Diana Ross experts! Tell me, which songs are her most vocally challenging/impressive?

None of them.

I second that emotion, Flo.

Ross was directed in the studio to remain true to the melody. Her recordings showcased her vocal in the best way to compliment the musical arrangement - the song as a whole. She had a unique sound as one of the most instantly recognizable voices in pop music history. She really was good at being her.

She really shined during her live concert performances when she had more opportunities to stylize and allow her instrument to freely express itself without studio/producer constraints. She actualky COULD belt when she wanted to as she does here with I Ain't Been Licked, especially toward the end.

I think she sang 75% of her songs beautifully. I don't love a lot of her material but she was impeccable. What is the point of this thread?

Did she shellack her teeth?

These two.

What you seem to miss OP is that Miss Ross is beloved and became a star for her glossy, glamorous perfect flair with any song handed to her. It was the consistent sheen and excellence that was impressive. Not bring down the house bravura vocalizations or emotional connections and truth. I've seen old Diana in concert and it's still intact. It's an acquired taste. It's a damn shame she has often had rather schmaltzy or maudlin taste in material.

....

Here she sings gospel decently and even growls, something I've never heard her do before. Extra bonus: Little Richard plays a preacher and I miss him still!!

Touch Me in the Morning

R3 R8 and R9 it is nice to hear her singing more forcefully there. She clearly did better when slightly lowering her voice. Not a powerhouse but a competent singer

R6 and R10 those 2 songs are pleasant but you can really hear the thinness and limitations of her voice as she reaches for the highest notes she can hit.

Live. Boom mic. She was a good singer.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough is sung in a high key. She doesn't do a great job here and this was the early '80s.

She was sick. Her tongue is red from cough drops. She arrived at the venue clutching a bottle of Courvoisier.

Surrender

I always thought this was her best song =

R3 is right, she sounded distinctive and original, and that to me is the most important quality for a singer.

Her most impressive singing feat was on "Missing You", in which she convinced the world that she actually missed Marvin Gaye, someone she couldn't stand in real life.

R17 👀

Home - she never could hold that last note to the end

Not a huge fan, but I was always very impressed by her "Lady Sings the Blues" stuff.

I don't know if she would have been capable of imitating the Billie Holiday sound (probably not - it seems like that artistic choice would have been a disaster), but I love the way she did the songs in her own way. She somehow managed to capture the essence of Billie Holiday while sounding nothing like her. Yet she didn't quite sound like the Supremes/Motown version of Diana Ross either. She really did a fantastic job on that soundtrack.

I tend to think "It's My Turn" is one of her better vocal performances.

R12 that is not a good example. She is nasal and thin on the higher notes there and needed the help from her Supreme colleagues

I've always thought she was a good singer. Maybe not a great singer, but good with some "great" high points.

[quote] She somehow managed to capture the essence of Billie Holiday while sounding nothing like her.

Very well put. I agree.

[qoute] I tend to think "It's My Turn" is one of her better vocal performances.

I was going to post this. The song has multiple key changes (not just modulations up or down a step)

Diana's voice isn't about power or technical prowess like range. but she has a sweet tone that is unique and pierces out of any mix and she knows what to do with the range she has to suit the melody.

Totally agree r22! Overall I think Diana’s performance was one of the best debut performances in film history. She should’ve won the Oscar that year. Giving it to Liza was Hollywood’s way of apologizing to her for how they mistreated her mother Judy Garland.

R27 Absolutely

I saw her several years ago in a medium sized venue. She sounded great and looked spectacular. Of all the performers I've seen over the years, she was the one who had the best rapport with the audience. Charming, sincere, and real. Not scripted and calculated like Barbra, or bawdy and forced like Bette. I hope I can see her again!

I was at the infamous Central Park concert in the early 80s, never have I seen blacker skies, scarier lightning, or more torrential rain. Diana sang through it as long as she could, but I remember being genuinely afraid she or someone in the audience was gonna get zapped. Eventually we all hightailed it out of there, ankle deep in the downpour.

Her most forceful vocals are on "The Wiz" soundtrack. Quincy Jones pulled vocal performances out of her that no other producer could. She was also intimidated by Stephanie Mills' powerhouse vocals and knew they'd be compared.

