Red Hot Rhythm & Blues

Red Hot Rhythm and Blues is the seventeenth studio album by American entertainer Diana Ross released via EMI and RCA labels on May 8, 1987. It was produced by veteran Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd with one track contributed by Luther Vandross.

Red Hot Rhythm & Blues
Studio album by Diana Ross
Released	May 8, 1987
Recorded	1986–1987
Genre	R&B
Length	43:56 (US: 38:11)
Label	EMI (UK) RCA (US)
Producer	Tom Dowd, Luther Vandross
Diana Ross chronology
Eaten Alive (1985) Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987) Workin' Overtime (1989)
Singles from Red Hot Rhythm & Blues
"Dirty Looks" Released: April 29, 1987 "Tell Me Again" Released: July 18, 1987 "Shockwaves" Released: July 18, 1987 (U.K. release only) "Mr. Lee" Released: January 12, 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Overview

The album made the charts in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as reaching the top 20 in Sweden and Norway. It was Ross's final album for RCA Records, after a six-year stint with the label since Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The album peaked inside the top eighty of the Billboard 200 album chart, reaching the number 73 position.[2]

The album included "Dirty Looks" (US R&B #12, UK #49), originally recorded by Motown outfit Warp 9, and the retro-flavoured "Shockwaves" which was released as a Shep Pettibone remix in the UK and peaked at number 76.

A number of major contemporary songwriters contributed new songs to the project including Luther Vandross who also produced "It's Hard For Me To Say" (and later cut the track for his 1996 album Your Secret Love). It also included the first recording of Leonard Cohen's "Summertime" as well as Mick Hucknall's "Shine" (also released on Simply Red's concurrent album Men and Women).

The album also included cover versions of several R&B classics, including the Bobbettes' "Mr. Lee" (UK #58), Jackie Ross' "Selfish One", Etta James' "Tell Mama", and the Drifters' "There Goes My Baby".

The album was promoted with a TV special that aired on ABC on May 20, 1987 titled Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues. The special featured guests such as Etta James, Little Richard, Billy Dee Williams, Leslie Nielsen, LL Cool J, Bernadette Peters and Wolfman Jack.

The tracks "Mr Lee" and "Tell Mama" were not included on the US version of the album and the mix of "Dirty Looks" on the UK version differs from the mix on the US version.

The cover photography was by Herb Ritts.

Re-release in 2014

The album was remastered and re-released in September 2014 by Funky Town Grooves, as an "Expanded Edition" with bonus material on a second CD.[3] This reissue was licensed from RCA, which owns rights to the album in the U.S. and Canada and is available in these countries (plus, through imports from Solid Records, also in Japan, even when actually Warner Music owns rights here[4]).

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirty Looks" (US Album Mix)	Richard Scher, Lotti Golden	4:09
2.	"Stranger in Paradise"	John Capek, Amy Sky	3:59
3.	"Summertime"	Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson	4:05
4.	"Shine"	Mick Hucknall	3:31
5.	"Tell Me Again"	Wintley Phipps	3:14

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Selfish One"	Carl Smith, Wilfred McKinley	3:23
2.	"Cross My Heart"	Sharon Robinson	4:11
3.	"There Goes My Baby"	Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, George Treadwell, Lover Patterson	3:03
4.	"It's Hard for Me to Say"	Luther Vandross	4:46
5.	"Shockwaves"	Diana Ross, Mark Cawley, Bill Wray	3:49

European Version - Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirty Looks" (European Album Mix)	Richard Scher, Lotti Golden	3:21
2.	"Stranger in Paradise"	John Capek, Amy Sky	3:59
3.	"Summertime"	Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson	4:05
4.	"Shine"	Mick Hucknall	3:31
5.	"Tell Me Again"	Wintley Phipps	3:14
6.	"Mr. Lee"	Emma Pought, Jannie Pought, Helen Gather, Laura Webb, Reather Dixon	3:06

European Version - Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tell Mama"	Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell	3:39
2.	"Selfish One"	Carl Smith, Wilfred McKinley	3:23
3.	"Cross My Heart"	Sharon Robinson	4:11
4.	"There Goes My Baby"	Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, George Treadwell, Lover Patterson	3:03
5.	"It's Hard for Me to Say"	Luther Vandross	4:46
6.	"Shockwaves"	Diana Ross, Mark Cawley, Bill Wray	3:49

