Never Too Much [Remaster] (CD - 1981)

Personnel: Luther Vandross (vocals); George Wadenius, Steve Love (guitar); Nat Adderly, Jr. (keyboards); Ed Walsh (synthesizer); Marcus Miller (bass); Buddy Williams (drums); Crusher Bennett (percussion); Bashiri Johnson, Billy King (congas); Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Brenda White, Michelle Cobbs, Phillip Ballou, Sybil Thomas, Fonzi Thornton (background vocals).

Recorded at Media Sound, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Brian Chin.

Digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).

Personnel: Luther Vandross (vocals); George Wadenius, Steve Love (guitar); Nat Adderly, Jr. (keyboards); Ed Walsh (synthesizer); Marcus Miller (bass); Buddy Williams (drums); Crusher Bennett (percussion); Bashiri Johnson, Billy King (congas); Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Brenda White, Michelle Cobbs, Phillip Ballou, Sybil Thomas, Fonzi Thornton (background vocals).

Recorded at Media Sound, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Brian Chin.

This is a Super Audio CD playable only on Super Audio CD players.

Personnel: Luther Vandross (vocals); George Wadenius, Steve Love (guitar); Nat Adderly, Jr. (keyboards); Ed Walsh (synthesizer); Marcus Miller (bass); Buddy Williams (drums); Crusher Bennett (percussion); Bashiri Johnson, Billy King (congas); Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Brenda White, Michelle Cobbs, Phillip Ballou, Sybil Thomas, Fonzi Thornton (background vocals).

Recorded at Media Sound, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Brian Chin.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Audio Mixer: Michael Brauer.

In hindsight, Luther Vandross's debut should be viewed as one of the most important R&B records of the 1980s. With its balance of slick, buoyant, uptempo numbers and lush, mid-tempo tunes, both of which are distinguished by Vandross's inimitably smooth voice and delivery, '81's NEVER TOO MUCH ushered in a distinctive brand of satin-sheeted, romantic R&B that carried throughout the rest of the decade and into the '90s and 2000s.

The writing, arrangements, and performances on the album are consistently strong, and many of the cuts made significant dents in the R&B charts (including the title track, which went to number one). Yet it is Vandross's treatment of the Bacharach-David song "A House Is Not a Home" that is the album's true highlight. Evocative, lonely, and heartbreaking, Vandross truly makes the song his own (besting even Dionne Warwick's popular version). Quiet Storm R&B gathered a lot of momentum in the early '80s; and Luther Vandross--as heard here-- was one of the best and most influential practitioners of the style.

The debut solo album from Luther Vandross featured one outstanding song after another. Vandross concocts a bouncy, vibrant flow on his up-tempo numbers and an intimate, emotional connection on his moderate grooves and his lone ballad. The title track stormed up the Billboard R&B charts to number one where it remained for two weeks. The mellow groove of "Don't You Know That," which checked in at number ten, was the second single. "Sugar and Spice" had less of an impact on the charts due to its short stay of six weeks. However, this feverish number gets all the juices flowing as does the unreleased "I've Been Working." Also featured on this set is the sentimental number "You Stopped Loving Me." The song was written by Vandross but initially released by Roberta Flack; both versions stand tall. "A House Is Not a Home" is the only ballad, and an elegant one it is, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and originally sung by Dionne Warwick nearly 20 years prior. Vandross orchestrates a contemporary masterpiece with this vintage number. Though it was never an official release by the label, it's a quiet storm jewel. In addition to his many music credits, Vandross was a featured guest vocalist with the progressive band Change. The same vocal savvy and smooth styling that the New York City native exhibited on songs like "Searching" and "Glow of Love" resurface here. This is one of the better R&B albums of the early '80s. ~ Craig Lytle minimize