “Take a little time out of your busy day…” is full-bodied and clear, and one of her best moments of the entire concert. How this happened at the end of the show, when she’d begun with somewhat compromised vocals, is a mystery. There’s a lot of talking to the audience here, and a lot of listening to the audience sing en masse; while this might normally be a little annoying on a live album, it works here if only because it’s obvious how mesmerized the crowd was by Miss Ross.

***

Though The Diana Ross Project has thus far basically focused on Diana Ross’s output in the United States, the fact is that Greatest Hits Live is a complete album and it’s relatively easy to come by in America, which is why I think it merits inclusion here. That said, it’s not an album anybody but collectors need to own; not all of her “greatest hits” are here (like the #1 hit “Touch Me In The Morning,” “Remember Me,” or, amazingly, even her UK #1 “I’m Still Waiting”), and some of the tracks included are far from being hits…or great. Beyond that, again, the performances that make up this album do not capture Miss Ross at her best. She is a terrific live performer, and that’s evident here, but she’s also a terrific live vocalist, and that’s not always evident here. Those looking for Diana Ross at her entertaining best should really stick to the recording of her Tony-award winning masterpiece, An Evening With Diana Ross; not only did that recording capture her unbelievable energy on stage, but it also displays some of her finest singing ever.

Final Analysis: 1.5/5 (Diana “Reaches”…But Misses)

“When the moment comes I’ll be your dancer, I’ll be your singer and your song…”

Diana Ross kicked off the 1990s with The Force Behind The Power, her second studio album under her second contract with Motown Records. After leaving Motown the first time for a stint with RCA Records, Miss Ross returned to the label late in the decade and released Workin’ Overtime, an album she no doubt believed would win her a legion of young fans and return her to the top of the charts. That didn’t happen; Workin’ Overtime was her lowest charting solo album ever, and critics were not kind to the youthful R&B sound she and producer Nile Rodgers had gone for. Though she’d turned in some good vocals on the album and it wasn’t really the disaster a lot of people have painted it out to be, the message was certainly loud and clear that Diana Ross needed to get back to basics a bit.

That’s exactly what The Force Behind The Power attempts to do; the album features producing/writing credits including Stevie Wonder and James Anthony Carmichael (who’d co-produced her hit “Missing You”), as well as Peter Asher, known for his work with James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. These names are significant — Wonder and Carmichael (Lionel Richie’s longtime collaborator) certainly help remind listeners of Diana’s legacy as Queen of Motown, while Asher’s classy pop productions are the kind of adult contemporary material many fans missed on Workin’ Overtime. The result is an album miles away from her last one; more similar to 1987’s Red Hot Rhythm & Blues, this is a work that focuses on strong material suited to Diana Ross’s voice, allowing it to naturally display range rather than forcing it unnecessarily.

The Force Behind The Power would emerge as one of Diana Ross’s best albums in years; the only real fault is a lack of fire in a few songs — something that would be corrected with her next studio album, 1995’s Take Me Higher. Unfortunately, it was not the hit it deserved to be…at least, not in the United States. First single “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” cracked the R&B and AC charts, but somehow didn’t get any play on the pop side. The song was a massive hit in the UK, though, hitting #2 and becoming her biggest single there since “Chain Reaction.” While that song was followed by several other top 40 singles overseas, not a single track from the album managed to become a hit in the United States. Perhaps, as was the case on 1971’s Surrender and 1977’s Baby It’s Me, there were just too many strong songs for the folks at Motown to just choose one and focus on making a hit. If that’s the case, it’s a shame, because there are several works here that could have become Diana Ross classics for the public at large, rather than just for fans.

***

1. Change Of Heart: The album opens with its strongest track; this is an upbeat pop song that is one of the best songs Diana Ross had recorded in years — and really among the best of her solo career. I’ve read that this was considered for release as the debut single, and that at one point the album was going to be named Change Of Heart. If only; this would have been a dynamic first single that could have easily found success on the pop and R&B listings had it been well-promoted and had Miss Ross performed it live on television appearances in the United States (there’s a video floating around online of her performing it live in Tokyo, and it’s masterful). The fact that it wasn’t released to radio at all is extremely puzzling; this really is a perfect pop record featuring a sterling vocal performance. Written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle — the men behind Tina Turner’s massive comeback hit “What’s Love Got To Do With It” — the song is a swinging mid-tempo number with a shimmering, classy instrumental and catchy, simple lyric. Diana’s vocal performance is superb; she sounds completely engaged and in command here, and she manages to show off some range and power without ever oversinging or murdering the song’s melody. It’s a thrill to hear her go for — and nail — the repeated high notes at the end of the song, starting around 3:22; her ad-libbing here is reminiscent of her work at the end of “Love Child” from way back in 1968! The rest of the performance is subtle and playful; the song makes full use of her smooth and sexy lower register (allowing her to add in some nice, soulful flourishes during the verses) and shows off her crisp, clear soprano on the chorus. This is the song that should have returned Diana Ross to the top of the pop charts; it should have also garnered her a Grammy nomination for Female Pop Vocal Performance — it’s that good. Motown would miss a lot of opportunities during Diana’s second stint with the company, but this is one of the big ones that got away.

