It’s hard to truly quantify Luther Vandross’ contribution to soul, r&b and disco in the last quartet of the 20th century. One of the greatest, best loved and talented singer-songwriters, producers, and balladeers of his generation, in his latter years he was at times reduced to singing overly saccharine schmaltzy cookie cutter love songs. But his fans (of which there were legions) lapped it up, and the platinum albums and Grammy’s continued right up to his death two years ago. This belated 4CD anthology arrives just in time for the Christmas season and contains almost everything of importance to bear Luther’s luscious tones. There also early selected recordings with Change, Bionic Boogie, Charme, Aretha Franklin and the hard-to-find ‘Funky Music’ from an album that he cut for Cotillion in the ‘70s. All the hits are present and correct, along with live recordings from shows in London and New York, and there’s even a brace of previously unreleased demos, along with a rehearsal sessions from Montserrat that includes the forthcoming single, ‘There’s Only You’. It’s not only LV’s comparatively melisma-less tone that set him apart from his peers, but his exquisite control – a concept lost all too easy on contemporary r&b singers. I’m already missing his music.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene