Luther Vandross: Luther Vandross

[DudeAsInCool]

Luther Vandross

Luther Vandross

(RCA)

After five Grammy awards and multi-Platinum selling albums, the pressure's on for Luther Vandross to pull another smash hit out of the bag with his latest offering, simply titled Luther Vandross.

Luther's career has spanned three decades. He made his first breakthrough with "Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day)", which he wrote for the hit Broadway musical 'The Wiz' which was later remade for the big screen with an all star cast which included Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. He has had several successful collaborations over the years with the likes of Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, just to a name a few. Mr Vandross is also a renowned producer, songwriter and arranger and has penned soul classics such as "Power of Love/Love Power" and "Secret Love".

Luther Vandross, his 15th solo album, doesn't disappoint. The opening track "Take You Out" (already a big hit in the clubs), sets the mood as Luther takes you through a journey of love, sorrow and life. "Bring your heart to time" is the stand out ballad of the album, closely followed by the haunting "Heaven can wait". However don't be fooled into thinking that this is just another album of romantic love songs; Luther forges his way into the new millennium with the upbeat, no messing r & b track "How do I tell her". He doesn't forget his roots either; we are taken on a trip down memory lane with "Let's make tonight the night", a track reminiscent of the funky soul of the 80's, the music that really brought him to our attention.

With this album Luther has stepped into the 21st century with style. He's combined his classic soul sound with the new digitised r & b beat, therefore cleverly pleasing his die-hard fans and also paving the way for a new generation of followers. Luther is undisputedly still the king of soul ballads but he is also recognised as a force to be reckoned with on the new r & b scene. He was recently awarded the Music Of Black Origin (MOBO) Lifetime Achievement Award. I think we can safely say that Luther's lifetime achievements are far from over.

BBC.com