I saw this clip from the ‘70’s on the Tonight Show . She sounds really great here. Her singing was vibrant and effortless. I love how glam and charismatic she is. I wish i was old enough to have seen her when she was younger. A real star🌟

Remember me, bitches!

R31 the second half is definitely among her most powerful vocals. Clearly she wasn't comfortable doing that often so probably why she didn't try it in other songs

R32 that is clearly a comfortable range for her. Not very powerful but very pleasant

R33 that is decent

it's just so funny that back then Diana was considered to be among the weaker popular singers but in the last 40 years we've seen so many big stars who are far less talented than her. I wish standards could rise again. I wouldn't mind if the weakest ones had Diana's talent. She's acceptable to listen to

[quote] it's just so funny that back then Diana was considered to be among the weaker popular singers but in the last 40 years we've seen so many big stars who are far less talented than her. I wish standards could rise again. I wouldn't mind if the weakest ones had Diana's talent. She's acceptable to listen to

I think Diana has a very pleasant, beautiful voice. Frankly, when Ross came around big, bellowing soul singers were the norm and there was no shortage of them -- not even at Motown. Her voice has a beautiful sweetness and clarity, her pitch and diction are excellent. I love listening to her early solo recordings, she is one of the least sonically offensive recordings artists of her era. She's like the Doris Day of contemporary pop.

"Those DJ Shows" was recorded in 1961 when Ross was 17 years old. It's interesting to hear her instrument in the complete raw before Motown really began working with her. A stark contrast to the brassy sound she eventually developed after the hits started coming in. Like night and day.

Diane a power singer at any age?

The last time Little Miss Mouse Fart vocalized with any power or real intensity was when the obstetrician smacked her butt at the Hutzel Women's Hospital when she was born.

You may quote me. Since she didn't send me a Christmas card this year.

Oh Dionne, Diana outdid you!

18 number one songs the public chose versus your 2 number ones you had. She’s got a much bigger Songbook/track record than you.

What I enjoy about Diana is her family unity.

[quote] Oh Dionne, Diana outdid you!

Diane has no Grammy Awards so I don't think so.

Dianas' voice is very thin, always was.

We make fun of Janet but Miss Ross isn't much better.

Janet was never found drunk and unconscious in an abandoned Blockbuster parking lot either so there's that.

She appears to be a good mom though. And nobody can tell me that son who married that trainwreck Simpson girl isn't a huge queen.

Also, she should have been nicer to the help. When you are a straight up cunt, people will talk. Really stupid.

Diana had a golden throat, don't doubt that

R29 is a Diana stan

R32 she looks like a horror inspired Muppet.

R30 which bathhouses and sex clubs did you all flee to?

R40 Come on, she wasn't found unconscious at an abandoned Blockbuster. She was pulled over for drunk driving on her way to Blockbuster.

Lmfao r45. Hi, Diane stan!!

R46 I'm not a Diana stan at all, but let's at least be accurate about her drinking problem.

Pfffft r40 is pretty damned spot on.

You see, I know Diane for a long time...

Her best vocal performances were when she was faking an orgasm with Barry Gordy or some other man who she thought would help her career.

She was dependent on whoever was producing her music. I know that she has her stans but her voice is too thin for me.

[quote]I tend to think "It's My Turn" is one of her better vocal performances.

Pieced together in the recording studio from multiple takes.

Aretha’s Turn.

I had to sing under the squeaky ho so she didn't sound like a deflating balloon.

She had a perfectly lovely voice but it started sounding rough around 1985, which is when she should have hung it up. Instead she started to speak sing like Marlene Dietrich. It hasn't gone well for her.

After watching her live shows on Youtube (78-81 era) she actually had a superlative live voice in her prime- far better than I ever expected- lovely phrasing too.. I ended up respecting her. I think that Touch Me In the Morning and Its My Turn are beautiful songs- I dig this bitch now. And I am a relatively young-middle aged (43) Kate Bush/Tori Amos/ Joni Mitchell type fan-

^^Pfffft

I saw her live years back and though not a fan really enjoyed the show. Her voice is thin live and if pushed gets quite shrill. Agree with posters further up that she was at her very best in Lady Sings the Blues. There again there were sublime session musicians to back her and the arrangements were top notch. A wonderful album.