By the early '70s,
Diana Ross and
Marvin Gaye were in completely different creative territories.
Ross was settling down as a professional diva, while
Gaye was pushing his art forward with
What's Going On,
Trouble Man, and
Let's Get It On. What they shared, apart from a mutual admiration, was that they were two of the biggest artists on Motown and that their voices sounded terrific together. So it wasn't entirely surprising that the duo teamed up in 1973 for the Diana & Marvin album. Although the album didn't produce any timeless classics, the results were still very good -- good enough for the record to be one of
Ross' best efforts of the era. The highlights are the three singles ("You're a Special Part of Me," "My Mistake (Was to Love You)," "Don't Knock My Love"), but even the weaker tunes are redeemed by the duo's indelible chemistry, and that's the reason why it's worth a listen. [Diana & Marvin was re-released on LP in 2016.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine