| Title: | MUSIC V4 |
| Notice: | New Noters please read Note 1.*, Mod = someone else |
| Moderator: | KDX200::COOPER |
| Created: | Wed Oct 09 1991 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Mar 12 1996 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 762 |
| Total number of notes: | 18706 |
Just picked up "A Very Special Christmas". I enjoy Christmas music but the main reason was to hear "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...) by Luther Vandross. I'll tell ya - if he hasn't become my favorite vocalist, I sure can't come up with someone better. Btw, there's no Luther note in here. He really does a wonderful version of this song!! In my act, I do "Don't wanna be a Fool", "Power of Love", and "Here and Now". All 3 are among the most challenging vocals that I do. To me, Here and Now could be a graduate course in singing and I always find more to appreciate every time I hear it. He has terrific power and a fabulous range - he hits the high notes and yet sounds so deep and full. It's really deceiving as to how high he's singing until you try to sing along. When I sing those tunes, I strain to get up there and sound like I'm singing higher than him because my voice is so much "thinner" than his. I love to pay attention to where he breathes and where he changes to falsetto. It's often seamless because it doesn't lose any fullness or depth. And if that isn't enough, I find his songs very melodic and catchy and the sheet music proves his chord changes to be extremely challenging. Anyway, hearing his Christmas song made me look for a Luther note and, since there wasn't one, here it is. Tom
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 339.1 | VERGA::CLARK | Fri Dec 18 1992 13:02 | 5 | ||
> -< Luther Vandross >- I hear the recent double-CD/tape/LP compilation on Epic is very well done: "Best of Luther Vandross: Best of Love". (I've heard a couple of songs, but am not real familiar...). - Jay | |||||
| 339.2 | CUPMK::T_THEO | Take a number and a club. | Fri Dec 18 1992 13:12 | 19 | |
The Vandross Collection is excellent and quite comprehensive...
Vandross, Luther - The Best Of/The Best of Love [AAD, ADD] Epic
Disc I
- Searching - The Glow Of Love
- Never Too Much - If This World Were Mine
- A House Is Not A Home - Bad Boy/Having A Party
- Since I Lost My Baby - Promise Me
- 'Til My Baby Comes Home - If Only For One Night/Creepin'
Disc II
- Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me - Stop To Love
- So Amazing - There's Nothing Better Than Love
- Give Me A Reason - Any Love
- I Really Didn't Mean It - Love Won't Let Me Wait
- Treat You Right - Here And Now
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| 339.3 | Another Luther Christmas Song | TECRUS::ROST | I fret less these days | Fri Dec 18 1992 13:29 | 6 |
The reissued/modified CD of the Atco "Soul Christmas" has *two*
versions of a Christmas song Vandross recorded in the seventies when he
had a group called Luther that recorded for Cotillion. One version is
a dance remix.
Brian
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| 339.4 | Another Fan | ASABET::MCLAUGHLIN | Fri Dec 18 1992 18:53 | 29 | |
I'm a Vandross fan, and have "The Night I Fell In Love",
"Best of Love" (greatest hits), and "Power of Love" on CD.
Aside from all that was mentioned previously, Luther's recordings are
interesting because of what he does with vocal arrangements for backup
singers. From what I've read, Luther was a backup singer for David Bowie and
Roberta Flack. Roberta pushed Luther out on his own after hearing
his "Never Too Much" demo tape. Some singers use backups to oohh, ahhh,
or overshadow (disguise) a weak lead vocal. Luther needs of that, but
rather provides his backups with their own lines for call-and-response.
Downsides of Vandross recordings are his trademark 'boomarang' reverb
effects at the end of some phrases. He's too good a singer to employ such
trickery - and thankfully doesn't do so often.
Among others, Luther has produced for his idol and primary inspiration Dionne
Warwick, Patti LaBelle - for whom he formed a fan club 20+ years ago,
Aretha ("Jump To It" hit single was all Vandross), Whitney, and his 7-year
backup vocalist turned protege, Lisa Fischer. Lisa provided the high sustain
in "Give Me The Reason". Her fairly recent hit single was "How Can I Ease
The Pain". If you've heard the single, you know that Lisa equals Mariah in
the high-end, but is savvy enough to know that less is more. Ironically,
Luther's 2-3 productions on Lisa's debut album are fairly dismissable.
Vandross productions that lack Luther's lead vocals are often descernable
by his use of a very distinctive bassline hook that I cannot describe without
humming it!!! Both the 'boomarang' vocals and bassline hook are present in
"Here and Now", which is an excellent song on an excellent and relatively
inexpensive double disc set.
Shawn
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| 339.5 | Correction | ASABET::MCLAUGHLIN | Fri Dec 18 1992 20:13 | 5 | |
My previous entry contained a typo and stated "Luther needs of that"
instead of "Luther needs none of that" in reference to backup vocals
used to disguise or prop up a weak lead vocal.
Shawn
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