Diana Ross' brand new life at RCA Records kicked off to a promising start both personally and professionally. She enjoyed the satisfaction she'd craved for so long in producing and generally being a more creative force with her studio albums. Diana virtually controlled every aspect of this album right down to the revealing cover shot where she is dressed in a startling zebra-skin outfit which she had incidentally designed herself.
Aided by six studio technicians, Diana produced all 9 tracks on the Why Do Fools Fall In Love album which was belatedly released in September 1981, six months after its origanal schedule date. For somebody who had never produced an entire album before she certainly did remarkably well.
Oddly enough the premier RCA single would be the cover version of Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers classic hit of the late 1950's. Why Diana felt the need to immediatley cover an old song when she
was seemingly attempting to move on in life and create a fresh, vital sound was a mystery though she could of perharps felt secure with the fact that the song was already enduringly popular and, as everyone knew including Diana herself, leaving Motown had been a huge gamble. Dianas bouncy and bubbly version of this classic, loses its origanal streets-of-New York vibe and is re-worked into what is, for all intents and purposes, pure Las Vegaz. Though typically meeting a negative response from critics, the recording was still a winner and quickly bounced into the Top 10 Singles Charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
This hastily leads into the slick, sultry, Sweet Surrender. This evocative, sexually charged number careers along at a hypnotic pace and through its trance-like arrangements, contains mild undertones of erotic fantasies. Diana was being artistically creative on Sweet Surrender though the rhythm is quickly shaken up on the startling and fantastic Funk-Rock driven track, Mirror, Mirror. She really takes a bite into this recording and her considerably stark delivery blends neatly into the driving production. Mirror, Mirror would be lifted as the projects next single release and this quickly secured her another Top 10 hit to her credit in the U.S though it barley trailed onto the U.K Top 40.
However the surprise stand-out recording is served in Dianas gutsy, solo renedition of the classic Endless Love. Belting and bellowing out those long, lingering notes at the climax of this surprisingly (though arguably) more effective version, captures oe of her strongest performance on record.
The album then takes a bit of a slide with the bland, unadventurous It's Never Too Late which sounds very dated. The laid back musical arrangements distinctley lack and pale in comparison to the razor sharp edge of some of her other disco classics like Love Hangover, The Boss and I'm Coming Out. It's Never Too Late was lifted as a single in the U.K where it faltered within the Top 50 Charts.
Getting back on the right track is the next recording on the album, Think I'm In Love, which had far stronger musical merits. The smooth, lush rhythm, accompanied by a gentle Reggae beat is coated with a full throated vocal performance from Diana. Diana has always had that unique sounding quality in her voice that makes even the soppiest song sound strikingly appealing.
She then proceeds to deliver a sassy, funk-driven version of the classic Sweet Nothins'. The track loses its country sound of the origanal format and is shaken up into a more slick, soulful interpretation. Adding to that effect is a roaring saxophone played throughout the vast majority of the recording.
She returns back to pure schmaltz on the pleasantly mellow ballad, Two Can Make It which is still immensley soothing by just listening to Dianas cool and crystal clear delivery.
This steadily leads up to the albums final track, Work That Body, a track that blatantly seemed Dianas answer to Olivia Newton Johns, Physical. Work That Body was shook up into a contemporary R&B/Disco number and whilst this was hot at the time, its very dated to its era when listening to this today. Still it became another U.K Top 10 seller whilst struggling to No.37 in the U.S.
The Why Do Fools Fall In Love project proved a success, sailing into the U.K and U.S Top 20 Album Charts Charts. Slick and unpretentious.
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