2. When You Tell Me That You Love Me: This is the most famous song off of the album, as it has proven to have a long life overseas; not only did it hit #2 on the charts when it was released in 1991, but it hit #2 again in the UK in 2005 when British group Westlife recorded it with Diana. The success of both versions has made it one of Miss Ross’s signature songs in England; strangely, it mirrors her other two major UK hits, “I’m Still Waiting” and “Chain Reaction,” in that it was only a very minor success in the United States (the release topped out at #37 on the R&B chart). It’s unfortunate that this song was ignored in the US; it’s really a lovely, classic ballad, and the kind of song that Diana Ross — when she wants to — delivers like nobody else. Her performance here is strong; the song requires range and power, and Miss Ross certainly delivers, especially during the last chorus (at around 3 minutes in, after the guitar solo) when the song changes key and Diana really starts belting. The production, by Peter Asher, is pop at its more romantic and slick; if there’s any issue to be had with the song, it’s that it’s almost a little too slick. The best Diana Ross ballads — songs like “Missing You” and her work on The Wiz soundtrack — have a soulful edge that brings out a warmth in her voice that pure pop music sometimes misses; this was the case on Diana’s final recordings with Michael Masser. There’s a little bit of that here, although it’s still a strong recording. It was also a nice way to demonstrate that nearly 20 years after “Touch Me In The Morning,” Diana Ross hadn’t lost her ability to sell a powerful ballad — especially since younger artists like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston were dominating the charts with their own showy love songs.

3. Battlefield: An extremely enjoyable, almost classic Motown-ish number that gives Miss Ross a chance to channel the women who dominated finger-popping heartbreak songs as lead singer of the Supremes in the 1960s. There are moments where Diana really sounds like she’s 20 years old again; listen to her sing, “Everything that can…has gone wrong” at around 1:50 in and you can hear the same woman who cried, “Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone” in 1967. The instrumental track is an exciting mix of swirling strings, driving drums, and howling harmonica; the wash of female singers behind Diana is reminiscent of those that backed her on “Last Time I Saw Him” in 1974. This song is a nice way of keeping the album a contemporary one while also reminding listeners of the musical contributions its singer had made over the past 30 years; it’s a great inclusion.

4. Blame It On The Sun: Back in 1977, Diana Ross covered Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say” on her Baby It’s Me LP; her sensitive performance atop the simple, piano-drive track was a standout and remains one of her great ballad performances. Here is a case of Diana covering Stevie again; he’d first written and recorded the song “Blame It On The Sun” for 1972’s Talking Book. Miss Ross turns in another tender, heartfelt performance here, although the song isn’t ultimately as strong as her earlier take on a Wonder composition. This isn’t her fault; she sounds great and certainly seems to be deeply connected to the lyrics. She particularly sounds appealing around the 3:00 mark, when she sighs heavily and really digs into the words. The issue here lies in the production; the synth-heavy opening feels a little overdone and New Age-y, and probably would’ve been better served by simpler line consisting of a solo piano. That said, I think the track sounds better as the song goes on, eventually featuring a dreamy element akin to the feeling of “Summertime” on Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. This isn’t the strongest ballad on the album, but it’s a really good one; it again proves that Miss Ross was in fine voice during this time period.

5. Heavy Weather: This is an album standout, almost as strong as “Change Of Heart,” and a song that deserves far more recognition than it’s ever gotten. This soulful number easily would have fit in with both Quiet Storm and smooth jazz radio playlists; I’m not sure if it was ever released to radio, but should have been, as it is a song that could have easily been recorded by Anita Baker or Sade, both of whom were extremely popular at the time. The instrumental here is sterling and inventive; opening with storm sound effects and clips of weather forecasts, the tune melts into a mesmerizing groove made up of a bouncy bassline and shimmering keyboards. Diana’s vocal performance here is far superior to most of her work through the 1980s and would stand as one of her best of the 1990s, too; she is relaxed and completely on-point with her interpretation of the lyrics, which echo those of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” — a connection that further strengthens this album’s ties to Miss Ross’s classic Motown days. She even gets to do a little scatting at the 4:00 mark; it’s nice to hear her be loose and inventive in front of the microphone. It’s not really surprising that Diana Ross would be successful with a song like this, given her history with jazz music dating back to 1972’s Lady Sings The Blues; what’s really surprising is that she didn’t record more songs like this — the sounds she creates on this track really is magic.

6. The Force Behind The Power: Stevie Wonder wrote and produced “The Force Behind The Power” for Diana; it’s a song she clearly loved and connected with, as she’s mentioned it several times in interviews and chose to perform it on “The Arsenio Hall Show” to promote the album. The song is classic Stevie Wonder, from the “universal love” theme to the sparse, percussive track and the explosive choir of background voices. It is, admittedly, a song better suited to him than to her; the rapid-fire pace of some of the lyrics and the quickness of the note-jumping are techniques Wonder is a master at, whereas Diana can sometimes get a little caught up, and in a just a few instances her voice sounds a bit wobbly. That said, she sounds great on the majority of the track; her crystal-clear soprano is pure and rich during the verses, especially the first during the first minute-and-a-half of the song. The song, like “Battlefield,” works well in terms of balancing a contemporary sound without turning off longtime, mature fans; certainly it goes a better job of marrying Diana’s vocal to a hip beat than many of the songs on Workin’ Overtime did.

