Diana Ross
Thank You
Decca
Buy via Official Store | Listen Below
It’s becoming rarer these days to not only find the appropriate time to use words like “legendary” and “iconic,” but also in their correct context. Luckily, the welcome arrival of new music from Diana Ross is one of those moments when neither of those qualifiers seem out place, if anything they seem to be not enough. Her supreme musical legacy is something that few will ever achieve, let alone come even remotely close too.
For sixty-five years (yes, you read that right) Ms. Ross has not stopped entertaining the world in nearly every format known to showbiz. While most of us have been complaining about COVID kilos and never-ending lockdowns (eyes on Melbourne), Ms. Ross has been using her downtime during the rona era of the last couple of years to create a new studio album, her twenty-fifth and one she seems ever so grateful to have made, aptly titled Thank You.
It’s been over twenty years since Ms. Ross graced us with original material (she has co-written nine of the thirteen tracks on Thank You) and whilst diehard fans will appreciate her overly purposeful messages throughout the album, intended or not, it’s hard to ignore the very familiar sound of a bygone era on a number of the tracks. In saying that, these last two years have been tough for most on a global scale, so maybe a little bit of mushy pop wrapped in messages of love, unity and upbeat gratitude isn’t an entirely bad thing. Or not?
With the resurgence and massive interest in disco at the moment, and with many an artist (Elton John, Dua Lipa) capitalizing in on it, one of the OG Queens of the disco era (The Boss, Diana) could have taken this album into an incredibly delicious direction, and with an unrivalled level of authenticity. But she didn’t. There are some danceable moments on here (“If The World Just Danced,” “Tomorrow,”) but they seem to fall short. Even more surprising is that Jack Antonoff of indie bands Bleachers and Fun is at the helm of the record’s production.
Antonoff who has had some serious success both commercially and critically with artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana Del Rey, seems to be lost on this project. Swerving in and out of attempts at a slew of ballads, Motown (“Thank You”), ‘70s film score meets Lionel Richie (“Beautiful Love”) and barely passable dance tracks that not even her loyal gay fan base could justify, I needed a road map to find my way out and I’m still lost. Ms. Ross’ voice is in fine form, but the lyrical content and for the most part, production, are not.
The truly beautiful moments on this album are few and far between, but the standout moment for me is most definitely “Let’s Do It.” Whilst I still think it falls short for someone of Ms. Ross’ stature and what she is deserving of, the song demonstrates the possibilities of what this album could have been, which in itself is bittersweet.
BUY Thank You via Diana Ross’ Official Store
Notable Tracks: “Beautiful Love” | “Let’s Do it”
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