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04-09-2012, 12:48 AM
The Diana Ross Project
Album-by-album…track-by-track…The Boss & her music
HomeAbout/Contact
Apr 08 2012
10 Comments
By Paul
Studio Album
The Boss [[1979)
“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.
Album-by-album…track-by-track…The Boss & her music
HomeAbout/Contact
Apr 08 2012
10 Comments
By Paul
Studio Album
The Boss [[1979)
“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.