7. Heart (Don’t Change My Mind): Diana Ross’s version of this song sounds almost identical to the 1984 version recorded by Barbra Streisand (for her Emotion) album; both are pure pop ballads featuring keyboards, big instrumental breaks, and tender lead vocals. Both also happen to be a little slow and plodding; coming after six energetic, focused songs, this one brings The Force Behind The Power to a bit of a halt, and emerges as probably the least memorable ballad on the entire work. That’s not to say it’s a bad recording; it’s not. But it’s not nearly as strong as “When You Tell Me…,” “One Shining Moment,” or even “Blame It On The Sun” — those songs have a uniqueness and energy to them that this one doesn’t quite match. Interestingly, it’s an early Diane Warren composition (co-written with Robbie Buchanan) and has a similar sound to some of the songs Warren would write for Diana almost ten years later for Every Day Is A New Day; “Someone That You Loved Before,” in particular, sounds like a close cousin of this earlier recording. Again, this isn’t a misstep, but it lacks some of the fire of the other recordings on the work, which puts it a step behind.

8. Waiting In The Wings: A pleasant, shuffling R&B tune that’s another nice example of Diana giving the kind of classy, adult performance that was largely lacking on her previous studio album. Her voice, indeed, sounds as good here as it does on any other track on the album; her clear, bell-like tone is front and center and she sounds like the confident and seasoned vocalist she is. If anything, the track doesn’t quite match her ability as a vocalist; it’s a nice composition — the lyrics and melody are strong — but the production here doesn’t pack the kind of punch that tracks like “Change Of Heart” and “Heavy Weather” do. Everything here aside from the lead vocal sounds a bit muted; the keyboard-dominated instrumental and background vocals bubble just under the surface, and perhaps had they been allowed a few peaks, the song would have gained just a little more momentum. Of course, you don’t expect every single song on an album to be single-worthy (although, amazingly, this was released as a single, ahead of far more worthy songs!), and this is a worthy album track; again, Diana proves that her voice is as smooth as ever.

9. One Shining Moment: This is the best love ballad on the CD, and is one of the best ballads of Diana’s solo career; it was a top 10 hit in the UK, and deserved a shot as a single in the United States. This is a more focused and accessible ballad than “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” and had it followed a strong opening single like “Change Of Heart” to radio in the US, probably could have given Diana some traction in the pop market. The composition itself is extremely catchy and relatable; the words of the chorus (“You’re my One Shining Moment, you are all my dreams come true…) are a natural soundtrack for weddings and anniversary parties, and the melody is memorable and an easy one to sing along to. But the real reason for the song’s success is Diana Ross’s sterling vocal performance; her voice is warm and appealing on the verses and her phrasing on the choruses is genius, as she punches the words just a touch, keeping them simple and sweet, precisely what the lyrics call for. Of course, the song’s greatest thrill comes as Diana hits the bridge, right at 3:00 into the song. Her voice soars as she sings, “I wake up with you on my mind…you light up my day…” and she continues to build until the climactic moment when she remarkably stretches up an entire octave during the word “say” at 3:23; this is one of the greatest single moments of Diana’s recording career, a demonstration of range and power that most casual fans (and critics) are completely unaware she’s capable of. There are those who will forever compare Diana to singers like Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, soulful ladies with a completely different approach to singing than Miss Ross; this, however, is a case of Diana unleashing her voice in exactly the same way that Aretha or Patti would, and doing it just as well. Had this song been released as a single in the States and been at least somewhat of a hit, it probably could have gotten her a Grammy nomination; certainly it should have. For those who believe Diana’s voice “limited” in range and ability, this song is definitive proof — like “Missing You” and “It’s My Turn” — that when it comes to really connecting to a lyric and letting her voice go when appropriate, there is nobody better than Diana Ross.

10. You’re Gonna Love It: If one song on The Force Behind The Power doesn’t quite fit with the others, this would be it; it’s the closest to a “hip hop” or “New Jack” sound that this album comes, and is far more youth-oriented than anything else featured here. Being that it’s tacked on near the end of the album, it does feel awfully awkward; I wonder if Motown, Diana, or both worried about not having something a little “harder” and more contemporary on the album, and thus decided to include this song late in the game. “You’re Gonna Love It” isn’t a bad song, although the track is a little bland and ultimately sounds a bit like the closing theme to “Living Single” (the Queen Latifah-starring TV show); it doesn’t require much of Miss Ross as a vocalist, but it’s a better fit for her than many of the songs on Workin’ Overtime in that her voice at least doesn’t sound strained or thin. There are some nice moments for her, in particular her soulful “…and I can’t wait to show you…” at 2:00 in, but the dominant factor in this song is the beat, and thus it’s ultimately not as impressive as many of the songs which have come before it.

11. If We Hold On Together: Listed as a “bonus track” on the CD, this was actually recorded back in the late 1980s as the theme to the animated feature film The Land Before Time. Though the song was not a hit in the US, it was enormous overseas, topping the charts in Japan and apparently becoming one of the most successful singles of all time there. It’s interesting that it was included here, in that it hadn’t been a major hit in the States; that said, it certainly is a good fit for the album, as it’s a lovely pop ballad which is tailor-made for Miss Ross. As on the album’s other ballads, Diana sounds completely in command here, and offers up a warm and well-rounded performance. The film was a hit, which makes it interesting that the song didn’t do well on the charts; the writers are James Horner and Will Jennings, who would years later deliver a monster hit for Celine Dion with “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme to Titanic. Whatever the case was, this is a good song, if not nearly the best film theme Diana would ever record (after all, this is the woman who gave us “It’s My Turn,” “Endless Love,” and “Theme From Mahogany“), and it certainly holds good memories for kids who fell in love with the animated dinosaurs of The Land Before Time (as evidenced by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks choosing to sing the song on her season of the show).

