"Pieces of Ice" by Diana Ross

Song#:  1507
Date:  06/25/1983
Debut:  72
Peak:  31
Weeks:  10
Genre:  R&B

Happy 2016! Here's to another year of reviving treasures from the 80s!



Pop Bits:  Ross' second album for RCA, Silk Electric, became a gold album on the strength of the Michael Jackson-penned #10 single "Muscles." For her next LP titled Ross, she chose to work with Gary Katz, who had been producer on all of Steely Dan's albums. His involvement signaled a change in direction for Ross as the songs had more of a sophisticated rock edge that she had not really pursued before. This first single offered listeners a taste of her new sound, but unfortunately not many people were biting. The song just missed the Pop Top 30 while only reaching #15 R&B and #17 Dance. The lack of a major single kept the album out of the R&B Top 10 (#14) and out of the Pop Top 30 (#32). After a streak of four consecutive gold or platinum albums, Ross failed in getting any certification. It was her worst showing since her 1978 album for Motown that also happened to be titled Ross.

ReduxReview:  The idea of Ross getting all Steely Dan'd up certainly sounded intriguing. And indeed the one track written by Donald Fagan is an interesting oddity in Ross' catalog. Other than that, the LP is kind of a bust. It just wasn't a good match for Ross. This first single is a dud. The chugging rhythm and guitars are fine, but the tune itself is just boring, especially where it counts - the chorus. It's a snoozer and Ross sounds half asleep as well. I remember looking so forward to hearing this song because I thought the title was interesting. I lost interest on first listen. On a list of her major Top 40 singles, I'd have to say that this ranks near the bottom.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Thanks to Katz, several of his cohorts show up on the album including Michael McDonald and Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. Each musician contributed a song to the album and performed on their respective track. Also present was R&B star Ray Parker, Jr. who wrote and produced two songs for the album. Out of all these star-written tunes, only one would be issued as a single. Parker, Jr.'s "Up Front" would be the album's second single. It would only reach #60 at R&B. The song would fail to reach any other chart.

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