Mariah Carey's "Glitter" Redux 10 Years On

In 2001, Mariah Carey unveiled her seventh album and gambled on a crossover into the movie medium. Spending the past decade defying obstacles and winning hearts, no one, least of all Carey herself saw the doom ahead.

Glitter as an album signaled a larger query of Carey's conflicts with quality over quantity. Unlike previous bouts, Glitter was Carey's first recording to offer a spotlight to her best and worst moments in one place.

The History
Capping off her golden period at Columbia Records, Carey made an energized maneuver to sign with Virgin Records in 2000. Settling in quickly, Carey began drawing on all her abilities to create her seventh album and its partner film. Under the working title of "All That Glitters," the film became Glitter. Barring the obvious allusions of Billie Frank, the film heroine, being a biracial singer and native New Yorker, the comparisons between Carey and Frank stopped there. The Vondie Curtis-Hall directed work placed Carey as Frank in a post-disco, early 1980's New York City. There, Frank/Carey struggled with romance, career aspirations, and other plot devices that amorous period pieces like this are made of. The movie featured additional acting appearances from Max Beesley, Eric Benét, Shawntae Harris (Da Brat), Terrence Howard, and Tia Texada. Carey's first movie was made grander by its soundtrack, which for all intents and purposes was an album Carey seemed destined to record since 1995.

The Record
Not the same age as Billie Frank in Glitter, Carey was a teenager in New York when it was rife with exciting changes. Black music was bravely soaring to new horizons in dance and a harsher art form known as hip-hop. These styles coalesced into the black new wave Glitter took place in, roughly 1983.

Great artists from this era heard in the film included Whodini ("Freaks Come Out At Night"), D-Train ("You're the One For Me"), Zapp ("Dance Floor"), The System ("You Are in My System"), and the S.O.S. Band ("Tell Me If You Still Care"). Carey's own music leading up to Glitter peered back to her youth. Read the liner notes to the Daydream (1995) cut "Fantasy" to see Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" sampled. The-then recent "Heartbreaker" from Rainbow (1999) styled Stacy Lattisaw's "Attack of the Name Game" into roller rink bliss. Carey's musical legitimacy was potent to record the ultimate resurrection of '80's R&B on an album. It was something many of her fans and knowing critics had pined for.

Carey ushered in assistance from three men who helped shape that span of time: Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and the late Rick James. Additional production duties fell to Walter Afanasieff, James "Big Jim" Wright, Damizza, D.J. Clue, and  Clark Kent.

Twelve songs, including a tangled, guest star riddled remix of the lead single "Loverboy," filled Glitter. The ballads, Carey's watermark, were some of her most silken. The Afanasieff number "Lead the Way" was majestic, if by-the-numbers. "Twister," a harmonious slice of soul, was written as a tribute to a friend and stylist of Carey's who passed away. "Reflections (Care Enough)" lyrically eyed the film plot and brought with it a gospel stained emotion that echoed Mariah Carey (1990). Detailing Carey's gift as a writer, it received larger notoriety on The Ballads in 2009. "Never Too Far," a massive, orchestral beauty was one of the criminally forgotten Carey songs of the last decade.

The Rick James produced and penned "All My Life" situated itself as the major player of Glitter. Surrounded by opulent flutes and florid keyboards, Carey gave her sexiest performance. "Want You," a duet with Eric Benét, (who played Rafael in the flick) was inspired by Nick Martinelli, the producer associated with the '80's U.K. soul sounds of Loose Ends. The sensual tune put the listener into the midnight skyline of New York City.

The jubilant "Loverboy" sampled Cameo's "Candy" (ironically released in 1986); both Larry Blackmon and Thomas Jenkins (of Cameo) appeared in the song (and video). Carey's layered coos, giggles, and sighs either charmed or grated. Busier than her previous sample-led singles, "Loverboy" was the last in that lane to date. The cut and paste of Carey's voice over Cherrelle's "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," from '84's Fragile, was baffling. The pressurized dance cut actually fit Carey well. It begged the question as to why Jam and Lewis, the producers of the original and repeated form here, didn't construct a new song out of the production cloth of "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On." The film used this as the song that breaks Billie Frank.