You And I: Released only on the international versions of the album, this is a pretty ballad that, in production, sounds a bit similar to “The Best Years Of Our Life,” a song Diana would record and release in a few years. Miss Ross’s voice is pitch-perfect here; the song is somewhat challenging, changing from major to minor keys throughout, and she effortless glides along throughout the running time. It’s not quite as memorable as the other ballads on the album, which might be why it was left off the Motown version of the album; there really isn’t a “hooky” chorus here, though it’s still a really pleasant listen.

No Matter What You Do: Also included only on international versions of the album, this is a duet with singer Al B. Sure! that was pulled as a single from this album Private Times…And The Whole 9! It was a solid R&B hit for the pair, reaching #4 on the chart, although it didn’t hit the pop listings at all; being that it was at least an R&B hit, it’s interesting that it wasn’t included on the US version of The Force…, although it may have had to do with the fact that Sure! was signed to Warner Bros. records, not Motown. In any case, it’s a strong Quiet Storm ballad; both singers sound great, with Diana in particular giving a sexy, simmering performance with some fun spoken passages, soulful flourishes, and a few moments of vocal power (such as her nice “God bless the day that you came!”).

***

Though there is solace in the fact that The Force Behind The Power was such a success internationally, it is incredibly disheartening that Motown could not make the album a hit in Diana Ross’s home country. It was, quite simply, the best album from start to finish that she’d released since 1980’s diana; the material was uniformly stronger and her voice in much better shape than on just about all of her remaining 1980s albums. Along with that, there were standouts that could have made great singles; “Change Of Heart,” “One Shining Moment,” and “Heavy Weather” are all among the best of her solo work, and amazingly none were released as singles in the States. Though the album plays it a little too safe at times — songs like “Heart (Don’t Change My Mind)” and “Waiting In The Wings” could have used some edge — Diana always sounds engaged and well-suited to the material. Those songs are certainly as good as anything else hitting radio in 1991.

The good news is that The Force Behind The Power has aged extremely well; it’s an album that still sounds good today, and is a good record of what Miss Ross was still capable of 30 years into her recording career. Only those with a strong bias against Diana Ross could listen to songs like “Change Of Heart” and “One Shining Moment” and not admit that there’s a huge amount of skill and talent evident there. Of course, that skill and talent would be on better display with Diana’s next studio album for Motown, 1995’s Take Me Higher, which would be the crowning achievement of her second stint with Motown…but until then, The Force Behind The Power would serve as a huge improvement over much of what Miss Ross had been recording for the past decade.

Final Analysis: 4.5/5 (A “Shining Moment”)

“No use, old girl…you may as well surrender…”

Though Diana Ross’s career with jazz music essentially began and ended with 1972’s Lady Sings The Blues (the Oscar-nominated film and #1 soundtrack album), certain songs from that project had remained a big part of her repertoire. She always included a segment in her live shows devoted to Billie Holiday songs, and 1977’s stage spectacular An Evening With Diana Ross had contained a larger tribute to female jazz and blues singers like Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters. Still, a full album or show devoted to the genre is something many fans must have been craving for years, and it finally happened two decades after she first shocked listeners into realizing how well she was suited such music.

Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings…Jazz And Blues is the recording of a one-night-only live show at the Ritz Theatre in New York; the show took place in December 1992, and this album hit shelves in early 1993. The performance was also filmed, shown first as a Pay-Per-View television special, then released to home video. In an article from the British newspaper The Independent (written by Phil Johnson, published Monday, April 26, 1993), Miss Ross is quoted as saying, “What I wanted was to do a tiny little show in a jazz club in New York with just a small audience. It wasn’t to be publicised but it kind of developed a life of its own. The record companies got their noses into it and they wanted to film it, so that took it away from a small club and into a slightly larger room. Because it wasn’t planned and we didn’t have a lot of time, there’s a lot of improvising and going from memory and I’m very pleasantly surprised at the reaction.”

And reaction was pretty good; after two less-than-stellar showings on the US charts with Workin’ Overtime and The Force Behind The Power (her first two studio albums back on the Motown record label after a stint with RCA Records), this album returned Diana to the top 10 — this time, on the jazz album charts (she’d get there again years later with the release of Blue, the “lost album” from 1972). Considering Miss Ross was 30 years into her hit-making career when this album was released (“When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” was her first top 40 hit with the Supremes in 1963), it’s amazing how smooth she often sounds on the recording (especially in light of her hoarse, barely-coasting performance on 1989’s international live album Greatest Hits Live).

The Independent article notes that “Ross hasn’t allowed her voice to deepen and sometimes it appears to strain for the sound of a vocal ingenue…,” and this is accurate to an extent. Some of the songs indeed could have been moved down a key or two, but a deepness and maturity are certainly on full display with songs like “God Bless The Child” and the nearly a capella “Strange Fruit,” which are absolutely masterful. The album tends to run a little long, and it would’ve been nice to get a few more new songs rather than pretty much the same lineup as the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack, but it’s hard to find a whole lot of fault with a recording on which Diana Ross is clearly doing something she really wants to do, and doing it well.

***

1. Fine And Mellow: Miss Ross opens the show with this bluesy number, one appropriately written by Billie Holiday and originally recorded in 1939. It’s a nice way to open the show, as it allows Diana’s voice to ease into the evening; the song doesn’t require her to push too much and is repetitive by nature, and in a way you can hear Diana “warming up” for the rest of the show.

2. Them There Eyes: A much more relaxed version of this song than what was originally featured on the Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack; back in 1972, Diana had sung this song with a girlish enthusiasm, and here it’s much more low-key and “mellow.” Diana sounds nice on the song, though she doesn’t do much more than sing it as written; it serves more as a chance to show her interplay with the absolutely stellar band. As on much of the songs throughout the album, Miss Ross allows the musicians to shine every bit as much as she does, and the instrumental break here is an exciting sign of things to come.

