Forever, For Always, For Luther

I had planned to do a Part 2 of the music list I posted a few days ago because there was just too many artists that I left out, but after the passing of Luther Vandross on Friday it only made sense to do it as a tribute to him.

As it's impossible to narrow this list down to 5 songs, I've chosen to list 10 of my favorites (and even that's not enough). They're not listed in any particular order of importance, though the titles in the first half of the list all have the word "love" in them. What else would you expect from love's greatest musical spokesman? (Album titles are in parentheses along with the year of release.)

1- Forever, For Always, For Love (Forever, For Always, For Love; 1982)
This amazing ballad came off of Luther's second album. I was going through my collection and can't believe I don't have this! It's one of his greatest albums—a true classic.

2- Any Love (Any Love; 1988)
Everyone needs love, no doubt—any love
Everybody feels alone without any love

Who can't relate to that?

3- Night I Fell In Love (The Night I Fell In Love; 1985)
One of Luther's best uptempo songs. This one totally grooves.

4- For You To Love (Any Love; 1988)
With Marcus Miller as co-writer and bass player, the groove couldn't be tighter. And who else but Luther can make a booty call sound so romantic!

5- Power Of Love/Love Power (Power Of Love; 1991)
When I say goodbye it is never for long
'Cause I know our love still lives on
And it'll be again exactly like it was
'Cause I believe in the power of love

What could be a better epitaph for someone that reminded us of love's power on every song he sang?

6- Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me (Busy Body; 1983)
When I first heard this song, I had never heard the Carpenters' version. Once I did, I couldn't believe it was the same song. The fact is, it no longer was the same song. Once Luther got a hold of a song it totally became his. I once heard him say that he has to "Lutherize" any song he covers. Once you've heard Luther's version, you forget any other version existed. An absolute masterpiece!

7a- A House Is Not A Home (Never Too Much; 1981)
7b- Anyone Who Had A Heart (Give Me The Reason; 1986)
These two songs attest to Luther's unique ability to totally transform a song and make it his own. Both of these were Burt Bacharach compositions recorded by Dionne Warwick back in the 1970s. As much as I love Dionne's versions, they just don't do it for me like Luther's.

8- Creepin' (The Night I Fell In Love; 1985)
I kind of cheated with the last two with the a- & b- thing, but I had to squeeze this in. This is one of my all time favorite Luther covers. As good as the original Stevie Wonder version was—and I loved that—Luther once again completely recreated this song for himself. And Cissy Houston totally does her thing in the background.

9- Never Too Much (Never Too Much; 1981)
This is the first solo hit Luther had back in 1981. It sounds just as good today as it did back then. You'll definitely run out of breath trying to sing along with those verses.

10- Here And Now (Love Is On The Way; 1998)
One of the biggest wedding songs of the 20th Century. Need I say more?

Bonus Track: Dance With My Father (Dance With My Father; 2003)
This is of particular importance to me because today (July 3) is my father's birthday. I always remember it, but since he's been gone so long (almost 30 years), it's easy to let it slip by without acknowledging it in some significant way. Thinking about this song for this post made me feel like doing something more public.

Just A Note: Luther Vandross created some of the best background vocal arrangements for his songs. This isn't surprising since he was one of the best background vocalists in the business back in the day. As such, he could do no less than get the best singers for himself—Lisa Fisher, Cissy Houston, Fonzi Thornton, Kevin Owens, Cindy Mizelle, and Tawatha Agee, among others. Check out I Want The Night To Stay on the Power Of Love CD. (Just thought I'd sneak that one in.)

Luther Vandross was undisputedly the greatest R&B vocalist of his generation. I'm only sorry I never got to see him perform live. My sister's seen him, and she says his show was nothing short of perfection. Somehow, I'm not surprised.