Diana Ross - Ross (1983) [2014, Remastered & Expanded Edition]

"Ross" is the 14th studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on June 9, 1983 by RCA Records. It was Ross' third of six albums released by the label during the decade. It was released shortly before Ross gave a pair of free concerts in New York's Central Park. The album reached #32 on the US charts, #14 on the US R&B charts and #44 in the UK. The album's highest international chart position was in Sweden, where it reached #7. Five of the eight tracks were produced by Gary Katz, two by Ray Parker Jr and one by Ross. The album's first single, "Pieces of Ice", peaked at #31 on the US charts. Subsequent singles "Up Front" (US R&B #60, UK #79) and "Let's Go Up" (US #77) - also recorded by Helen Reddy the same year - were also minor hits. "Up Front" was remixed by Jolley & Swain for its European release. The album cut "You Do It" had previously been recorded by Sheena Easton and subsequently Rita Coolidge and Deborah Allen. The album's final US sales were slightly higher than 250,000 copies. The album was remastered and re-released in September 2014 by Funky Town Grooves, as an "Expanded Edition" with bonus material.

1983 would turn out to be one of the biggest years of Diana Ross’s career, although it had nothing to do with the new material she was releasing. Coming after the platinum "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" and the gold "Silk Electric", 1983’s "Ross" - Diana's third album for RCA Records - pretty much sank without a trace. There wasn’t a major hit single to be found here - the closest was “Pieces Of Ice,” which just made the top 40. Still, Diana Ross would garner as much publicity as she ever had in 1983 - first, due to her appearance and “reunion” with the Supremes on the TV special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever,” and next with her infamous Central Park concerts, broadcast on Showtime. Considering the fact that the Central Park concerts (the first of which ended with Diana singing in the rain, which led to all the publicity) got her enormous amounts of press, it’s surprising "Ross" - released around the same time - is such an unknown album. Diana did perform two songs from "Ross" during the concerts - “Pieces Of Ice” and “Let’s Go Up.” Perhaps the problem is that the drama of the wind and rain lent itself, of course, to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” - with the lyric “No wind…no rain…can stop me…” - and thus most of the news coverage showed clips of Diana singing that song (too bad there hadn’t been an ice storm…Diana could’ve sung “Pieces Of Ice” and maybe it would’ve been bigger on radio!). The real surprise, though, is that while Diana’s third album for RCA wasn’t a hit, it’s far superior in quality to her previous two. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" was a good album, but had moments married by poor sound and some bland songs. "Silk Electric" was almost completely marred by the poor sound, with Diana’s voice tough to listen to and some songs that were not only bland, but downright bizarre. "Ross", meanwhile, is an album that feels like a complete musical work; each song is a natural progression of the last, and the sound quality is crisp. The majority of the album was produced by Gary Katz, known for producing the albums of Steely Dan - and he and the group were notorious for their attention to sound and details in music. Diana’s voice here is crystal-clear and completely unfettered; unlike on her previous two albums, she is never lost in the mix, nor is she competing with the instruments for attention. Of course, the cool, synthesizer-heavy sound has also turned off fans and critics over the years, likely another reason for the album’s failure - All Music Guide’s review of the album notes “…that precise, icy sound those guys always get, not a sound that meshes well with "Ross.” I don’t think this is necessarily true; while on some songs there’s no doubt that Diana sounds almost a little too laid-back and unengaged, there are some really nice highlights here, especially Diana’s confident, powerful turn on “Let’s Go Up” (a song that should have been a big hit for her). Though there’s not one single song here that’s as strong as other 80s hits like “Mirror Mirror” or “Missing You,” there’s also not a single song that sounds like it should have been left off the album, which helps elevate it above the rest of her RCA work.