DETROIT — Diana Ross can still rule a red carpet, but it has been a long time since the Detroit-born diva bothered with new music. If she wasn’t exactly resting on reputation — her storied legacy as one of the most successful acts in the history of popular music — she did seem satisfied with her body of work as it stood.
That stance clearly changed sometime during the past two years as Ross set out to make “Thank You,” her first album in 15 years and the first since 1999 to feature original material. The record finds her aiming for both timeless familiarity and timely relevance, tapping a host of in-vogue collaborators known for their work with some of today’s hottest pop stars.
Released Friday by Decca Records, the collection also marks the 77-year-old star’s most comprehensive songwriting foray yet: Brimming with keep-the-faith affirmations and messages of love, Ross cowrote nine of the album’s 13 songs, many of them during the pandemic lockdown — which also led her to cut the bulk of the vocals at her Los Angeles home.
The project also brings Ross’ first music video in more than a decade via “All Is Well,” an Amanda Demme-directed clip set to debut at 1 p.m. Friday on YouTube.
“Thank You” is relaxed and reflective, and it presents an artist more surefooted than the one we heard on 2006’s “I Love You,” a tepid set of cover tunes. Sonically, it’s crisp and textured, and while there are obvious nods to Ross’ Motown past — a lick lifted from “You’re All I Need to Get By,” a lyrical wink at “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)” — there is indeed a contemporary feel, down to the touches of auto-tune.
Still, the record frequently delivers more promise than punch. Tantalizing moments such as “Let’s Do It,” “Just in Case” and the buoyant title track point to the album that could have been. The A-list producers seem conflicted by their assignment, torn between indulging expectations of vintage Ross and the boldness to muscle into new places, and they wind up deploying a gentle touch when the effort could have used a firm hand.
Producer-songwriter Troy Miller provides the album’s bookends with the opening title cut and the festive closer “Come Together,” while hotshot Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey) helms the Latin-spiced disco of “I Still Believe,” featuring art rocker St. Vincent on electric guitar. If the spare “In Your Heart” rings of an Ed Sheeran song, you can probably chalk it up to the contribution of Amy Wadge, a longtime collaborator with the British star.
There’s a warm tenderness to “Just in Case,” kissed with strings and an elegant solo from jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold. Ross summons the lush midtempo feel of her mid-‘70s work on “All Is Well,” while lending a lovely vocal to the gentle “Count on Me,” written by her eldest daughter, Rhonda Ross Kendrick.
“The Answer’s Always Love” is emblematic of a record that just doesn’t dependably get there: The Siedah Garrett-penned tune elicits one of the album’s strongest vocals in the service of ham-fisted lyrics.
There's enough glamour amid all the melodrama to make it Diana Ross, but "Thank You" is an album of straightforward sentiments and greeting-card platitudes, a lyrical world where sparks become fires and brighter days make the rain go away.
Lyrical cliché isn’t the worst sin in pop music, of course, and it’s certainly not the death knell for “Thank You,” which features some solid performances from the tiffany-voiced singer.
But “Thank You” is as vexing as it is rewarding — just good enough to hint at the potential late-career triumph Ross had at her fingertips, but never consistently great enough to seal the deal.
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