2014 Expanded Edition CD1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirty Looks"	Richard Scher, Lotti Golden	4:09
2.	"Stranger in Paradise"	John Capek, Amy Sky	3:59
3.	"Summertime"	Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson	4:05
4.	"Shine"	Mick Hucknall	3:31
5.	"Tell Me Again"	Wintley Phipps	3:14
6.	"Selfish One"	Carl Smith, Wilfred McKinley	3:23
7.	"Cross My Heart"	Sharon Robinson	4:11
8.	"There Goes My Baby"	Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, George Treadwell, Lover Patterson	3:03
9.	"It's Hard for Me to Say"	Luther Vandross	4:46
10.	"Shockwaves"	Diana Ross, Mark Cawley, Bill Wray	3:49
11.	"Mr. Lee"	Emma Pought, Jannie Pought, Helen Gather, Laura Webb, Reather Dixon	3:06
12.	"Tell Mama"	Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell	3:39
13.	"Sweet Soul Music"	Sam Cooke, Arthur Conley, Otis Redding	2:12

2014 Expanded Edition CD2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dirty Looks" (12" Mix)	7:49
2.	"Dirty Looks" (12" Instrumental)	5:52
3.	"Dirty Looks" (Bonus Beats)	2:47
4.	"Dirty Looks" (European Album Mix)	3:20
5.	"Shockwaves" (12" Mix)	6:40
6.	"Shockwaves" (12" Instrumental)	3:57
7.	"Shockwaves" (7" Remix)	3:56
8.	"Mr. Lee" (Swing Mix)	6:58
9.	"Mr. Lee" (Rare Groove Version)	6:47
10.	"Mr. Lee" (Swing Mix Edit)	3:10

Credits and personnel

Performers

• Diana Ross – lead vocals
• Luther Vandross – backing vocals (11)
• Jocelyn Brown – backing vocals
• Dennis Collins – backing vocals
• Benny Diggs – backing vocals
• Lani Groves – backing vocals
• Maeretha Stewart – backing vocals
• Darryl Tookes – backing vocals
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
• Steve Ferrone – drums, percussion
• Sammy Figueroa – percussion
• Steve Gadd – drums, percussion
• Ivan Hampden – drums
• Tommy Vig – drums, percussion
• Francisco Centeno – bass
• Nathan East – bass
• Chuck Rainey – bass
• Steve Farris – guitar
• Eric Gale – guitar
• Jeff Mironov – guitar
• John Capek – keyboards
• Joseph Joubert – keyboards, arrangements
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
• Richard Tee – keyboards
• Steve Goldstein – synthesizer
• Jason Miles – synthesizer
• John "Skip" Anderson – arrangements (11)
• Marc Katz – arrangements
• Paul Riser – arrangements
• Charles Samek – arrangements
• Albert Schoonmaker – arrangements

Production

• Producers – Tom Dowd (Tracks 1-10 & 12); Luther Vandross (Track 11).
• Executive Producer – Diana Ross
• Engineers – Larry Alexander (Tracks 1-10 & 12); Paul Brown and Bruce Wildstein (Track 11).
• Assistant Engineers (Tracks 1-10 & 12) – Nick Basich, Don Rodenback and Adrian Trujillo.
• Track 11 mixed by Ray Bardani at Minot Studios (White Plains, NY).
• Recorded at Record Plant and Power Station (New York, NY); Encore Studios (Burbank, CA); Westlake Studios (Los Angeles, CA).
• Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Musical Contractor – Sephra Herman
• Art Direction – Ria Lewerke
• Design – Pietro Alfieri
• Photography – Herb Ritts
• Stylist – Michael Roberts

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
scope="row"	Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5]	53
scope="row"	German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6]	55
scope="row"	Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[7]	20
scope="row"	Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8]	12
scope="row"	Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[9]	22
scope="row"	UK Albums (OCC)[10]	34
scope="row"	US Billboard 200[11]	47

References

1. Allmusic review
3. "Red Hot Rhythm And Blues (2 CD Deluxe Edition)". FunkyTownGrooves.com. FunkyTownGrooves.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
4. "Diana Ross - Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (2014, Expanded Edition, CD)". Discogs.com. Discogs contributors. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
5. "Dutchcharts.nl – Diana Ross – Red Hot Rhythm And Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Diana Ross – Red Hot Rhythm And Blues" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
7. "Norwegiancharts.com – Diana Ross – Red Hot Rhythm And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
8. "Swedishcharts.com – Diana Ross – Red Hot Rhythm And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
9. "Swisscharts.com – Diana Ross – Red Hot Rhythm And Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
10. "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
11. "Diana Ross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2020.