Luther Vandross This Close To You

Much like the self-titled debut from Luther Vandross's first group Luther, This Close to You is a respectable if somewhat anodyne slab of pre-disco soul. To be sure, This Close to You is a fine album, but it lacks many of the standout numbers of Luther and leans far too heavily on ballads and mid tempo grooves that aren't funky enough to dance to or slow enough to romance to. While this may seem ironic given Vandross's future reputation as a chart-demolishing balladeer, it results in This Close to You having a bit of an overpolished feel. Kicking off strong with a bombastic strings-and-all showcase for Vandross's voice ("This Is For Real"), the record soon begins to feel a bit repetitive without any of the chunky funk of Luther numbers like "Funky Music (Is A Part of Me)" or "Emotion Eyes" to provide contrast and dynamics. Of course, the performances here are top-notch. Whether the background vocals of the other singers in Luther (who get a bit more mic time here than they did on Luther) or the studio pros like Nile Rodgers, Cornell Dupree, Dennis Davis, and Nathaniel Adderley Jr. (who would go on to be Vandross's music director throughout the rest of his career), every musician here is operating a standard befitting a singer as strong as Vandross. Unfortunately, the material itself isn't quite as robust, and while it's not nearly as bad as its reputation would make it seem (after all, Vandross bought the rights to the Luther albums and kept them from being reissued while he was alive), it's definitely the more unremarkable of the two albums the group released. © Jason Ferguson

Much like the self-titled debut from Luther Vandross's first group Luther, This Close to You is a respectable if somewhat anodyne slab of pre-disco soul. To be sure, This Close to You is a fine album, but it lacks many of the standout numbers of Luther and leans far too heavily on ballads and mid tempo grooves that aren't funky enough to dance to or slow enough to romance to. While this may seem ironic given Vandross's future reputation as a chart-demolishing balladeer, it results in This Close to You having a bit of an overpolished feel. Kicking off strong with a bombastic strings-and-all showcase for Vandross's voice ("This Is For Real"), the record soon begins to feel a bit repetitive without any of the chunky funk of Luther numbers like "Funky Music (Is A Part of Me)" or "Emotion Eyes" to provide contrast and dynamics. Of course, the performances here are top-notch. Whether the background vocals of the other singers in Luther (who get a bit more mic time here than they did on Luther) or the studio pros like Nile Rodgers, Cornell Dupree, Dennis Davis, and Nathaniel Adderley Jr. (who would go on to be Vandross's music director throughout the rest of his career), every musician here is operating a standard befitting a singer as strong as Vandross. Unfortunately, the material itself isn't quite as robust, and while it's not nearly as bad as its reputation would make it seem (after all, Vandross bought the rights to the Luther albums and kept them from being reissued while he was alive), it's definitely the more unremarkable of the two albums the group released. © Jason Ferguson

Much like the self-titled debut from Luther Vandross's first group Luther, This Close to You is a respectable if somewhat anodyne slab of pre-disco soul. To be sure, This Close to You is a fine album, but it lacks many of the standout numbers of Luther and leans far too heavily on ballads and mid tempo grooves that aren't funky enough to dance to or slow enough to romance to. While this may seem ironic given Vandross's future reputation as a chart-demolishing balladeer, it results in This Close to You having a bit of an overpolished feel. Kicking off strong with a bombastic strings-and-all showcase for Vandross's voice ("This Is For Real"), the record soon begins to feel a bit repetitive without any of the chunky funk of Luther numbers like "Funky Music (Is A Part of Me)" or "Emotion Eyes" to provide contrast and dynamics. Of course, the performances here are top-notch. Whether the background vocals of the other singers in Luther (who get a bit more mic time here than they did on Luther) or the studio pros like Nile Rodgers, Cornell Dupree, Dennis Davis, and Nathaniel Adderley Jr. (who would go on to be Vandross's music director throughout the rest of his career), every musician here is operating a standard befitting a singer as strong as Vandross. Unfortunately, the material itself isn't quite as robust, and while it's not nearly as bad as its reputation would make it seem (after all, Vandross bought the rights to the Luther albums and kept them from being reissued while he was alive), it's definitely the more unremarkable of the two albums the group released. © Jason Ferguson

"Never Too Much" is the debut solo album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981 (see 1981 in music). It peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 (then known as Pop Albums), peaked at #1 on the R&B Albums chart, and went double Platinum by the RIAA. The album earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982 - "Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male". The album's title track topped the Black Singles chart for two weeks. Vandross's rendition of Dionne Warwick's 1964 "A House Is Not a Home" became one of his signature songs, and received attention for its transformation into an "epic", since its duration was extended to seven minutes.

Any Love is the sixth studio album by American soul singer Luther Vandross. It was released on September 20, 1988. It reached the top position on the R&B Album charts that year for two weeks. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male" and its title track was nominated for "Best R&B Song". Also, "She Won't Talk to Me" received a nomination for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male" in 1990. The album was certified platinum. The album also features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait".

Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, peaked at number one on the R&B Albums chart, and went double platinum by the RIAA. The album earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982 - "Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance / Male".

Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, peaked at number one on the R&B Albums chart, and went double platinum by the RIAA. The album earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982 - "Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance / Male".

Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, peaked at number one on the R&B Albums chart, and went double platinum by the RIAA. The album earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982 - "Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance / Male".