Touch Me In The Morning/Diana

Diana Ross was a superstar even when part of the Supremes, and as a solo singer much was expected from her from the Tamla/Motown empire. Although she had enjoyed a hit single in 1971 with "I'm Still Waiting" and a few other Top Ten singles during the 1970s, it wasn't until the album Touch Me in the Morning that she showed her full potential as a solo artist. Touch Me in the Morning was a Top Ten album in the autumn of 1973 and opened with two ballad hits, the title track and "All of My Life," and continued in that vein with classy sophisticated love songs, including "I Won't Last a Day Without You," which had been recorded by the Carpenters, and "Little Girl Blue," a song from the 1930s written by Rodgers & Hart for the musical Jumbo, which was pleasing to those new fans who had only really listened to Ross following the Lady Sings the Blues project earlier that same year. One of the most sensual tracks was "My Baby (My Baby My Own)," which just oozes sex appeal, a few years before Donna Summer came onto the scene. The penultimate track was a rather unnecessary version of the John Lennon classic "Imagine," which lacked the poignancy of the original -- but then most versions of this song do. The album closed with a medley of "Brown Baby/Save the Children," eight minutes of sheer indulgence, smooching Marvin Gaye-style rhythm & blues that was nearly hypnotic and didn't even need Ross' vocals over the absolutely beautiful backing. ~ Sharon Mawer|