Lazy covers of InDeep's "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" and Tom Browne's "Funkin' For Jamaica (N.Y.)," recast as "(Don't Stop) Funkin' for Jamaica" wasted the potential these songs had to move Carey closer to her '80's R&B retro nirvana. "Last Night" was clumsily mobbed by Fabulous, D.J. Clue, and Busta Rhymes; Mystikal's verses on "(Don't Stop) Funkin' for Jamaica" reduced Carey to a hook girl on her own album. "If We" furthered the hook girl dilemma by supplanting Carey to chorus status while Ja Rule and the late Nate Dogg delivered dire verses. These creative breakdowns hounded Carey throughout Glitter, its combination of good and bad on one record made the assessment of the LP arduous.


The Impact
The film and its album were preceded by "Loverboy" on 7/17/01. "Loverboy" topped the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and landed at a comfortable #2 position on the Billboard Hot 100. As the single certified gold, more was made over the David LaChapelle directed video that portrayed Carey as a race track girl to the chagrin of critics. Internationally, the single was met with lukewarm or fair receptions: Canada (#3), Australia (#7), U.K. (#12), Japan (#52).

Later, Carey's behavior began to lean toward the erratic during the press blitz for the film and album. It culminated in an unscheduled appearance on the Carson Daly hosted MTV Total Request Live program. Carey had a brief respite from public appearances at which time the film and album were pushed back. The movie hit cinemas on 9/21/01 while disastrously the companion record dropped on 9/11/01. Characterized as "mental exhaustion," Carey emerged from her break refreshed to finish plugging her projects.

The film was slammed by poor sales and reviews, whereas the album was met with mixed thoughts.

All Music Guide hard nose Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated:

...this album shows that Mariah needs some guiding force, something to keep her on track. Otherwise, she sinks into gormless ballads, covers of early-'80s funk tunes that sound exactly like the originals, hip-hop funk that plays plastic and stiff. This touches on everything Mariah tried before, but nothing works, not the oversinging, not the sentimental, not the desperate attempts for street cred.

His thoughts were furthered by David Browne of Entertainment Weekly:

...it's Mariah, business as usual: a few overemoted ballads, a few doses of lite-FM hip-hop, all of it as gauzy and shapeless as her previous work.

Though, there were critics that championed the areas of Glitter that showed growth. Sal Cinquemani, of Slant Magazine, reflected:

"All My Life," a collaboration with Rick James, would make a daring yet commercially viable single. Its Studio 54-era synth-flutes and sultry vocal could, at the very least, rub up against the boundaries of pop radio like no other Carey tune has since 1995's "Fantasy." "Want You," a duet with "Glitter" co-star Eric Benét is another retro gem, featuring grinding bass and Carey's distinctive vocal phrasing (she uncurls seemingly verbose adjectives like "painstakingly" with unrivaled ease).

The most fair and accurate review came from Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield in the 8/30/01 issue of the magazine. Sheffield captured the ethos of this album as thus:

The vintage-flavored music evokes classic R&B groups like Ready for the World, Atlantic Starr, Skyy and even my beloved Klymaxx. With Glitter, Mariah takes a step toward staking her claim as a grown-up.

"Never Too Far"
Directed By: Vondie Curtis-Hall


Commercially, the record continued the downward arc started with Rainbow, moving just 100,000 its first week of release. Glitter garnered respectable positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Album Chart (#7) and the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart (#6). It claimed platinum status quickly in America. The worldwide audiences received Glitter better: Japan (#1), Spain (#3), France (#5) U.K. (#10), Australia (#13).

As such, a plethora of promotional singles were pulled from Glitter to keep the album afloat in the international territories. These singles included "(Don't Stop) Funkin' for Jamaica," "Reflections (Care Enough)," and "Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life." A video for "(Don't Stop)..." can be currently seen on Youtube, but received no push. The major follow-up to "Loverboy" in the United States was "Never Too Far," promoted with a performance segment of the song taken from the movie. The single missed the U.S. Pop and R&B charts altogether, but performed at U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks (#17). Currently, Glitter has shifted 3 million units worldwide.

