Diana Ross Albums (26)
What The Critics Say
A nice early-'70s date from Diana Ross, who at that time was unaffected by her diva/show business persona and was sticking to singing. She turned in effective, unadorned, soulful leads on several songs, with the title tune cracking the R&B Top 20 and pop Top 40. Ross would later turn to a more exaggerated, self-conscious, mock-sophisticate style, but on her early Motown albums, she retained the mix of innocence, anguish, and sexiness that made her a legendary vocalist. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's been standard music industry practice for years for artists to record (or for their labels to release compilations of) romantic tunes in time for Valentine's Day, and the January 2007 arrival of this set couldn't have been better timed as it also coincided with the release of the film version of Dreamgirls, based on the career of the Supremes. The material is all over the place, including songs from the '50s to those of more recent vintage, from the Platters' "Only You" through Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," and from fellow Motown great Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" to the ubiquitous "You Are So Beautiful." Interestingly, the one new track here (other than a piece from the current Broadway production of The Color Purple), the Fred White-penned ballad "I Love You (That's All That Really Matters)," makes the most of Ross' vocal capabilities and range, making one wonder why she didn't just record an album of new material custom-fitted to her talents. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
'Every Day Is a New Day'
Release Date 5/4/1999
Tracks 12
Label Motown
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Very Special Season'
Release Date 10/19/1998
Tracks 14
Label EMI Gold
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What The Critics Say
Diana Ross' 1994 Christmas album, A Very Special Season, easily ranks among the diva's best of the '90s. Instead of opting for hip arrangements aimed at pleasing a younger, jaded audience, all the songs on this set are classically arranged with lush orchestrations, resulting in a truly timeless holiday album, not unlike what one would have expected from the crooners and sirens of yesteryear. The songs are all lovingly produced, and Ross effectively wraps her silken pipes around each tune with utmost sincerity. The album consists mostly of Christmas standards, including "White Christmas," "The Christmas Song," "O Holy Night," "Ave Maria," and "Silent Night," as well as covers of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Chirstmastime" and John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)." Also included are inspirational songs that are traditionally not thought of as holiday tunes but fit perfectly, such as the Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition "What the World Needs Now" and a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed," as well as "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "Amazing Grace." For fans of timeless, old-fashioned Christmas music, as well as fans of Diana Ross, this lovely holiday album, available only as a European import, is an absolute must, and a reminder of just how beautiful, when done well, holiday music can be. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Diana Ross continued her steady pace in the early '80s, scoring a hit single with the curious song "Muscles." She was now established as a stylist and show-business celebrity, and seldom evoked the soulful or sensual air that characterized her past material. The songs were also more elaborately produced, the arrangements designed to accent the carefully calculated pauses, sighs, and coos, and the compositions more suggestive in their lyrics than convincing or compelling. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
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. Of course, it helps that she is supported by a wonderful assembly of musicians, from Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo to producer Michel Glotz and arrangers Lalo Schifrin and Antoni Parera Fons, all of whom help make the mix of contemporary carols, hymns, traditional carols, and religious tunes an attractive holiday album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings...Jazz & Blues'
Release Date 1/1/1993
Tracks 19
Label Motown
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On December 4, 1992, Diana Ross took the stage of the Ritz Theatre in New York for a concert commemorating her appearance as Billie Holiday in the film biography Lady Sings the Blues 20 years before. She was backed by an A-list of jazz musicians, and her set list consisted of jazz and pop standards from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, most of them associated with Holiday. This "special, intimate evening of jazz and blues," as Ross put it, was devoted to "what jazz and blues is really about, which is loose and free and mellow." Despite earning an Academy Award nomination for her acting and topping the pop charts as part of the soundtrack album of Lady Sings the Blues, Ross had not earned much recognition for her jazz singing, and although by 1992 she was four years past the age at which Holiday herself died, she was still essentially a pop singer. Gil Askey's arrangements left plenty of room for the musicians to shine, and the songs were filled with solos by him, Roy Hargrove, Ralph Moore, Urbie Greene, Justin Robinson, musical director Jon Faddis, Jerome Richardson, and Ron Carter. Ross exhibited a bubbly stage presence that played more to the cameras capturing the show than the audio feed, and she sang the songs with warmth and enthusiasm, if without any real resemblance to Holiday or jazz sensibility. Originally released as an audio album and on VHS videotape, the recording was reissued March 19, 2002, on a DVD that added extra material from the concert, while the audio version, already running over 73 minutes, was given a 24-bit remastering but contained the same tracks as the original 1993 release. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'The Force Behind the Power'
Release Date 7/22/1991
Tracks 11
Label EMI
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Diana Ross made a bid for new stardom by returning to Motown with a deal giving her profit participation in the company and creative control in 1989. This album was the first product of that new contract, and the results weren't very encouraging. There were no moderate or even small hits, and the album quickly dropped off both the R&B and pop charts within a couple of weeks of its release. Ross sounded completely lost, and the production, arrangements, and compositions sounded weak and thin next to the dominant New Jack and hip-hop works. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
