CD Review: Diana Ross - I Love You

Diana Ross knows a thing or two about hitmaking. She should—she’s been at it for around four decades, after cutting her teeth in her formative years fronting the Supremes with the collective genius of Berry Gordy and the Funk Brothers backing her all the way.

Since then, she’s managed to strike gold in the disco-crazed ‘70s, inspire Michael Jackson to be her near-look-alike, and cement her herself firmly as one of America’s most legendary stars. So what’s an original diva to do next? Keep busy by releasing I Love You, her newest—and amazingly, almost 60th—album in quite some time.

Serving as a testament to love in all its forms, whether it be a significant other or offspring, I Love You is essentially a cover album featuring some of the greatest love songs of all time, or at least Ms. Ross’ personally inspiring faves.

The only original song to make the cut is “I Love You (That’s All That Really Matters)”, penned by one of her longtime touring background singers. It has that destined-for-a-wedding-dance vibe that’ll make it a darling for AM radio. The rest of the tracks vary to some degree, but most follow in the aforementioned vein, which is to say that most lack the conviction of the originals.

Her take on the late (and forever great) Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” is decidedly different, but it pays homage to Gaye without insulting him. Another interesting one is the jazzy Vegas version of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” which features such a unique arrangement that the song ends up being the best of all 15 on the disc—and, reportedly, impressed even Queen’s Brian May.

Sadly though, for all her best intentions, the watered down “You Are So Beautiful” is so irritating that Joe Cocker himself probably lost all the rasp in his voice when he heard it. Spiral Staircases’ “More Than Yesterday” (which I always mistake for Chicago) and its happy-go-lucky feel comes across with such a melancholy delivery that it’s practically depressing.

Even champion syrupy songwriter Burt Bacharach gets a nod with “The Look of Love,” admittedly a song I’ve never heard, but I can only imagine that B.B. won’t get a smile on his face when he hears it.

There are a handful of others, like the timeless “Only You” and even Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” (available only on the import version) which, pardon the vernacular, just plain suck. I’m sure these songs have meaning to Diana Ross, since she had to pay the royalties for the rights to record them, but the end results are a bit lacking.

Sure, her silky voice is ever present; she hasn’t lost a step in that department. But something’s missing from the final product, possibly the production value, that ends up sounding like the point was to record parodies of the original songs.

You know, I feel kinda bad being the guy who had to damn an iconic idol with such a noble effort, but I Love You doesn’t conjure any romantic feelings; there is no roaring fireplace, no strawberries and champagne…at best, you end with a decent space heater and a platter of cheese.

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