Luther Vandross
Vandross has a marvelously satiny, rich voice. He probably sounds romantic saying, "Please pass the dental floss." That kind of equipment doesn't hurt, but it doesn't make for foolproof music. This album is full of vapid tracks, most written or co-written by Vandross, with such lines as "So let yourself reach for that star/And go, no matter how far" and "When you walked into the crowded room/You sent my rocket to the moon." The mood and the sound are mellow; the lyrics incite guffaws. Marcus Miller, who co-produced the album with Vandross, factored himself in heavily, which helps, since his distinctive bass lines provide complementary texture. Gregory Hines's duet vocal on There's Nothing Better Than Love is a welcome change too. Maybe there's a lesson in the fact that the most pleasing track is from an outside source: the Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune Anyone Who Had a Heart, a 1963 hit for Vandross' old idol, Dionne Warwick. Vandross slows the song down drastically, the better to explore its odd cadences. There are lots of terrific songwriters out there, Luther. Nobody said you had to do it all yourself. (Epic)
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