Love, Luther

Performer: Luther Vandross
Producer: Luther Vandross; Marcus Miller; Soulshock; Warryn Campbell; Shep Crawford; Bryan Michael Cox; Jason Rome; Phil Ramone; Jimmy Jam; Burt Bacharach; Walter Afanasieff; Misha Segal; Jacques Frewd Petrus; Nat Adderley, Jr.; Terry Lewis; Karlin; Gregg Diamond; Billy Jackson; Leo Sacks (Compilation); Brian Chin (Compilation); Ray Bardani (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Nat Adderley, Jr. (piano). Additional personnel: Cheryl Lynn, Dionne Warwick, Dolores Hall, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Hines, Mariah Carey, Beyonc�. This meaty box set is the last word on Luther Vandross. Across 56 songs on four CDs, LOVE, LUTHER spans the seminal R&B artist's entire career, from his earliest hits to his final and most successful album, DANCE WITH MY FATHER, released posthumously. All of Vandross's most essential hits are here, including "Here and Now," "The Power of Love/Love Power," "Endless Love" (with Mariah Carey), and "Dance with My Father," but it's the comprehensive sweep of the set that impresses. Vandross excelled not only as a passionate, skillful singer, but as a writer, arranger, and producer as well. LOVE, LUTHER showcases his mighty talent, and beautifully sums up the work of one of R&B's true giants. No matter your level of Luther Vandross fandom -- whether you're just getting started, have all the singer's original albums in some format, or think you have it all covered -- Love, Luther is quite generous. It's a four-disc box that comes in two forms: there's a longbox-style set that folds out, including a 58-page book tucked into a pocket within one of the panels, and there's also a compacted version that will fit alongside other traditionally packaged discs on a normal-sized CD rack. With all that space to fill, there's plenty of room for the expected greatest hits, from 1981's "Never Too Much" (the superior extended version) to 2006's "Shine," with all sorts of unexpected stops in-between, in addition to unexpected treats predating "Never Too Much." There's a couple early piano-and-voice demos recorded with Nat Adderley, Jr.; several vocal collaborations, like the star turns on Change's "Glow of Love," Charme's cover of Toto's "Georgy Porgy," and Bionic Boogie's "Hot Butterfly"; and even Aretha Franklin's "Jump to It," a 1982 R&B number one produced and arranged by Vandross. Even Luther, the "group" Vandross fronted for two '70s Cotillion albums, is represented. An amusing and prophetic promotional track sent to radio programmers is the biggest surprise of all, incorporating a highlight reel of Vandross' contributions to several known and obscure radio jingles: "And there's nothing like the flavor of Juicy Fruit gum!"; "Heeere we come, Hawaii!" Live material? Yes, there's a little of that, highlighted by a potentially pulse-stopping version of Heatwave's "Always and Forever." Considering all the loose ends and exclusive tracks -- the kind of material you expect to get on a pull-out-all-the-stops box -- it's still kind of overwhelming to have all (well, almost all) of Vandross' charting singles in one spot. Even when the productions are saccharine and completely locked into their year of making, Vandross' voice is the one thing that always -- always -- comes through first. ~ Andy Kellman

Mojo (Publisher) (p.122) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The combination of Vandross's ulta-smooth vocals with sleek production values clearly shows why he set an unassailable benchmark for romantic crossover soul in the 1980s." Blender (Magazine) (p.157) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "A soul traditionalist before it became a movement, he tapped into both fathoms -- deep pain and stratospheric joy, shooting out finessed vocal fireworks to articulate the nuances of love's ecstasies and scars."

The multi-talented Luther Vandross first earned recognition when a song he wrote was included in the musical THE WIZ in the early '70s, but it was his golden voice that made him one of the most sought-after session vocalists in the business. His significant contributions to David Bowie's Philly Soul-inspired YOUNG AMERICANS led to his first solo work in 1976, and subsequently, he has dwelt in the rarefied land of the platinum record as an R&B singing star with armloads of Grammys. Vandross has also been an in-demand record producer, and has sung duets with icons of soul ranging from Aretha Franklin to Mariah Carey. In 2003, Vandross went into a coma following a stroke, but learned to sing again after extensive rehabilitation. His death in 2005 robbed the world of one of its most soulful voices.

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