3. Don’t Explain: Diana announces this song as “one of my favorite songs this evening,” and it’s clear that she loves it, as she still frequently performs it in concert to this day. This is the first case so far of Diana really “biting” into a lyric; it’s also a nice example of how her voice has matured since she first recorded this music in 1972. Here, Miss Ross sings with the smooth resignation of a woman in love with someone who treats her badly; her voice conveys a sadness without ever being over-dramatic or obvious. Again, the band sounds superb, giving Miss Ross a perfect a music bed to lay her vocal on. Listen at 3:25, as she begins, “You know that I love you…” — in a way, she almost sounds more like Billie Holiday now than she did in 1972; her voice reflects more seasoning and use, and there a few more “imperfections” here…much in the way Billie’s recordings often displayed hers. This is certainly an album standout.

4. What A Little Moonlight Can Do: The energy picks back up for a swinging, bassy version of this jazz classic; Diana’s own energy seems to be picking up, too, and her vocal here is a little looser and more “free” than on the previous songs. Diana generously continues calling out the musicians as they swing through their solos, and at 3:05 in, when she goes for the lyric, “…can’t resist him…,” she really starts sounding like a true jazz singer, her voice lightly bouncing up and down the scale. At the end of the song, once the band brings it home and the audience applauds, Miss Ross does the strange sort of “brrrrr” sound that she’d used on her song “Shockwaves” from Red Hot Rhythm & Blues; though the sound might seem insignificant, it’s a spontaneous, amusing moment that’s out of character for the usually more-poised live performer, and I think proof that she was starting to feel really good on stage singing these songs.

5. Mean To Me: This is a real treat, since “Mean To Me” appeared in a very truncated version of the original Lady soundtrack (it was used in the film during a scene in which Billie Holiday fainted while singing, and thus Diana never performed the entire thing). Because most of this album is comprised of songs from that earlier film, this is a nice change and something “new” for longtime fans. Along with that, it’s a really good song — it’s a bouncy number on the vein of “Them There Eyes,” and Diana’s vocal here is lighter and more energetic than it had been when she’d done that song just a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately, this is one of the shortest numbers of the evening, and runs under three minutes, but it’s still a nice change of pace from songs likely a little more familiar to listeners.

6. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be): Diana uses this song to do one of her favorite things — walk out into the audience and sing to the people directly. There’s a lot of laughing and giggling from the excited crowd; clearly she was “flirting” with the folks, and they were eating it up. Diana makes a point to mention that this is “our very first time doing this show” — a nice reminder to listeners that this wasn’t a necessarily well-rehearsed effort between singer and band, which makes the overall smoothness of the show all the more impressive. That said, Diana makes a little flub at the beginning of the song, singing the words, “Someday he’ll come along…” — not a line from this song, but from “The Man I Love.” Still, she carries it off like the pro that she is; people unfamiliar with this song wouldn’t have a clue that she altered the lyrics. She also, endearingly, loses pitch for the last line; listen as she shakily sings the final words, waiting for the band to come in and help her out. These little moments are actually enjoyable; they make the recording real, and again drive home the point about this being a “one-off” show that’s really a labor of love for everyone on the stage.

7. Gimme A Pigfoot (And A Bottle Of Beer): A rousing number that Miss Ross has frequently performed over the years, she ably sings it and get the crowd to clap along to the swinging beat. More than anything, though, this is a showcase for the outstanding musicians on stage; the jazz legends get plenty of time to really let go, and they sound terrific.

8. Little Girl Blue: Another real treat of the album; Diana didn’t perform this Rodgers and Hart classic in Lady Sings The Blues, but rather included it on her 1973 album Touch Me In The Morning. It was that album’s real highlight, one of the most sensitive and impressive Diana Ross performances of her early Motown years, if not her entire career; as I wrote about that performance, “…aside from the technical aspects of her performance, there is something indefinable about the way Diana Ross sings ‘Little Girl Blue’ that lifts it far above an ordinary piece of album filler.” This live performance doesn’t quite match that recorded masterpiece; the acoustic guitar work on the 1973 version was a key to its success and it’s missing here, which means it doesn’t quite stand out amongst the surrounding songs the way one might hope. Still, Diana sounds great; she sings it in the same key as she had 20 years earlier, and her voice really shows no wear at all.

9. There’s A Small Hotel: Another surprise inclusion; this is a Rodgers and Hart song that Miss Ross had recorded more than two decades earlier for the 1967 album The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart (the final LP credited to The Supremes, before the group name became Diana Ross & The Supremes). The song, however, was cut from the LP…and remained unreleased for many years. Diana’s performance here is simple and refreshing; the light, upbeat song is a perfect fit for her airy vocals. Listen, for example, to her beginning at 2:12, with the line, “We’ll thank that small hotel…” — there’s a relaxed confidence and ease to her singing that really is befitting a woman with such a long, storied career. This is a lovely highlight of the show.

10. I Cried For You: Miss Ross returns to the songs of Lady Sings The Blues with this Billie Holiday classic; though the key is a little high, Diana manages to keep her voice bouncing from note to note with a slightly brassy sound that almost mimics the horn work behind her. Just ten seconds in, as she sings the song’s title, her voice really does sound like a trumpet; in a strange way, forcing her voice a little higher works to an advantage in making her sound more like part of the band. This isn’t perhaps a great vocal performance, but it’s an interesting listen.