The fallout from this caused Virgin Records to buy-out the $100 million dollar contract they had given Carey, effectively paying her to leave the label. Carey inked a deal with Island/Def Jam Records who released Charmbracelet (2002), The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), E=MC² (2008), Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), and Merry Christmas II You (2010).

Mimi returned Carey to commercial and critical favor, its creative slant not nearly as interesting as Glitter's best sides. That honor went to 2009's Memoirs, which had Carey in her best voice since Glitter, but like that album it staged Carey's constant musical schism. This is, and may always be, Carey's battle. Carey's unwillingness to balance or explore a particular artistic path has left her discography ravaged with holes. Glitter was a tool that easily might have broadened her sound. Without the risk, there is no reward and for Carey it's not too late to grasp the risk. In the meantime, one can look at the erroneous ends of Glitter and forgive them.The songs that do it right do it well. Three stars out of five.

[Editor's Note-Glitter is still readily in print and can be located in most music retailers. For current news on Mariah Carey, visit Mariah Carey Official.-QH]

Jennifer Lopez's "Love?" Lacks Lola

"Fresh Out the Oven", the first breath from the Love? project, had Lopez confident and aware. The cut gripped the listener in its clasp of late night disco whispered come-on's. A perfectly placed feature from Mr. Armando Christian Perez, a.k.a Pitbull, gave it an even ruder feel. Then, with what promised to be the return of Jennifer Lopez as Lola in 2009, became one of the two years that saw the Love? album setback repeatedly.

Epic Records, unsure of how to promote the track and its subliminal video, wrote off "Fresh..." as a mere "buzz track." They backtracked with a more climate friendly taster in "Louboutins" in 2010. That song, to the knowing, was a clone to the superior fashionista feminism manifesto "Miles in These Shoes" from Brave (2007). When that song, despite some of Lopez's strongest live performances to date, failed to catch on Epic dropped Lopez into the lap of Island/Def Jam Records. There, Lopez began to wrap up an album that still lacked an identity outside of restoring her sales status. In the meantime Lopez found time to take a seat on the American Idol judge panel with Randy Jackson and Aerosmith fronter Steven Tyler.

Love?, Jennifer Lopez's seventh record, attempts to solve the commercial conundrum Lopez courted as early as 2005 with the "only platinum" peak of Rebirth. The real elephant in the room, dismissing its low selling point, was that the previous album Brave was fantastic. Brave's only challengers were Como Ama Una Mujer (2007) and This is Me...Then (2002). All three albums presented that Jennifer Lopez had more bite than her harshest critics ever led the public to believe.

Does Love? tightrope between legacy longevity or "for today" fortunes? The answer is a resounding no to the former and yes to the latter. There is no mistaking that Lopez was never a non-commercial entity, but she did gracefully pick up artistic mileage with each record recorded. Love? barely approaching the transitional highs of Rebirth ties J.Lo (2000) as her worst offering.

Production duties on this fiasco mainly incriminate RedOne, Lady Gaga, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Danja, and several other mainstream mobsters who warp Lopez's sound into faceless Top 40 oblivion. Previously, La Lopez exerted heavier themes, so "Starting Over" and "Until It Beats No More" shouldn't  have been an issue. They fail on Love? as musically they don't provide adequate staging for her vocal growth to make the songs convincing."On the Floor", the current chart hit, almost raises pulses with a sultry riff of Kaoma's "Lambada" merging with Lopez's voice to echo the sweet rush that made "Waiting For Tonight" a transcendent modern classic. The bulky dance beat hits harder than needed, resulting in "On the Floor's" melodic appeal being bludgeoned by RedOne's production. Mentioning RedOne, his and Lady Gaga's "Invading My Mind" and "Hypnotico" evidence from their overwrought titles, to their listless electro-pop that Gaga's sound isn't one size fits all. "I'm Into You" is sweet enough, though the cameo assist from Lil' Wayne is like sliding a platinum grill front over an already beautiful smile.

Love? is not completely lost, three songs make the record worth the trek through unworthy fare. "Good Hit" is an update on Lopez's Boricua street power, dressing it up in cybertronic camp cool that bring to mind Robyn's "Fembot" from last year's Body Talk (2010). The execution of the playful fussiness that skips along on "Good Hit" is Lopez through and through.

