Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Diana Ross (Eco-Friendly Packaging)

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Diehard Diana Ross fans will not be satisfied with a single CD compilation that has a mere eleven tracks by her; but this is a fine starter CD for casual fans or newcomers just discovering Diana Ross' incredible talent as a singer and recording artist. The songs on this album are all wonderful; they clearly indicate just how well Diana can take any song and make it sublime with her sophisticated phrasing, excellent diction and timing. The quality of the sound is also quite good.

There's not a dud in the lot here--period. "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" has Diana singing faultlessly; she handles this well and the key modulations enhance the ballad even more. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is quite a memorable ballad that Diana sings straight from her heart; and I really like "Remember Me" as well as gems including "Touch Me in the Morning" with Diana's sensitive, somewhat vulnerable delivery that makes it remarkably special; the theme from "Mahogany" with its lush musical arrangement; the dance/disco hit entitled "Love Hangover" with that throbbing beat and awesome percussion as Diana sings so well; "The Boss" that Diana aces as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing; "Upside Down;" "I'm Coming Out" with Diana squarely front and center (as she should be); the terrific ballad "It's My Turn" and her duet with Lionel Richie, "Endless Love."

Diana Ross fans will most likely have most if not all of these songs already in their collections; so as I mentioned above this is truly geared toward casual fans and newcomers. At any rate, however, we are all so much better off for Diana Ross having shared so much of her talent with us; her genius has been and continued to remain a valuable gift.

Thank you, Diana!

There are several singing artists who have been inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame twice, once as part of a group and then again individually as solo artists. Those that come to mind immediately are Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon.

Diana Ross, of course, was inducted along with the rest of The Supremes in 1988, which is hardly surprising when you consider their massive array of hit singles and best-selling albums from 1962 to 1969. That is reflected in the fact that they are one a very few [maybe the only ones] to have two volumes in this Millenium series.

But come on, folks, Ms. Ross also went on to post 41 Hot 100 singles as a solo act from 1970 to 1986, including six # 1s and 27 Top 40s. Her personal problems have been aired out plenty on TV for all to see over the years, and she did and said things that may not have endeared her to some of the public, but that should not detract from her considerable success as a performer. As Joel Whitburn of Billboard says "Ross would rank among the Top 5 artists of the rock era if her solo and Supremes' hits were combined." That's ALL artists - not just female. And let's face it, she WAS the Supremes. Her induction as a solo artist was way past due when they finally recognized her.

There are numerous Diana Ross CDs available, most with many more tracks than you'll find here. But this neat little package does give you eleven of those solo hits, including all six # 1s, her last being the 1981 duet with Lionel Ritchie on Endless Love. With the fold-out insert you get three pages of liner notes by Barry Walters and three more nice shots of Diana to go along with the cover photo and one on the reverse showing her while performing in a magnificent glittering gown.

One of the better volumes in the series by far.