Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Luther Vandross, Martha Wash, Cheryl Lynn, Dionne Warwick, Mariah Carey (vocals); Doc Powell, Georg Wadenius, Paul Jackson, Jr. (guitar); | | Nat Adderley, Jr. (piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Marcus Miller (keyboards, synthesizer, bass, background vocals); John "Skip" Anderson (synthesizer, programming); Anthony Jackson, Tinker Barfield (bass); Yogi Horton, Buddy Williams (drums); Steve Croon (bongos, congas); Paulinho Da Costa (congas, percussion, chimes); Bashiri Johnson, Michael White (percussion); Jason Miles (programming); Fonzi Thornton, Phil Perry, Phillip Ingram, Ava Cherry, Cissy Houston, Lisa Fisher, Darlene Love, Tawatha Agee (background vocals). | | Producers: Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley, Jr., Walter Afanasieff. | | Compilation producers: Leo Sacks, Ray Bardani. | | Recorded between 1982 & 1996. Includes liner notes by OJ Lima. | | This is part of the "Essential Collection" series. | | The 1989 release The Best of Luther Vandross captures Vandross at the peak of his powers, chronicling the '80s, when he reigned as the premier soul crooner of his time. That remains the definitive portrait of Vandross at his creative pinnacle, but 2003's The Essential Luther Vandross extends its reach much further, stopping when Vandross left Epic in 1996. So, it becomes a summary of his time at the label, and it's a thorough one; it may not be sequenced chronologically, but it hits all the big songs, throwing in some obscurities like "She's So Good to Me" from the Goonies soundtrack. If The Best of Luther Vandross has a bit of an edge, it's because of the consistency of the material; by concentrating on a particular era, it leaves out a lot of pleasantly pedestrian duets that kind of bog this collection down a little bit. Still, that's a minor point -- as is the complaint that this is not sequenced chronologically -- because this serves up 30 of Vandross' finest in a nice double-disc package. Most listeners will be plenty satisfied with this fine collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | This collection documents the two-decades-plus recording career of R&B icon Luther Vandross. Even before he started putting out records under his own name, he was a first-call session singer (he's the one who created and sang the chorus hook on David Bowie's "Young Americans," for just one example). Throughout the '80s and the '90s, he was (both commercially and aesthetically) one of the most consistently successful R&B singer/songwriter/producers. This healthy two-disc selection of highlights from the impressive Vandross catalogue moves deftly from heartfelt ballads ("A House is Not a Home") to percolating, poppy numbers ("Never Too Much"), spotlighting the man's mellifluous voice and tasteful phrasing at each turn. This is quite clearly the definitive career summary for this deeply influential R&B titan. |
Musical Guests | | Mariah Carey | | Michael White | | Dionne Warwick | | Marcus Miller | | Martha Wash | | Cheryl Lynn | | Paulinho Da Costa | | Paul Jackson, Jr. | | Patti Austin |
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