Diana [Remastered] - Diana Ross

diana - The Landmark Album Of Diana Ross Solo Career
Nov 03 '06

Author's Product Rating


Pros
All eight recordings are pure R&B/Pop masterpieces and Ross is in superb voice throughout!

Cons
Would have been nice to have had more tracks but I guess less is more!

The Bottom Line
diana is a riotously funky masterpiece and arguably Diana Ross' most exciting, ...
...
Legendary soul diva Diana Ross had not fully been recognised by critics as an important albums act at the point when the excellent diana had been released. Her studio albums had always drawn a mixed critical response though some met wide acclaim such as her magnificent and totally stunning debut Diana Ross (1970), Lady Sings The Blues Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1972), the absolutley superb, divine Diana Ross (1976) and The Boss (1979). ... more

diana - The Landmark Album Of Diana Ross Solo Career
Nov 03 '06

Author's Product Rating

Pros
All eight recordings are pure R&B/Pop masterpieces and Ross is in superb voice throughout!

Cons
Would have been nice to have had more tracks but I guess less is more!

The Bottom Line
diana is a riotously funky masterpiece and arguably Diana Ross' most exciting, consistent studio projects.

Full Review
Legendary soul diva Diana Ross had not fully been recognised by critics as an important albums act at the point when the excellent diana had been released. Her studio albums had always drawn a mixed critical response though some met wide acclaim such as her magnificent and totally stunning debut Diana Ross (1970), Lady Sings The Blues Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1972), the absolutley superb, divine Diana Ross (1976) and The Boss (1979). Though The Boss was a critical and commercial success, her studio albums before that, Ross (1978) and the fabulous Baby Its Me (1977) were not big sellers and both bombed in the U.K, failing to chart altogether.

What Diana Ross felt she needed to bring her somewhat flagging career up to date was a swift change of direction. She immediatley turned to the genius combination behind Chic, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers - the hottest R&B producers of the day. It was decided to mould the traditional Diana Ross sound into mainstream Funk/R&B/Disco. Diana Ross was certainly no stranger to great, jamming dance music, having hit No.1 on the Pop and R&B Charts in 1976 with the exciting Love Hangover (which became one of the most innovative R&B/Disco classics of the decade) and enjoying Top 20 success with the magnificent The Boss in 1979. It seemed a logical step and indeed proved a very fruitful collaboration even though the diana album did not go by without its fair share of problems!

Having heard the finished result of the album, Diana immediatley felt as though her vocals were pushed too far into the background and said that she felt as though she sounded like a guest vocalist on her own album. She proceeded to take the album and then remixed it herself with the aid of Russ Terrana. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were furious that their work had been tampered with and wanted to completley disassociate themeselves with the project but before they knew it the diana (1980) album was out on the streets and was selling rapidly!

Basically the diana album to Diana Ross is what Thriller is to Michael Jackson. The premier single was the fantastically funky Upside Down. The song sounded rather like a nursery rhyme set to hot, compelling disco music with its catchy chrous - "upside down/boy you turn me inside out and round and round". These ingredients obviously worked as Upside Down catpulted into pole position on the Billboard charts and was narrowly beaten to the top spot in the U.K where it peaked at No.2. Diana had apparantly asked for a song that her children could sing along to and with Upside Down she certainly got it. The musical arrangements are totally jamming and Diana's surprising and impressive razor sharp performance was remarkably efective and its fair to say that no one could have done Upside Down quite like Diana Ross who has always been in a class of her own.

The projects second release was the even stronger and triumphant I'm Coming Out.The song would be something of a declaration of her newly found independence (and she was also preparing too leave Motown Records for a ?20,000,000 deal with RCA/Capitol Records). I'm Coming Out has also since become a renowned gay anthem and supported her confirmed status even greater as an icon amongst gay males. This recording captures one of her strongest and most dynamic, passionate performances on record. That fabulous opening is just sensational from the rolling drum beats that steadily leads into those familiar roller coaster musical arrangements. I'm Coming Out became a Top 5 seller in the U.S whilst going straight up to the top of the U.S R&B charts. In the U.K I'm Coming Out raced into the Top 20 singles charts, stopping at No.13. Still can't believe this wasn't a No.1 hit on the main Pop charts. A stellar Diana Ross classic!

Another two singles were lifted in the U.K with the exotic My Old Piano which is stunningly orchestrated and magnificently sung by Diana. This solid classic became a Top 5 hit in the U.K. a market in which she has always been a consistent seller. However it rather bizarrley failed to make the U.S Top 100, despite its mammoth success in Britain.

The rhythmically divine Tenderness was released two years later in Britain 1982 (by which time she was enjoying success with the Silk Electric album on RCA Records) and stalled within the Top 75, peaking eventually at a measly No.73. This may have had something to do with its belated release but even so Tenderness is another outstanding track, containing undertones of red hot, pulsating funk with another dynamite performance from Diana.

The aching Friend To Friend is performed beautifully by Diana and the ballad on the whole is remarkably effective with its simplistic approach.

The sublime Have Fun (Again) is purley infectious and was Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards initial choice for a release as a single. The red hot rhythm bubbles beautifully with Diana certainly sounding like shes having a whole lot of fun on the recording. Have Fun Again fades out at the bridge of the song only to come back in again for Diana to once again sing the chrous. Curious as to why this was done but it certainly doesn't interupt the musical flow.

The beautiful, sparse production of the haunting ballad Now That You're Gone is delivered with a real gutsy, shimmering performance from its star that merely compliments the atmospheric arrangements.

One of the highlights of the diana album though has to be the rip-roaring, riotously funky Give Up. Diana just lets her hair down and belts this out with all her mighty heart and soul and has never sounded so powerful on record before. Give Up closes the diana album superbly, rounding this off as a red hot, riotously funky, compelling album that you will just play literally over and over and over again!

diana (1980) raced into the U.S Top 3 album charts whilst merrily bouncing into the U.K Top 20. The album became something of a landmark in her career and remains her biggest selling solo studio album to date. Though she made other masterpieces in the 1970s with Diana Ross (1970), Surrender (1971), Lady Sings The Blues Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1972), Diana Ross (1976), Baby It's Me (1977) and The Boss (1979) this stands as her best studio set at Motown and quite possibly the greatest of her career to date. A solid piece of work and a pure masterpiece!

Ian Phillips

November 2006 

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