"(What Is) Love?", one of the few tracks that survived the initial sessions of Love?, is where Lopez flourishes. A moving song, it looks to introspection and cute critique. Regardless of any criticism hurled at Jennifer Lopez, she always had spunk in major supply. Whether she was the round the way girl or the diva, Lopez built on her approach-ability by becoming a better singer and songwriter. Love? is the necessary evil of returning commercial clout to La Lopez, but it saps her of all her powers, leaving her unrecognizable. That may work for Britney Spears and her cult in 2011, but Jennifer Lopez's faithful require more stimulation. Or at the very least a little Lola.

"Good Hit" & "Take Care" Virals Behind the Scenes


"Everyone's got to make a living..." went the sampled tagline on her '02 hit "Jenny From the Block." Lopez does have a "brand" to maintain, but that brand always had a heart at its center. Hopefully with the sales coup of Love? it will allow Lopez to return back to being the pop maven she really is. Two and a half stars out of five.-QH

[Editor's Note: Love? in all music retailers now. For current news on Jennifer Lopez, visit her official site.-QH)

Silk Electric: Diana Ross' RCA Years

"The '80's were about creating a new life."

Disregarding the obvious holes in Diana Ross' '70's output, Ross' tenure at Motown is stuff of legend. Everyone knows of her rise as a Supreme during the '60's, but it was her work the following decade that intertwined dramatic, emotional soul-pop threads to create a sonic tapestry familiar to so many. The start of the '80's had begun with a bang, the monopolizing victory of diana (1980) proved she had done everything she could at Motown. Now, Ross was ready to fly and explore, proving once and for all that she was more than a thrall, romantic or otherwise, to Berry Gordy.

Polygram, Casablanca, and Geffen all began to cajole Ross to join their ranks, but RCA Records snared Ross with a $20 million price tag and promises of creative fulfillment. She signed to RCA Records in 1981. The label at various times during her stint there housed Hall & Oates, the Eurythmics, and the Pointer Sisters. Another jewel to the RCA crown, she remained there until 1987. For some, the RCA period was seen as one of excess, recognized for indulging in Ross' garish pop fantasies.

That, of course, is only a casual assessment. There are portions of Ross' RCA work that aren't as peerless as her Motown material, again that period had its own flaws which revisionists tend to "forget." The freedom exercised at RCA was without equal, mirroring the peaks and valleys of the most transitional decade in black music. Where others feared to tread, Ross walked.

Ross gave an eloquent statement about her time at RCA Records in her 1993 memoir, Secrets of a Sparrow:

I was given the opportunity to produce my own records, from finding the musicians, to setting up studio time, mixing, mastering, layering the music onto the tracks, finding the engineers, overseeing the photographs, creating the title, choosing the costumes, the names, the liner notes, every single ingredient. I also inspected the label copying, the layouts for the (album) jacket, selected the release dates, and most important sat through hours and hours of producing. It was a magnificent experience.

On the 30th anniversary of Diana Ross taking a seminal role in her career that has spanned five (and counting) decades, a glance back at the albums that defined a time of change is definitely in order.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Released: 10/4/81
Produced By: Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #15, U.S. R&B #4, U.K. # 20
Singles: "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Mirror, Mirror," "Work That Body," "It's Never Too Late"
Synopsis: The first Diana Ross serving to emerge off of the RCA label was a solid seller, it continued her upward trend that kicked off in 1979. The title track was a cute cover of the Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers doo-wop cut of the same name. The remainder of Why Do Fools Fall in Love concerned itself with established comforts and a few surprises. The familiar sonic forms sported whipped disco-lite delights in "It's Never Too Late" or pretty nonsense like "Sweet Nothings." The camp fest "Work That Body" and the rock-funk bump of "Mirror, Mirror," a dual pop and R&B format crossover smash, became fan favorites. Why Do Fools Fall in Love ended up Ross' bestseller from RCA, though it wasn't her strongest in what she would do later.

