by Alex Henderson
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.