Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Luther Vandross - Forever, For Always, For Luther
With Forever, For Always, For Luther a blockbuster gathering of smooth jazz stars takes turns paying tribute to R&B vocal legend Luther Vandross, performing ten of his most popular hits. The featured instrumentalists on the album are the crème-de-la-crème of the smooth jazz world, with dozens of top-charting, top-selling albums and countless hit singles among them. They are masters of bringing the soulful inflections of the great R&B singers to instrumental music and, in paying tribute to Vandross they are honoring one of their primary inspirations.
Producers Rex Rideout and Bud Harner carefully recruited people who have worked with Vandross over the years and focused on songs written or co-written by Vandross. Rideout, producer, keyboardist, arranger, and songwriter on dozens of smooth jazz and R&B albums, has co-authored songs and contributed arrangements and keyboards to Luther’s last three albums, including two songs on Dance With My Father. Mix engineer Ray Bardani has recorded and mixed most of Vandross’s output. Guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. has likewise appeared on most of Vandross’s recordings.
The album title is taken from the title track to Vandross’s best-selling 1982 album Forever, For Always, For Love and is movingly performed on this album by vocalist Lalah Hathaway, daughter of the great Donny Hathaway. The other vocal on the album is “My Sensitivity” performed by the remarkable new R&B singer Ledisi.
In addition to his many top solo outings, saxophonist Kirk Whalum has brought his gospel-inflected tenor playing to countless R&B projects, including six Luther Vandross albums. He opens the CD with a romantic version of “Any Love”, the #1 hit single from Vandross’s 1988 release of the same title. Paul Jackson, Jr. takes the lead on a spunky, up-tempo version of “Never Too Much”, another title track that was a #1 hit single in 1981. Saxist Boney James evokes Luther’s seductive vocals on “Wait for Love”, #11 R&B single from the #1 R&B album, 1985’s The Night I Fell in Love.
In 2003, alto saxophonist Mindi Abair took the smooth jazz world by storm with the fresh sound of her debut album, and she brings the same crackling fresh funkiness to her uptempo take on “Stop to Love”. Abair’s sultry background vocals spice the track, which was a #1 R&B single from “Give Me the Reason” in 1986. Pianist Brian Culbertson and saxophonist Dave Koz makes a dreamy slow-dance of “If Only for One Night” from 1985’s The Night I Fell in Love. Tenor sax man Richard Elliot wails soulfully on “Your Secret Love”, title song from the hit 1996 album. Elliot is supported by Luther Vandross’s original arrangement for background vocals for the track, sung by his long-time backup singers: Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Brenda White-King, and Fonzi Thornton. Guitar legend George Benson quietly dazzles on the ballad “Take You Out” from the #7 R&B single from the hit 2001 album Luther Vandross.
The triumphant album closer features trumpet star Rick Braun in a gorgeous rendition of the moving title track from Dance With My Father, which won Song of the Year at the February 2004 Grammy Awards, where the album won a total of four Grammy awards.
Tracks
1. Any Love
2. Never Too Much
3. Wait For Love
4. Forever, For Always, For Love
5. Stop To Love
6. If Only For One Night
7. My Sensitivity (Gets In The Way)
8. Your Secret Love
9. Take You Out
10. Dance With My Father
Personnel
Luther Vandross (8) Vocal Arrangement
Mindi Abair (5) Alto Saxophone
Richard Elliot (8) Tenor Saxophone
Brandon Fields (4, 5) Saxophone
Boney James (3, 7) Tenor Saxophone
David Koz (6) Alto Saxophone
Kirk Whalum (1) Tenor Saxophone
Rick Braun (10) Flugelhorn
Nick Lane (4-5, 9) Trombone
Lee Thornburg (4-5, 9) Trumpet
Rex Rideout (1-5, 7-10) Keyboards, Programming
Brian Culbertson (6) Keyboards, Programming
Sundra Manning (2, 4) Hammond
George Benson (9) Guitar
Ray Fuller (4) Guitar
Paul Jackson, Jr. (1-3, 6, 7) Guitar
John Pondel (9) Guitar
Dwight Sills (8, 10) Guitar
Ty Stevens (5) Guitar
Alex Al (3, 7, 8) Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass
Sekou Bunch (1-2, 4) Acoustic Bass
Steve Ferrone (5, 10) Drums
Michael White (1-2, 4) Drums
Lenny Castro (1-2, 4, 6, 10) Percussion
Lalah Hathaway (4) Vocal
Lisa Fischer (8) Vocal
Brenda White (8) Vocal
Cindy Mizelle (8) Vocal
Fonzi Thornton (8) Vocal
Various Artists
Sessions
Produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner.
Mixed by Ray Bardani.
Tracks 3 & 7 produced by Rex Rideout and Boney James
Track 6 produced by Brian Culbertson
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