Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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"Diana Ross" (later reissued rarely as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough") was the debut solo album for Diana Ross. It reached #19 in the USA (#1 R&B) and sold over 500,000 copies. The album was the ultimate test to see if the former Supremes frontwoman could make it as a solo act. With the help of the songwriting-producing team of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Ross turned out a successful album. Ross did extensive work with other producers before settling with Ashford & Simpson, including Johnny Bristol, producer of her final single with The Supremes, "Someday We'll Be Together". Bristol here produces "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You" (which was a UK hit when originally recorded by The Velvelettes); the rest of the LP is fully written and produced by Ashford & Simpson. Ross' first solo single, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", sold over 500,000 copies in the USA, was something of a disappointment when it charted at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-up, a cover of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", peaked at #1 on the Hot 100, selling approximately 1,245,000 copies in the USA only and garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. As a result of the single's success, Diana Ross was reissued as Ain't No Mountain High Enough, and another Ross solo LP (her 1976 LP featuring "Love Hangover") would be issued as an eponymous release. Today, Diana Ross is widely regarded as the singer's finest solo album.

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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Her self-titled debut LP (later retitled Ain't No Mountain High Enough after the single became a hit) was arguably her finest solo work at Motown and perhaps her best ever; it was certainly among her most stunning. Everyone who doubted whether Diana Ross could sustain a career outside the Supremes found out immediately that she would be a star. The single "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" remains a staple in her shows, and is still her finest message track.

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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March 26, 2002 marked Diana Ross’s 58th birthday, but it was her legions of fans that received an amazing birthday gift. Motown finally re-released her 1970 debut album, Diana Ross, which had been out-of-print for some time; better yet, the CD came loaded with eight bonus tracks, including live performances, alternate vocals takes, and - best of all - a batch of tracks from the vaults. Those tracks were produced by Bones Howe, and had apparently been recorded as possibilities for Miss Ross’s debut album as a solo artist. Her former manager Shelly Burger is quoted in the liner notes of that re-release: “I had known Bones for a while and he was very hot at the time, particularly with the Fifth Dimension. The thought was we should go outside the company to do something completely different for Diana’s first album.” Motown, of course, was scrambling to hit upon a winning formula for Miss Ross the solo artist; she’d been delivering #1 hits as lead singer of the Supremes for almost a decade, and expectations were high for her first post-group offering. One of the first solo possibilities, the Johnny Bristol-produced “Someday We’ll Be Together,” ended up being released as a Supremes single. Then the brilliant writing/producing/performing team of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson began working on songs for Diana, as did Howe. Miss Ross finished four songs with Mr. Howe, including the Laura Nyro-written “Time And Love” and “Stoney End,” but it was Ashford and Simpson who ended up handling her debut album. It’s impossible to argue with that decision today, given that Diana Ross was a solid success and game Miss Ross a top 20 hit, “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” and a Grammy-nominated #1 masterpiece, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Still, what’s surprising is just how good the Bones Howe-produced songs are. The four songs lean more toward the “pop” side of the spectrum than Ross’s soulful, darker work with Ashford and Simpson, and after years of crooning pop standards on television and in clubs, she is more than adept at the sunnier style of music. There’s a youthful sparkle to her performances on these songs, but they also showcase Diana in fine, full voice, giving her chances to belt and reach for high notes that many listeners still don’t realize she’s capable of. While 1970’s Diana Ross really is the perfect debut album for Miss Ross - spectacular and stylish and still surprising more than 40 years later - it’s a treat to hear what might have been with a different direction and team behind her.

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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Diana Ross - Diana Ross (1970) [2002, Remastered & Revisited Edition]

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