! This Is Diana Ross Week On American Idol !

[discokicks]

DK,
This was also my thought for a career makeover...hook up with Tommy LiPuma who works with Diana Krall and do some tasteful jazzy stuff...some standards/ Bacharach/David/Sergio Mendes type material...tasteful arrangements in a softer setting that would compliment her voice.

I'm really surprised that this isn't the direction she went...take her back to her Lady Sings The Blues days.

Have you got Gladys Knight's recent cd with her take on the standards? Produced by Tommy Lipuma too! It's a bit hit and miss for me actually....I guess because I've heard some of these songs so many times. For example, she does This Bitter Earth but for me, Miki Howard's version is best... surpassed by none other than the queen herself: Dinah Washington!

[markydefad]

DK,

Now that's funny cuz Keefe raved about getting an "advanced promo" copy of the Gladys Knight cd...but I've never gotten around to buying it. I didn't know that Tommy LiPuma produced it!!! [checked this on AMG was actually Phil Ramone who produced it--he's good too; used to do all the Paul Simon/ Billy Joel stuff; update: Keefe says they BOTH produced tracks on it. never mind.)

It's funny you mention that Mikki Howard cd cuz that's one of my faves too; I used to play it all the time; just looked it up on AMG--titled "Femme Fatale"--it had very nice verisons of "Good Morning Heartache" & "Hope that We Can Be Together Soon" also. Gotta pull that one out again.....Miss Mikki is an example of the late Eighties divas (Regina Belle is another) who started out strongly and then because of the rotten hip-hop dominance of urban radio --had to record substandard fare and lost their way and/or my interest; I see from AMG that I don't have her last 3 releases...her 1996 "Live" one was the last I bothered to buy...

[markydefad]

just checked out AMG's review of Miss Ross's "I LOVE YOU"

If nothing else, read the last 2 lines.....................








Artist
Diana Ross
Album
I Love You
Rating

Release Date
Jan 16, 2007
Label
EMI
Genre
Styles


Moods
Themes

• Comfort
• Slow Dance
• In Love
• Romantic Evening

In what might be the least inspired album of her career, iconic diva Diana Ross sleepwalks through a mishmash of seemingly randomly chosen love songs, all covers save for one new composition, adding nothing to them and forcing one to wonder just why she bothered. It's been standard music industry practice for years for artists to record (or for their labels to release compilations of) romantic tunes in time for Valentine's Day, and the January 2007 arrival of this set couldn't have been better timed as it also coincided with the release of the film version of Dreamgirls, based on the career of the Supremes. But Ross doesn't seize the moment: she puts little emotion or enthusiasm into her recitations here, and seems to have little familiarity with, or understanding of, the songs she and producers Peter Asher and Steve Tyrell have chosen for the album. Her vocals are largely nondescript and at times barely hint at the qualities that made her such a distinctive force for decades, and the arrangements and production are whitewashed and lacking in originality. The material is all over the place, including songs from the '50s to those of more recent vintage, from the Platters' "Only You" through Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," and from fellow Motown great Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" to the ubiquitous (and, at this point, plain annoying) "You Are So Beautiful." Ross takes Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved" and bleeds the soul from it, and she drains the magic from the Drifters' classic "This Magic Moment." Harry Nilsson's "Remember" not only opens the album but closes it in a brief reprise version, but Ross seems unsure what to do with it either time. The Beatles' "I Will" might be an excellent cover choice in more sympathetic hands, but Ross sounds uncomfortable with its simplicity and quietness, while her reading of Burt Bacharach-Hal David's sultry masterpiece "The Look of Love" is embarrassingly lifeless, especially if compared with Dusty Springfield's definitive '60s version. Whoever came up with the idea of Ross covering the Spiral Starecase's 1969 hit "More Today Than Yesterday" at least gets a few points for digging a bit deeper into the covers well, but Ross puts no fire into the up-tempo/upbeat song. Interestingly, the one new track here (other than a piece from the current Broadway production of The Color Purple), the Fred White-penned ballad "I Love You (That's All That Really Matters)," makes the most of Ross' vocal capabilities and range, begging the question of why she didn't just record an album of new material custom-fitted to her talents. Had the singer on this album been an unknown trying out for American Idol with these performances, no doubt Simon Cowell would have found her appalling. This has to be chalked up as an anomaly and a mistake, because an artist as singular as Diana Ross doesn't just forget who she is and what she does best


by Jeff Tamarkin

[keefelc]

About half of Gladys Knight's "Before Me" CD was produced by LiPuma and the other half by Phil Ramone. I like the album mostly because Gladys returned to singing decent material, unlike her dreadful "At Last" album where her kids tried to modernize her sound. ICK!!!

