(Heck, Luther’s name is chronologically second only to Marvin Gaye’s in the vast array of artists name-dropped in the Kanye West, Twista, and Jamie Foxx mood-music-tribute “Slow Jamz.”) It’s also worth noting that, before he ever became a solo star, Luther was one of the most wildly in-demand background vocalists and vocal arrangers in the record business, pop and R&B artists alike coveting his skills. He may have never fully delved into gospel territory the way Al eventually did, but he was just as capable as Green of making peoples’ toes tap – just listen to “’Til My Baby Comes Home” if you’ve never thought of Vandross as anything but a balladeer – and, like Al, he undeniably mastered the art of the sultry slow jam. But therein lays Vandross’ genius as a craftsman: Luther was very much to the ‘80s what Al Green was to the ‘70s. Luther was not the type of R&B artist to typically make sociopolitical commentary in his music or push cultural boundaries or even do anything terribly experimental – in fact, Luther, like Lionel, really didn’t aim for anything other than to simply make listeners smile or dance or give the world a soundtrack for life’s most romantic moments. Icon is more fitting.Like Lionel Richie, the late, great Luther Vandross was both a charismatic singer who alternated from tender, lovely ballads to fun, danceable lite-funk tunes with ease and a tremendously talented songwriter and producer as well, one who even such iconic artists as Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick recruited to their cause in the early ‘80s (Vandross even giving the Queen of Soul her first Top 40 hit in over six years with 1982’s “Jump to It.”) And, like Richie, Vandross has tended to be somewhat overlooked by critics merely because he didn’t aspire to be an artistic revolutionary figure akin to Stevie Wonder or Prince or Marvin Gaye. In fact, that word might not even be strong enough for him. We toss around the word “legend” wayyyy too frequently for my taste.
![luther vandross songs album luther vandross songs album](https://i.etsystatic.com/16523934/r/il/a95a9b/1635715026/il_570xN.1635715026_ghep.jpg)
Yes, like Sade, Lutha was once part of a group that shared his name. For clarity, this list will only include his 20-year solo studio albums, excluding his holiday sets, compilations and his early run as part of the group Luther. So today, let’s look back at his historic career, ranking his albums from bottom to top. And of course he has the voice – the gold standard for vocalists in any genre, arguably THE best male voice in R&B.
![luther vandross songs album luther vandross songs album](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/sssAAOSwvM1gzl7Q/s-l300.jpg)
He has the sales success – every studio album with one exception has gone at least platinum (and the one lone album still went gold). He has the hits – an endless array that are still sampled and covered 40 years later. Even Ghost Prince remains petty.Īfter Prince (and Stevie Wonder – and don’t get your hopes up waiting for THAT ranking…), the other major rankings request comes from a man who needs only one name:Īnd for younger readers who don’t know, or old heads who just have forgotten, I’ll happily remind you – Luther Vandross is one of the greatest artists in R&B history. Then he had the nerve to release a NEW album a few weeks ago.
![luther vandross songs album luther vandross songs album](https://direct.rhapsody.com/imageserver/images/Alb.16797347/170x170.jpg)
Earlier this year, I finally bent to pressure and ranked all 10 billion Prince albums.