11. The Man I Love: This is a much more playful performance than her recording of the same song on 1989’s Greatest Hits Live; Diana takes her time with the song, letting her voice slide up and down the scale with a sexiness and wistful quality well-suited to the lyrics. The band plays along with her, as does the audience; there’s obviously some interplay going on, and Miss Ross throws out a few comments, like her “Don’t you move!” at 4:20 in, which are fun to hear. That spontaneity and intimate feel is what really sets this version apart from other Ross recordings of this song; Diana’s enjoyment — and that of the audience — is clear and makes this a joy to hear. (This track was left off international versions of this recording, perhaps because it had already shown up on the release of Greatest Hits Live.)

12. God Bless The Child: Miss Ross begins the song by introducing pianist Bobby Tucker, who she mentions had played with Billie Holiday; the connection instantly quiets the mood and prepares the listener for a powerful moment in the show. Indeed, this is easily one of Miss Ross’s best vocals of the night; her voice is controlled and focused, but there’s also an emotional complexity here that gives her performance a real depth and gravitas. At one-minute into the running time, Diana sings the words, “…that’s got his own” with an almost sad sort of resignation that captures the spirit of Billie Holiday in an instant. The song also gives her a chance to show off the lower and upper ends of her vocal range; she sounds wise and mature when mining the lower parts, and that almost horn-like quality re-emerges on the higher bridge, her voice beautifully jumping back and forth between notes with ease. This song is really what the entire concert is all about; Diana proves herself a gifted jazz and blues singer here, worthy of performing with a band full of genre masters.

13. Love Is Here To Stay: This song was one of the sterling highlights of the double-LP soundtrack; it’s not as successful here, mainly because it’s following such an emotional highlight. Diana and the band swing along nicely, but the barely-two-minute song is a strange way to follow “God Bless The Child” and ultimately seems a little unnecessary.

14. You’ve Changed: Diana’s rendition of “You’ve Changed” back in 1972 gained notice for echoing Billie Holiday’s so closely; Miss Ross had managed to find a brittle quality that matched Holiday’s haunting work on the song. Her performance here is extremely effective, too; she sings along with only a piano, setting a quiet, somber tone that will continue into the next performance. Diana’s voice here is crisp and clear, each word ringing out over the audience like a short gust of wind, and the end result is an atmospheric and other-worldly performance. It’s a perfect way to ground the show after the light “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” in preparation for the devastating next selection.

15. Strange Fruit: Diana Ross’s nearly a capella version of this song is a masterpiece; this is one of the great vocal performances of her career. The song, recorded by Billie Holiday is 1939, is a lyrical and disturbing account of the lynching of African-Americans; graphic lines like “…the bulging eyes and twisted mouth…” and “…the sudden smell of burning flesh…” are difficult to listen to, but Diana’s captivating vocal performance is completely hypnotizing. Because only a faint piano backs her at times, the focus here is solely on the voice and words. Miss Ross is in full command of her interpretive gift here; she sings the words simply, never becoming over-dramatic, and notice the way she allows each lyrics its own measure of importance. There’s not a single “throw away” word or line here; Diana clearly understands the power of this song, and smartly takes away any possible distraction. This is a performance of intense power and emotion; it is definitive proof of Ross’s abilities as a vocalist. Though she’d proven on recordings like “Home” and “Missing You” that she’s capable of a deep, raw power when belting ballads, here she allows the space between the words to do much of the work, and it’s an eerie and unforgettable listening experience.

16. Good Morning Heartache: Perhaps the most famous song from the 1972 Lady… soundtrack, this was a top 40 single for Ross that year and is still a song identified with her. This is a nice performance of the song, although she seems a little affected on the delivery of some of the lyrics; the key is also a bit too high for her now, and she again sounds a little brassy — especially on the bridge — and, in this case, the sound doesn’t quite work as well as it has previously. Still, it’s nice to hear her turn in a live performance of a single that wasn’t as big a hit as something like “Upside Down” or “Love Hangover,” and the recognition factor allows the listener a bit of a chance to recover from the emotional number that preceded it.

17. Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do: One of the bluesier tunes of the night, this is also one that’s strangely missing lacking a spark and some passion. The lyrics here are pointedly defiant, telling the listener “…I’m gonna do what I want to anyway; I don’t care just what people say…,” and it seems like Diana should have a little more swagger when delivering such sentiments. Perhaps at this point in the evening Diana was winding down a little, which is understandable.

18. My Man: One of the signature songs from Lady…, this is also a song that Diana had made a big part of her repertoire since her late-Supremes days. When she’s “on” with the song — as she was on the original soundtrack LP — she sounds glorious; when she’s not quite there, she can sometimes push a little too hard on the song, throwing in lines and affectations that kill the mood. I’d say this performance, thankfully, is closer to the “on” side of the spectrum; her voice doesn’t quite nail the song as powerfully as she’s capable of doing, but she still sounds good. The biggest issue is probably one of musical key, again; at times, there is an audible strain here, and it’s especially noticeable toward the climax of the song. She manages to hit all the notes, though, much to her credit — after all, the song comes after a long evening of singing — and it is a nice closing number.

19. Fine And Mellow (Reprise): After yelling, “Great show!” Miss Ross sings a few lines from her opening number again, before letting the band swing it on home.