"Mirror, Mirror" music video





Silk Electric
Released: 9/10/82
Produced By: Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #27, U.S. R&B #5, U.K. #33
Singles: "Muscles," "So Close," "Who"
Synopsis: Ross' RCA freedom came to fruition, with some miscalculation, on Silk Electric. Ross sat again in the driver's seat and produced a clean, spontaneous set of black pop. The record is remembered for the Michael Jackson penned "Muscles."

"Who" bewitched and a fascinating conceptual breakthrough was heard in "Turn Me Over." A clear indication of the time, an eerie, lush call directed the listener to turn the record over before the first side concluded. The energy on Silk Electric fell squarely on the uptempos leaving the slow jams to become soggy in MOR milk. Silk Electric was Ross' luminous step forward but showed she still had improvements to make.

"Muscles" music video 





Ross
Released: 6/9/83
Produced By: Gary Katz, Ray Parker Jr., Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #32, U.S. R&B #14, U.K. #44
Singles: "Pieces of Ice," "Up Front," "Let's Go Up"
Synopsis: Ross was the RCA long player that played as a coherent album. Diana Ross decided to bring in producers Gary Katz and Ray Parker Jr. Both men were accomplished in fields of jazz, pop, and R&B. Ross piloted the funk rave-up "Girls." Split into two sides, Katz handled the first half, while Parker took the second, the previously mentioned "Girls" closed side two. Katz and Parker sewed a seamless pattern of classic Diana Ross and the future ambitions heard on Silk Electric. The giddiness of "You Do It" sat comfortably next to the tense "Love or Loneliness". Ross revved "Up Front" with heat and took on an affectionate hue on "That's How You Start Over."

"Pieces of Ice" was the enigmatic linchpin of Ross. Its suspenseful opening led to sharp, shooting synths that pounded while Ross rode the cryptic lyrical analogy of sexual attraction with skill. This song, along with several others, were highlighted in her Central Park concert in New York City on July 21, 1983. Though not a major seller, this record was Diana Ross at her best from the RCA age.

"Pieces of Ice" music video





Swept Away
Released: 8/2/84
Produced By: Raymond Arcusa, Arthur Baker, James Anthony Carmichael, Bernard Edwards, Daryl Hall, Richard Perry, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #26, U.S. R&B #7, U.K. #40
Singles: "All of You," "Swept Away," "Touch By Touch," "Missing You," "Telephone"
Synopsis: The salve to the sales slump of Ross, Swept Away was a multi-helmed recording that included ingredients from several producers, including Ross herself. It tied with Silk Electric's pop and fragmented pacing. "Missing You," Ross' last Top 10 pop hit, sincerely connected to the audience like her best ballads often did. Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates), a label mate, was one of the hands in Swept Away's pot. He and John Oates were at the height of their powers with Big Bam Boom, also out the same year as Swept Away. Lending his pen, voice, and ear for sharp dance-pop he steered the sound of the title track. The tropical twitch in "Touch By Touch" and the spidery "No One Makes Me Crazy (Like You Do)" came on with alluring pressure.

"Telephone," another of Ross' many R&B hits from this time, was directed by Bernard Edwards of Chic. Nile Rodgers and Edwards had been behind the diana album four short years earlier. A few other trinkets lined Swept Away, but errors existed with the schmaltz shock Julio Iglesias duet "All of You." Swept Away's function as a high-octane, state-of-the-art crossover album was executed well even if it was uneven majority of its spinning time.

"Missing You" music video





Eaten Alive
Released: 8/23/85
Producers: The Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Michael Jackson, Karl Richardson
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #45, U.S. R&B #27, U.K. #11
Singles: "Eaten Alive," "Chain Reaction," "Experience"
Synopsis: Stepping away from producing, Ross began picking others to lead her records to new sounds to expand her appeal again. By this time, Ross was only making contact with her two major markets: U.S. R&B and U.K. Pop. "Eaten Alive," co-produced by Michael Jackson, was an ambitious and busy customary U.S. R&B chart grazer. The bulk of the record was directed by The Bee Gees. The trio slicked up Eaten Alive, giving it an organized, if sanitized vibe. Excusing the exquisite "Experience," "Chain Reaction" was the star of Eaten Alive. A stomping, sweet salute to Motown gave Ross her second U.K. chart topper since "I'm Still Waiting" in 1971. The British pop act Steps scored a hit with their accomplished cover of it in 2001. The remainder of Eaten Alive found Ross in good voice, emoting here ("More and More"), seducing there ("Oh Teacher"), but Eaten Alive felt like a holding pattern for something a bit more engaging.

