Dance With My Father

by

Luther Vandross

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NOTE: Luther is making progress in his recovery from his stroke - let's keep him in our prayers while we enjoy his new music!

"Dance With My Father" is unlike any of Luther's previous work - the album sounds like Luther wants to be a hitmaker, rather than a mere legend. Usually, at this point in an artist's career, you can often sense a "going through the motions" production, and can predict the number of uptempos, ballads, remakes and the like, based on the artist's history. "Dance With My Father" changes all that.

The title track, a loving tribute to a parent who passed away when Vandross was 7 is the most personal recording Luther has ever made. There is no denying the heartfelt tone of the vocals, and the sheer joy contained in the lyrics sentiments. The song has justly become one of the biggest hits of Luther's career. But that is just a starting point for this excellent disc.

In a "love song" mode, no one performs as well as Luther these days (though Freddie Jackson was always a great competitor). And the love songs on "Dance" are timeless. Particularly enjoyable are "Buy Me A Rose" which vocalizes the many things one can do to make a lover feel special, "Apologize", and a brilliant reworking of "The Closer I Get To You", featuring Beyonce Knowles. In an interesting flip, Luther sings the Roberta Flack lines of this classic, while Beyonce tackles the Donny Hathaway sections. Their voices sound great together, and the piece is another stellar Luther duet, right up there with his work with Cheryl Lynn.

The faster tempoed songs are a great listen also - particularly "Hit It Again", which pairs LV with Queen Latifah. Latifah's rap/sing vocals sound great in this setting - would someone please get this girl recording again? A remake of "Lovely Day" featuring Busta Rhymes works very well also, but Foxy Brown's contribution to a new version of Richard "Dimples" Field's "If It Ain't One Thing" leaves you slightly disappointed - this is a great song, and could have been a classic remake in the right hands (where is Betty Wright when you need her?)

Overall, this album is one of, if not the best of Luther's career - I wish him the strength and health needed to recover from his stroke so we can one day see these songs (especially "Dance With My Father") performed live. Bless you, Luther!