***

As noted before, if there’s a fault with this album, it’s that it runs a little too long; had four or five numbers been cut, it would have quickened the pace here and allowed the really strong moments more of a chance to shine. Some of the songs (i.e. “What A Little Moonlight Can Do”) really weren’t big standouts on the 1972 film soundtrack, and thus don’t seem that necessary here. The surprise inclusions (“Mean To Me,” “Little Girl Blue,” and “There’s A Small Hotel”) are great finds for fans who are a bit tired of more familiar tunes that had featured heavily in Ross shows over the years, and it’s a shame there aren’t more of them.

International versions of this show also included the studio recording of an original jazz song called “Where Did We Go Wrong,” co-written by Miss Ross herself. She’s quoted in The Independent article as saying, “I had been working on some other projects and was sitting making notes for songs and I put some thoughts on a tape and sent them to my friend Bill Wray, saying, ‘Don’t you dare let anyone hear these thoughts.’ It was very personal. He took all these words and shuffled them around and sent them back to me. I’m very proud of it.” The song is a wonderful showcase for Miss Ross, similar in sound and structure to “Don’t Explain,” and it’s a mystery as to why it was left off the US-lineup; had it been included (and, as noted before, a few other songs left off), it would have elevated this to the level of some of Ross’s best complete works ever. Still, when Diana Ross shines here, she really shines, and thankfully there are enough of those stunning moments here to make the concert and recording more than worthwhile.

Final Analysis: 4/5 (A “Fine And Mellow” Recording)

“There’ll be much mistletoeing and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near…”

Diana Ross has always been an artist that crossed genre lines, but never was that more true than in the early 1990s. She kicked off the decade near the top of the R&B charts, with the #4 hit “No Matter What You Do” (a duet with singer Al B. Sure!). Next up came The Force Behind The Power album and “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” a huge hit in the UK and a song that charted in the US on the Adult Contemporary listings. Diana then hit the top 10 of the jazz album chart with her live recording Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings…Jazz And Blues. Within the next few years, Miss Ross would also be a major force on the dance charts, with a remixed “Someday We’ll Be Together” hitting the top 10, and “Take Me Higher” at #1. It’s safe to say, however, one place nobody ever expected to see Diana Ross would be on the classical charts. However, in her true genre-jumping fashion, she ended up there in 1993.

Christmas In Vienna, is, like Stolen Moments, a live recording, this time of a December 23, 1992 concert in Vienna. Also on the bill were world-famous opera tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras (who, along with Luciano Pavarotti, from The Three Tenors). As the All Music Guide review states, “Christmas in Vienna is almost like a live Three Tenors album, only with Diana Ross taking the place of Luciano Pavarotti. That alone makes for quite a change, since Ross’ style of singing is decidedly different from Pavarotti’s, but she acquits herself well.” Though the combination of Diana and two male opera singers might have seemed odd at the outset, it was incredibly successful; it took Miss Ross to a place she’d never been before — to #1 on the Classical Album chart, according to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s Diana Ross: A Biography. And not only was this album a global seller, it was also a television special and led to other “Christmas In Vienna” concerts featuring Domingo and assorted singers (including Dionne Warwick the next year).

For Diana Ross fans, certainly it was a pleasure getting some new Christmas material from the singer. Amazingly, despite being a solo star for more than two decades, she hadn’t released a single holiday album in that time; her voice hadn’t graced popular carols since she released Merry Christmas with the Supremes back in 1965. That alone makes this work a treat, but it’s also a pleasure hearing her sing so confidently alongside two of the most celebrated voices in the world. Though Miss Ross isn’t featured on all of the 15 included tracks here, the popularity and longevity of the recording — and the uniqueness of the project — make it a worthy and important addition to her discography (because she’s only on half of the included tracks, I’ll only be writing about those on which she does appear).

***

Amazing Grace: Diana’s performance of “Amazing Grace” from this show has become a celebrated part of her recording history; not only did she feature it on her Forever Diana box set, but it also re-appeared on her 1994 international holiday album, A Very Special Season. It’s a great way for her “introduce” herself to the audience, since the hymn bridges the “gap” between the operatic sound of the tenors and Diana’s roots in soul and blues music. Diana’s performance here is deeply, deeply felt; as her voice echoes through the concert hall, there’s a real, pure emotion that is extremely touching. While the orchestra and choir sound “classical” in arrangement, there’s a lot of soul in Miss Ross’s performance; listen to her at 3:25 in, as she sings the line, “The sun forbear to shine” — there’s no denying that Diana is feeling this song. Though she’s hitting some impressive high notes here, her voice never sounds weak or thin (as it had at times on Workin’ Overtime); instead there’s a round, full-bodied tone to her vocals. This is an absolutely lovely performance; the thunderous, 30-second ovation from the crowd is proof that she’d easily won over the audience.

Carol Of The Drum: This is Diana’s first chance to sing with one of the tenors, teaming up with José Carreras for this version of the Christmas classic (otherwise known as “The Little Drummer Boy”). This is a fun listen, since it’s a song Miss Ross had sung on the Supremes holiday album almost 30 years earlier. The arrangement here is brief, running less than three minutes, as each singer tackles a verse and then sing one final round together. Diana’s verse is nice; her voice is sweet and crisp here, hitting the notes lightly but deliberately, almost as though she’s mimicking the beats of a drum. Carreras beautifully handles the second verse, his strong and well-trained voice easily riding the melody. Together, the two singers mesh well; their styles are admittedly quite different, which limits the chemistry between the two, but this isn’t exactly “Endless Love,” either. This is meant to be a pleasing, joyous holiday performance, and that’s exactly what it is.

