I've been listening to a lot of Luther Vandross lately and I must say, I've become a veritable fan. It wasn't until very recently that I understood the "hype" of his music, which I'm not proud to admit, but I'll chalk it up to once being young, dumb, and incapable of recognizing amazing music when I heard it.
The phrase "grown folks' music" couldn't be more apropos than in reference to Vandross's repertoire. As a youngster, I could easily take to his uptempo cuts like "Never Too Much," "Stop to Love," "It's Over Now," "Power of Love," and my all-time favorite "Give Me the Reason." However, it took me much longer to finally get the "hype" of many of his other songs.
Songs like "The Night I Fell in Love," "For You to Love," and "Treat You Right." Brimming with layers of melodious instruments and intricate rhythms, these songs offer a mature sound that only now as an adult could I fully appreciate. Though unabashedly synthesized, the instrumentation in these songs exhibit the creativity and artistry that music producers of the 80's and 90's placed into music. Sadly, that level of thought and skill just doesn't go into music these days.
If a less synthesized sound is desired, Vandross had plenty of songs to satisfy that palate. Soulful renditions like "Wait for Love" and "I Can Make It Better" along with mellow grooves like "Any Love" and "Your Secret Love" all offer an equal complexity of musicianship with less of the "artificial" sound.
Vandross's mid- and uptempo songs convey an energy that can't help but imbue itself into the soul of the listener--even a hard-headed one like me some 20 years later. But, it's the magic of his ballads--which often ventured into the territory of being outright symphonies--that truly have me realizing the brilliance of this man's music. And "If Only for One Night" is the song from this subset that finally made me take notice.
Whether the composition swells to a wrenching crescendo or retracts to a delicate repose, Vandross's velvety vocals in "If Only for One Night" prance along with the orchestration in effortless euphony. Similarly, "Love Won't Let Me Wait," "A House Is not a Home," and the masterful "Superstar" all showcase fully orchestrated scores that skillfully complement the purity of his voice.
With the dreck that passes for music these days, it's hard to believe that premium music like this once permeated the urban airwaves regularly. I remember hearing most of these songs on the radio when I was younger, but I'd always change the station before giving them a chance to nurture my budding musical aesthetic. Lord knows how misguided I was. I mean if songs like "Don't You Know That" and "The Glow of Love" were good enough for Heavy D and Janet Jackson to sample, why weren't they good enough for me?
It's a shame I didn't appreciate the true greatness of Luther Vandross's music until recently. But now that I'm less young and (hopefully) less dumb, I'm a true believer. Here and now I have nothing but the utmost veneration for his supreme body of work. Truly amazing indeed.
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