Diana Ross I Love You Album

[smark21]

In January it will be 5 years since the release of Diana Ross' most recent album of new material [[for her). I Love You. I pulled it out tonight when I got home and played it for the first time in several years.

I've a mixed opinion of it. The album theme is rather banal and unoriginal. But it's one Ross seems to connect with. There are some interesting and adventurous song choices such as Remember, What About Love [[from The Color Purple), To Be Loved, and I Will, not one of The Beatles most widely known songs.

Ross is in uneven voice--she sounds good on Remember, What About Love, I Love You and Lovely Day. But quite raspy on others. That raspy sound works on To Be Loved, but she misses the high note at the end of I Will. I don't understand why the producers didn't go for another take.

The production and arrangements are so-so. I think some of the songs could have stood a more lush yet organic sound, especially in the strings..at times the string like sounds have a very tinny, synthesized feel to it.

Overall, I think I Love You is a mixed bag. It has its moments, but will not rank among Ross' best albums.

[jobeterob]

I listen to this CD occasionally which is more than I can say for many others; the songs you list, I Will, To Be Loved, Remember, and especially Lovely Day, are good. Some of the rest, I would have left off the CD - The Look of Love, More Today Than Yesterday, Always and Forever, Only You.......and that's quite a few.

The CD seems to have been fairly successful world wide, especially for a 70 year old who first charted 50 years ago. The quoted sales seem to be between 150,000 and 625,000.

[smark21]

I listen to this CD occasionally which is more than I can say for many others; the songs you list, I Will, To Be Loved, Remember, and especially Lovely Day, are good. Some of the rest, I would have left off the CD - The Look of Love, More Today Than Yesterday, Always and Forever, Only You.......and that's quite a few.

The CD seems to have been fairly successful world wide, especially for a 70 year old who first charted 50 years ago. The quoted sales seem to be between 150,000 and 625,000.

You can't resist citing sales, can you? Why do you think I Will, To Be Loved, Remember and Lovely Day are your favorites? What is it about these tracks that stand out for you? The songwriting? The production? The musical arrangments? Ross' vocals?

[Jimi LaLumia]

I love listening, big fan of the voice and the music, but I am ALSO very interested in the sales figures, U.S. and worldwide, as a Ross fan, I want to know, as a sports fan likes statistics on their fave players

[smark21]

I love listening, big fan of the voice and the music, but I am ALSO very interested in the sales figures, U.S. and worldwide, as a Ross fan, I want to know, as a sports fan likes statistics on their fave players

But there's a difference though...in sports, statistics such as batting average, or assists, or pass completion, measure how good a player is in performing a task. IN music, all sales figures measure is how well the product sells. Sales can't reveal how good or poor an artist or how good the music is. Sales figures in music is the equivalent of tickets sold for a game and it has nothing to do with artistry and artistic creation and performance. If sales is the only way you can evaluate a musician, then for all intents and purposes, you might as well as give up following music and become a fan of laundry detergent. Tide sells quite well I understand.

[skooldem1]

This is quite possibly the most boring album she ever recorded.

[jobeterob]

The Look of Love is a boring boring song.

I Will and to be loved are intricate and require a lot of Diana.

Remember is a good song lyrically and musically.

Lovely Day.........the music and how she handles it, as usual her phrasing which is regarded as amongst the best in the business.

If you sell 489 CDS, we won't hear from you again via CD anyway; it's always relevant, always interesting. And if all else fails I can always irritate Marv by quoting Mary Wilson solo sales.........4000 to 6000 LPS. See, this is why we heard so little of her, why she played small dates, why the releases were so sporadic and not from a known label........because there was no point. So, it's always relevant.

But no, sales will never make you like music you don't like and bad sales won't drive you away from the music.

[Jimi LaLumia]

and sports players either play well or they don't,if they don't, they get canned...
recording artists either sell well or they don't; if they don't ,they get canned..

[carlo]

If you sell 489 CDS, we won't hear from you again via CD anyway; it's always relevant, always interesting. And if all else fails I can always irritate Marv by quoting Mary Wilson solo sales.........4000 to 6000 LPS. See, this is why we heard so little of her, why she played small dates, why the releases were so sporadic and not from a known label........because there was no point. So, it's always relevant.

No offense, but I don't see what Mary Wilson or Marv have to do with this discussion? You sound like a broken record. Just another attempt to stir up trouble. If you don't have anything positive to contribute, then don't bother.

I quote your post from October 19th in the Nightflight Diana Ross & The Supremes Singles discussion:

"But the show was excellent. Andy is the voice of rationality. If only most Supremes fans would take his words to heart, perhaps it would encourage a reunion; because the unhappiness and harshness on the Net have damaged everything Supreme."

Perhaps try following some of your own advice.

[jobeterob]

Carlo, there are times in life you need to take a stand; when you are older, you'll likely appreciate the comment.

I do it on behalf of many that have left; what's right is right. Just like you haven't yet learned to appreciate that a lot of what the Catholic Church has done in Canada is both criminal and wrong and they deserve criticism for it. Someday you might appreciate that as well. There is a book that has won literary prizes - The Bishop's Man - a hard read; but you should pick it up and read it.

[carlo]

I have no idea what you're talking about. Religion also has nothing to do with any of this. I'm not Catholic. I do not identify with any religion. Jesus is my Lord and Savior.

