Diana Ross - Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1981) [2014, Remastered & Expanded Edition]

is a 1981 album by American singer on the label. It reached #15 in the USA (#4 R&B), #17 in the UK and the top ten in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. It was the first album Ross recorded after leaving the label, when she signed a $20 million deal with . Originally, and were slated to produce the follow-up to the platinum album. However, their schedules were filled with commitments to also produce 's solo debut, and another album. had given her word to president, to deliver an album for the 1981 holiday selling season. The album was the first to be produced by the singer herself, and it became her second -certified platinum album (That was also misleading, since Motown was inconsistent to joining the for most of their 60s and 70s releases. She would have considerably more certifications). It was also certified Gold in the UK and Canada. The album includes the Top 10 hits and . It also includes , co-written by with and . Though it just missed the Top 40 in the United States, was a Top 10 hit in the U.K. and Top 15 in The Netherlands. A solo version of is also included on the album, a rerecording of her number one duet with from earlier that year. was also released as a single in some international territories. also embarked on a world tour in support of the album. The album was remastered and re-released on September 29, 2014 by , with bonus material. In late 1981, Diana Ross began the third act of her career. Act I, of course, had been her rise to stardom as lead singer of the Supremes, the Motown supergroup that scored 12 #1 hits. Act II came with the 1970s and solo success, during which time she notched six more #1’s and made three feature films. But in 1981, in a quest for creative control of her career (and a way bigger paycheck), Diana Ross left Motown and signed with RCA Records. She apparently talked with a couple of producers about working with her on this important first album, but ended up in the hot seat herself, not only producing the album but also co-writing one song, the first case of Miss Ross being credited in helping to write her own music. Sales-wise, Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a huge hit; it went platinum, and continued Diana’s string of hit singles with two Billboard top 10 singles, the title track and “Mirror Mirror.” A third single, “Work That Body” (the one featuring a writing credit from Miss Ross) nearly made the top 40. This is, then, one of the few solo Diana Ross albums to feature two top 10 hits; diana did it the year before (“Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out”) and so did 1976’s Diana Ross (“Theme From Mahogany” and “Love Hangover”). This success must have given Miss Ross great confidence; surely there was a lot of uncertainty about leaving Motown — the only record company she’d ever been part of — and striking out on her own. Creatively, the album is largely successful, too. Though her RCA years would be marked by some very uneven albums to come, this one is a cohesive set; whether you love or hate the songs, they do have a very distinct sound and form a seamless collection. The high points here are the big hits; “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” and especially “Mirror Mirror” are vibrant, exciting recordings that sound still sound like hits today. Though some of the album tracks are pretty vanilla — “It’s Never Too Late” and “Two Can Make It” cry out for the harder edge of Diana’s work with Chic — they’re certainly not bad songs, and are pretty representative of pop/R&B music in the early 80s. Why Do Fools Fall In Love doesn’t necessarily break any new ground for Diana Ross, but as her first full-length producing effort, it’s not the mess it could have been, given that her imagination was finally allowed to run wild. Clearly Diana Ross was looking to continue the success she’d found in The Boss and diana as a high-energy dance queen, and in that respect, this album works.