"Chain Reaction" music video





Red Hot Rhythm & Blues
Released: 6/9/87
Produced By: Tom Dowd, Luther Vandross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #73, U.S. R&B #39, U.K. #47
Singles: "Dirty Looks,"
"Tell Me Again," "Shockwaves," "Mr. Lee"
Synopsis: This final RCA offering was meant to restore Ross' chart crown, it didn't work out that way. The album was preceded by a lavish television special of the same name that paid tribute to black music history. The late Tom Dowd, known for working with Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding brought maturity to Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. A loose concept record, Red Hot juggled covers of soul chestnuts and new songs. The covers included a moody sketch of the Leonard Cohen penned "Summertime," one of Ross' finest recordings, and the Detroit wink of Jackie Ross' "Selfish One."

Original work was also lovely on the Luther Vandross produced and backed "It's Hard For Me to Say." The late night snack of "Stranger in Paradise" was savory too; "Dirty Looks," her final RCA hit (#12 U.S. R&B), was slinky and posh. The British version of the album featured additional songs in "Mr. Lee" (a single there) and "Tell Mama." Though Red Hot failed to find an audience in 1987, it wasn't any less fair as a proper adult R&B record.

"Dirty Looks" music video


The RCA era closed on the quiet hush of Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. Diana Ross collected herself and spirited back to Motown Records. Taking a hand in owning a percentage of the company, the lesson of control from RCA close to the hilt, Ross steadied onward at Motown Records from 1988 through 2000. There, she experienced a second British blossoming as she achieved victories with The Force Behind the Power (1991) and Take Me Higher (1995). She still stands in 2011 undiminished as a live act globally.

Diana Ross' run during the 1980's, even with her bumps and stumbles, racked up an impressive number of awards and charts hits. Focusing on the latter, Diana Ross placed a combined total of 28 singles on the U.S. R&B and Pop charts. Of the 28, 15 were R&B scores with the highest entry of "Missing You" (#1), and the lowest entry of "Chain Reaction" (#85). Pop stood strong with 13 scores, featuring the highest entry with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7), and the lowest entry with "Chain Reaction" (#95). The United Kingdom birthed 18 chart hits in this period, their highest entry seen with "Chain Reaction" (#1), and lowest entry with "Let's Go Up" (#79).

Six records were released in the span of 1981 through 1987, all reaching the Top 50 on the three previously mentioned market charts, except Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (U.S. Pop #73). In America Why Do Fools Fall in Love achieved platinum security and gold was locked in for Silk Electric and Swept Away. Record labels have to pay to have records re-certified. It has been rumored that many of these albums sold gold and platinum units in all three areas Ross appeared in over time. Of course, this was pre-Soundscan and adjustments for current inflation would need to be made, until re-certification one cannot be sure.

Critically, division occurs for this section of Diana Ross' music. It also remains to be completely anthologized properly, though the 1997 package Greatest Hits: The RCA Years made a decent effort. Joseph F. Laredo, the essayist for the mentioned RCA best of, summed up the ethos of this time perfectly:

They (The RCA Years) were challenging, transitional years for her (Diana Ross) during which continued commercial success, as well as the occasional setback, were attended by a level of creative freedom and artistic independence she had never known.

Diana Ross's discography has been popular for reissuing, starting with the unreleased Blue in 2006. The reissues for her Motown material have been constant since. It could be that the RCA works are waiting in the wings for their second chance at remastered life, as they're out of print in the U.S.A. and only available as Japanese imports currently.

Performing "Touch By Touch" @ the American Music Awards '87


A toast then to the Diana Ross who braved the unknown and usually won out. Here's to the odd, beautiful, and refined touch of her silky soul that became "electric" during the '80's.

[Editor's Note: Again, all of these records are available, via Amazon, or other Internet music outlets as Japanese imports. It looks as if Silk Electric is the only one of the six here to go out of print recently.-QH]