However, from a few live cuts I've seen, Gladys sings the material on "Before Me" better live on stage. Check her out on Chris Botti's latest DVD singing "Lover Man"!

As for Miss Ross on AI, I think I like her performance because she seemed refreshed and over the top again! :icon_lol: I mean look at the outfit alone! The last couple of years, she was starting to show her age. Last night, I thought she looked trim and energetic again.

Miki Howards's latest "Pillow Talk" is decent, but definitely low budget. However, it's comprised of an interesting choice of classics.

1. I Can't Stand The Rain
2. Do That To Me One More Time
3. Go Away Little Boy
4. Pillow Talk
5. This Masquerade
6. Inseparable
7. Lowdown
8. Misty Blue
9. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely
10. Which Way Is Up

[discokicks]

About half of Gladys Knight's "Before Me" CD was produced by LiPuma and the other half by Phil Ramone. I like the album mostly because Gladys returned to singing decent material, unlike her dreadful "At Last" album where her kids tried to modernize her sound. ICK!!!

Keefe....I felt the same way when I first listened to the At Last album but give it a few more listens if you haven't. The standout cut for me is her gorgeous cover of Please Help Me I'm Falling (oh my my my....just perfect!) but also Love Hurts, Just Take Me and especially I Said You Lied (hah....I loves me those hurtin' songs). I love this album and I hate hiphop with a passion!

Miki Howards's latest "Pillow Talk" is decent, but definitely low budget. However, it's comprised of an interesting choice of classics.

1. I Can't Stand The Rain
2. Do That To Me One More Time
3. Go Away Little Boy
4. Pillow Talk
5. This Masquerade
6. Inseparable
7. Lowdown
8. Misty Blue
9. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely
10. Which Way Is Up

This looks really interesting!

[markydefad]

OK, one last thought before I give this a rest...:icon_rolleyes::icon_razz:

I think the producers of American Idol are partly responsible Miss Ross's somewhat-less-than-hoped-for performance on the Idol results show Wednesday night.

They overbooked that show with too many segments and than had to start chopping to squeeze it all in. The total running time of "More Today Than Yesterday" on cd is only 2:52!!! For some reason, the first verse and 1st line of the second verse were cut and Miss Ross had to begin her rushed version halfway into the damn song!!! [unless she screwed up--which was my thought as I watched it] :icon_sad::icon_redface: But they were seriously overloaded in numbers for a half-hour show. Why not cut that stupid filmed sequence with the Idols in stupid wigs walking down Hollywood Blvd. and let Miss Ross sing her damn song in it's 2:52 entirety and allow 10 more seconds for the Diva Pose and applause? 3 damn minutes!!!! Is that asking too much for Miss Ross? If I were her and they did that to me--I woulda said, "no thanks." :icon_redface::icon_twisted::icon_razz:

But she went on and tried to do her thing. Ryan Seacrest totally announced the loser Brandon singing his farewell as the TV show went off the air before he sang one note. Rethink this for future shows is my advice. Did we really need to see the lousy "Til Death" on Wednesday night at exactly 9:30 PM? Other shows go over their time limits these days: "Lost," Grey's Anatomy," & "Desperate Housewives" all have done so.
I know the sponsors need their 10 minutes of commercials--but please...

I wish she'd waited for later in the season when these kinda things might be less likely to happen--but I guess this was to promote her tour. OK, I rest my case. :icon_confused:

[jackbutterfly]

She sounded bad this week. A couple of sour notes (did anyone see Simon's face)?? She was really sweet with the finalists though. You can tell she is nice in real life. Unless she was putting on an act, I thought I heard rumors she was a B in real life.