Stories

AMG Review of Stories

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Gloria Gaynor entered the 1980s with Stories, which marked the third time she worked with producer/songwriter Dino Fekaris. Once again, Fekaris showed a great understanding of what made Gaynor tick. Although Gaynor was among the top disco divas of the 1970s, her roots were Motown and northern soul; and Fekaris, much to his credit, made sure that 1979's Love Tracks, 1979's I Have a Right, and 1980's Stories had both disco appeal and northern soul appeal. Stories isn't in a class with the superb Love Tracks or the generally excellent I Have a Right, but it's solid and enjoyable, if less than spectacular. Gaynor is in good form on exuberant dance items like "Make Me Yours," "All My Life," and the Motown-minded "On a Diet of You," and she is equally pleasing on the smooth northern soul slow jams "I Let Love Slip Right Through My Hands" and "The Luckiest Girl in the World." Stories is an appropriate title for a Gaynor album because throughout her recording career she set out to provide dance records that told a story; to Gaynor, a worthwhile dance record needed more than just a beat. While Stories isn't among Gaynor's essential albums, it's worth hearing if you're a seasoned fan.