Originally Posted by
Jaap
Although I’m very happy that “To The Baby” finally was released, I think it was a missed opportunity that it was a bonus disc to the expanded “Touch Me In The Morning” album rather than a single disc “lost album” release as “Blue” had been previously. Yes, the two albums are very similar and share some of the same songs, but “To The Baby” is much more “soulful” than the MOR vibe of “Touch Me In The Morning,” and also a far more personal album. I created a single disc of “To The Baby” [[as the expanded edition of “Touch Me In The Morning” was no longer available) for a friend of mine who had just given birth to her first baby boy. She is a very proud black woman [[sounds weird to say it in this way, but I think it is relevant in this case) who had always been a bit skeptical about Diana Ross; to her, Ross seemed too pop, too glamorous. But she loved “To The Baby,” telling me that she really connected to all the songs [[particularly “Brown Baby” and “To The Baby”) and that she for the first time really FELT the “soul” of Diana Ross – which of course is a great compliment. To me, there are many more songs of Ross that actually are “soulful” and “personal,” but I get what she means. I also understand why Motown decided to release “Touch Me In The Morning” instead of “To The Baby,” but releasing “To The Baby” as a stand-alone album in 2010 possibly would have given it much more exposure and could have connected Ross to listeners that overall find her work not “soulful” enough.
Bookmarks