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Luther Vandross
1951-2005: Soul Crooner for the Ages
The first time I heard of Luther Vandross
was a video for the song "Give Me the Reason" from
the movie Ruthless People in 1986. Not much of a fan of
R&B, I was nevertheless struck by his silky smooth loveman
voice. Then I heard more of him as his songs works their way
from the R&B to the pop charts like "Stop to Love,"
"Here and Now," and "Never Too Much." To
my later surprise, I found out that he sang backup for two of
my favorite acts of the '70s, David Bowie (Vandross appears on
Bowie's soul album Young Americans) and Chic, as well
as backing Bette Midler. Solo success seemed so obvious.
Vandross, who passed away on July 1, 2005,
clearly was one of, if not the only, greatest soul singers of
the '80s and '90s. He filled the love man role as did Marvin
Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass before him but unlike those two particular
vocalists, Vandross never tackled raunchier material; his approach
focused more on the art of romance than seduction-although by
his delivery, you couldn't tell (sadly his younger contemporaries
haven't yet mastered that approach). He could take material written
by almost anybody and make it his own, from Burt Bacharach's
"A House is Not a Home" to Heat Wave's "Always
Forever," not to mention his duet with Mariah Carey on Endless
Love.
What can be considered Vandross' best song
is "Dance with My Father" from the 2003 album of the
same name. It became more meaningful in the context of the stroke
he suffered at the time. Usually I don't let songs affect me
that emotionally, but this particular one-a remembrance of a
father who passed away-really struck me with its touching lyrics
and how beautifully Vandross sang. That to me will be lasting
epitaph to a great career in music.
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