[jobeterob]

Ya and one time you ended up all hurt over some religious comments exactly like the ones I've just made. You're probably hurt over them giving you fake pictures for your Mary Wilson site too and then getting taken to task for it. But this is what happens when you don't view things critically. To your credit, I see you have considered the predicament Ms. Labelle has got herself in and not just followed some line piped to you.

[kenneth]

Carlo, there are times in life you need to take a stand; when you are older, you'll likely appreciate the comment.

I do it on behalf of many that have left; what's right is right. Just like you haven't yet learned to appreciate that a lot of what the Catholic Church has done in Canada is both criminal and wrong and they deserve criticism for it. Someday you might appreciate that as well. There is a book that has won literary prizes - The Bishop's Man - a hard read; but you should pick it up and read it.

That's strange; I thought I was on the Motown Forum.

[Bokiluis]

Considering how brutal it has been for heritage artists in this digital age, a covers album was a no-brainer for the unchallenged EMI A&R person. I remember when I first put it on that October 2006, it had been so long since I had heard Diana's solo voice on new material. It took an adjustment. She sounded like she had lost a lot of her high end tonality. That is, until one night, I listened with the sound turned up louder. It was then that I heard the beautiful orchestration. [[On first listening, it was jarring and I thought it had been poorly recorded). Now understanding Berry's old test that music should sound not only great on a high end stereo system BUT also a transistor radio. My iPod was like the transistor radio because some depth of sound was compromised.

But I soon grew to liked the theme. For starters, she bested one of my all time favorite one hit wonders in a Motown-christened version of the jubilant "More Today than Yesterday". I think she did a superb job. I was also impressed how she somehow breathed new life in well worn copyrights like the overdone "You Are So Beautiful" and "Always and Forever". [[The opening violins on "Always and Forever" are quinessential Diana Ross. I even liked, what some may have thought of as karaoke, "This Magic Moment". What sounded like karaoke to some, sounded more like it could have been playing at an arcade in a 50s carnival. The only tracks I didn't care for was the uninventive take on "Lovely Day" [[which she ironically struggled with on GMA) and the dreadful "Take My Breath Away" which I always hated.

I liked the concept of enveloping the songs with Harry Nillson's "Remember". I had hoped she would have used that concept in concert to introduce the new songs or rather the songs from "I Love You". After her traditional concert opener, in the center of the set, she would take a brief intermission or instrumental interlude and then return opening with "Remember". Then share with the audience how the concept of the album came to be. Interspersed with the songs from "I Love You", she would do a few covers from other of her albums like "I Love You [[Call Me)", "Come in from the Rain" and/or "Blame it on the Sun" sneak in "i Will Survive" and then reprise "Remember". Go into "Remember Me"' "Theme from "Mahogany"/"Ain't No Mountain". It would have freshened up the setlist a little and promote the new album at the same time. And I would have definitely sold "I Love You" at the concession stand since besides the television appearances, in concert would be the only place where her version of the songs would have been heard, sans radio play.

[smark21]

I think it would be a good idea for her to put "Remember" into her live show. Given that most of her set list contains songs she recorded in the 60's and 70's, it would be more thematically appropriate rather than the title her current show is touring under "More Today Than Yesterday". BTW, I do like her version of More Today and her performance of that arrangment shows that while she does well at a variety of musical genres, her musical home will always be the classic Motown sound.

[drlorne]

Bokiluis: I like your concert idea. I don't play "To Be Loved"; This Magic Moment"; Only You"; and "You are so beautiful"; she sounds depressed to me and on "Remember" I think she is flat very often. She was Executive Producer, so I was surprised that it didn't have more power. I don't think she produces herself well and she sometimes just "phones the performance in".
Lorne

[carlo]

Ya and one time you ended up all hurt over some religious comments exactly like the ones I've just made. You're probably hurt over them giving you fake pictures for your Mary Wilson site too and then getting taken to task for it. But this is what happens when you don't view things critically. To your credit, I see you have considered the predicament Ms. Labelle has got herself in and not just followed some line piped to you.

Rob, you're just traveling down the road to off-topic land because you know that I raised a valid point and you do not want to acknowledge it. In typical lawyer fashion, you're bringing up irrelevant gossip to try and distract everyone's attention from the real truth. You are rude and offensive and I have called you out on it more than once, including some of the rude sexual jokes you've made on this forum repeatedly. The discussion of religion has no place on this forum. If you want to talk about that, then discuss it in the Club House. I do remember in the past when I was offended at some of the remarks you made in regards to religion, but that is besides the point. It's irrelevant on this forum that focuses on soul music and irrelevant in this discussion. Even if I was offended, I am more of a mature person now and you need to respect that.

As for my involvement with Mary's website, I have always kept it on the down low because I always try to maintain an attitude of humbleness and because it is my PERSONAL business. Say what you want, but you don't know what you're talking about. The "fake photo" you are referring to [[most likely that photo of Cher onstage in Vegas) was posted on a blog that is not maintained or associated with any of the work I do. So before you start making false accusations in regards to matters that are really none of your business to begin with, maybe you should check your facts.

The fact that you felt the need to trash Mary Wilson, Marv, the Catholic church and myself in a discussion about Diana Ross' album shows how rude and offensive you really are.