The Visions of Diana Ross
Considering that the new millennium has seen diva Diana Ross spend a good deal more time on the police blotter (following her 2002 arrest and subsequent jail sentence for drunk driving) than the pop charts, it's nice to be able to look at her music rather than her mugshot. The six videos in this 1985 compilation were made by directors (including Bob Giraldi and Marty Callner) who were among the leaders in the field at the time, and Ross is featured with some big-name stars, like Julio Iglesias ("All of Me") and Marvin Gaye (recalled via film clips in "Missing You"). But notwithstanding the strong (if inevitably somewhat dated) production values, the elaborate sets and costumes, and Ross's glamorous aura, most of this is pop music at its most disposable, a dead end of synth-dance superficiality and forgettable tunes (the obvious exception being the doo-wop chestnut "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"). In short (and at under 30 minutes, with no bonus features, it certainly is that), this is far from Diana Ross's finest hour, and will be of passing interest at best to all but her most devoted fans.--Sam Graham