Released: 5 November 2021
Diana Ross returns with a heartfelt message of gratitude on her 25th album ‘Thank You’.
The record is Ross’ first collection of original material in more than two decades and lays itself bare with opener, title track and lead single.
‘I wouldn’t change a single day / No one else makes me feel that way,’ she sings in a love letter to fans around the world, straight from the heart.
But what begins as a warm throwback to her Motown heyday takes a turn with dance floor single If The World Just Danced and, by third track, the smooth R&B number All Is Well, it’s apparent Ross’ comeback suffers from an identity crisis.
It’s not helped by a cluttered ensemble of collaborators who – despite masterminding massive hits for some of the planet’s biggest pop stars, including Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift – pull the sound in too many directions.
It’s not until the Latin-influenced I Still Believe that the album really gets going, with Ross taking the reins with a confident, assured vocal performance.
There are highlights littered throughout; the upbeat Tomorrow feels cool yet classic and tender ballad Count On Me sits among her very best, while closer Come Together is the perfect bookend to Thank You, reinforcing a message of love.
Six decades into her career, Ross has earned the right to release the music she loves, and quite honestly the material on ‘Thank You’ isn’t by any stretch bad.
But as an album, it doesn’t quite gel and, at times, sounds more like a compilation of cast-offs than a musical comeback 20+ years in the making.
‘Thank You’ is available on CD and Vinyl. Limited CD editions are also available.