White Christmas: Diana’s second duet teams her with Plácido Domingo; this is also a tune she recorded with the Supremes, and was one of the best recordings on that album. It’s one of the best on this album too; Miss Ross has a little more melody to work with here than on “Carol Of The Drum,” and though the song is paced really quickly (personally, I like the slower, dreamier tone of the Supremes version), she sounds lovely again, never oversinging and keeping the memorable melody and lyrics the star here. Mr. Domingo also sounds lovely on the tune; he doesn’t sing as much on this song as Carreras did on “Carol…,” but he and Diana sound quite nice together when they’re singing in harmony. The fault here, I think lies in the abrupt ending; there’s not really a “big finish” here, and the already-short song just kind of comes to a stop, but it’s still a nice performance and a treat to hear her sing this particular song again.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year: Diana performs this upbeat tune solo, and it’s another quick one; she, the orchestra, and the choir race through it in less than two-and-a-half minutes. It’s cut in a rather high key again, and though Miss Ross manages to hit all the notes, she’s certainly reaching here; her “…of the year” at 1:19 just barely makes it. There’s no denying that Diana’s soprano is bell-like and clear, which suits the music well, but she doesn’t sound particularly powerful here. Had the song been in a slightly lower key, it would have been a better showcase for her vocals; that said, maybe this doesn’t really need to be a showcase for anything more than the classic holiday song, which is what it is.

If We Hold On Together: A very interesting inclusion in the concert; this, of course, is not a holiday song. This is the theme song to the animated film The Land Before Time, a song that had been an enormous international hit for Miss Ross, and was later included on her 1991 album The Force Behind The Power. I’m not sure why it’s here, except that being a popular singer, Diana probably wanted to sing one of her hits, and I’m sure concert organizers wanted it, too; having the song on the CD probably helped global sales, given the popularity of the single in so many countries. What makes this a unique listen for fans is, of course, the almost classical arrangement here; it certainly sounds far less “pop ballad” here, given the choir and orchestra backing her up, and it’s also nearly a minute shorter than the recorded version. Diana sounds great; this is right in her comfort zone, since she’d probably performed this song live hundreds of times, and her voice is rich and full. There are many, many singers who have trouble controlling their voices when singing live, resulting in a wobbly, often off-key sound; Diana Ross is not one of the singers, especially on a deeply-felt ballad like this. There’s an enormous control in her performance here; she is pitch-perfect and clear, allowing her voice to “spread” open and fill the spaces in the arrangement without resorting to vocal “tricks” or unnecessary ad-libs. Her work is especially impressive on the first verse, during which the melody jumps notes quickly; the lightness in Diana’s voice makes it seem effortless. It’s a recorded performance like this that really proves what a talented vocalist Diana Ross is; at nearly 50 years old, her voice doesn’t seem to have suffered much wear at all, and she sounds as good live as she does in the studio.

Medley: The briskness of the previous songs is made up with this 13-minute medley featuring all three singers. This is really the “centerpiece” of the entire concert, allowing time for the seasoned pros to play off of each other and to allow their voices to blend in a way they hadn’t thus far. The medley begins with the gentle “O Tannenbaum” before quickly segueing into a stunning rendition of “O Holy Night” — a song which really allows the tenors a chance to show off their vocal chops and for Diana’s lovely soprano to sweetly lead the choir of angelic background voices. A spirited “Jingle Bells” is next, with Diana throwing in a “Hey!” at 5:35 that sounds far more Detroit than Vienna; there’s something extremely natural about her vocal here that’s refreshing to hear. To tenors are certainly in their element on the snippet of “La Virgen Lava Pañales,” and in a nice surprise, Miss Ross sings a bit in a foreign tongue, nicely and quietly harmonizing with the men a bit. She takes the lead on “O Little Town Of Bethlehem,” her voice delicately handling the melody and nicely hitting a high note on “deep” at 8:50 that’s as pretty as anything else she’s sung the whole show. When the men take over, it becomes clear that Diana is far more suited to the simple hymn; they seem to oversing it a bit. “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle” and “Joy To The World” round out the medley; the latter song features Miss Ross singing mainly in unison with the tenors, though she does get some solo lines. The crowd gives the trio a very long ovation, which is well-deserved; all three really have moments in which they shine during the medley (which is paced extremely well, as it never feels like it runs more than ten minutes). There are a few instances in which Miss Ross’s voice seems a little overpowered by the louder voices of the men, but she still manages to hold her own well and display some nice singing.

Stille Nacht: A quiet, gentle way to end the concert, each singer takes a turn on this version of “Silent Night,” with Miss Ross coming in around 2:18 and picking up the lyrics in English. Her vocal here is very low-key, taking the words of the song literally by singing as if she were putting a baby to sleep. Thus, this becomes a lullaby to the audience, and it’s a simple, dignified finish.

***

It’s hard to “judge” a work like this against the rest of the Diana Ross discography, being that 1) it’s a live recording, 2) the songs are classic holiday favorites, and 3) this is such a different endeavor for Miss Ross. In the end, while there may not be any powerhouse vocal performances or major surprises, she displays a real class and elegance, and shows what a gifted live vocalist she is. As mentioned before, many of these performances require skillful control and pitch-perfect singing; these are songs that everyone in the world knows, so it would immediately be apparent if Miss Ross were to lose her way. Of course, she doesn’t; she proves herself, once again, capable of rising to any challenge, and the success of this recording and television special seem well-deserved. So instead of giving this a “Final Analysis,” I’ll just say it definitely warrants a few plays this Christmas season!