Vandross record coming out after death

LOS ANGELES - There's new Luther Vandross music on the way. Fans of the legendary singer, who died in July, can enjoy two new tracks when "The Ultimate Luther Vandross" collection is released Aug. 22.

It includes the previously unissued songs "Shine," produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and "Got You Home."

The collection features 16 other songs from Vandross' two decades of music-making, including the hits "Here and Now" and "Endless Love."

Vandross sold more than 30 million albums during his award-winning career. Vandross, who began his career as lead singer of the group Change, made his solo recording debut in 1981 with the album "Never too Much." In 2005, he was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for a duet with Beyonce on "The Closer I Get to You," which is on the new collection.

I have yet to see a Vandross collection on the market that everyone, or nearly everyone, agrees is comprehensive. Hope this one gets it right.

EDIT: Oh wait, only 16 other songs besides the two new ones? Eh.. I don't know that much about Luther's career, anyway... I just thought it'd be nice to have a collection if I ever wanted one and I saw none on amazon that were of the consensus that it was genuinely ultimate.
[Edited 6/19/06 15:21pm]

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of the new song "Shine"?

Curious to see what this Jam & Lewis produced track sounds like.

Apparently, it's already climbing on Urban AC.

Can't wait!! I heard "Shine" over the weekend and I loved it!! Hubby and I got our "Step" on, right there in the kitchen. Real steppers are going to LOVE it, for sure!

I heard it earlier today. It is truly awful. All they've done is loop the intro of Chic's "My Forbidden Lover", added some perfunctory beats to it and put a Luther acapella over the top that's no doubt been hanging around unused for ages. Very cheap...however, his voice sounds sublime, as always...

what Luther is still alive?

squiddyren said:

Start with The Best of Luther: The Best of Love. It covers his best period (the '80s). For some of his later highlights, you can get One Night With You: The Best of Love, Vol. 2.

Should be a double disc.

There's too many Luther Vandross compilations out there! They keep releasing a new set every few months or so They always include the same songs.Don't get me wrong,I love Luther's music,but why so many similiar compilations?

I'd be more impressed if they were to remaster the early albums,especially the first three:

Never Too Much (1981)
Forever,For Always,For Love (1982)
Busy Body (1983)

add some bonus tracks,new liner notes,etc....

squiddyren said:

The thing is,many of Luther's best songs are his non-singles.I'd go crazy over a compilation that includes stuff like "Make Me A Believer","You Stopped Loving Me","The Other Side Of The World"....popular album tracks that weren't singles,but are still an important part of his catalog.

DavidEye said:

Of course, there are also popular singles that don't make the cut like "Don't You Know That" and "She Won't Talk to Me." Let's face it: making an "ultimate" Luther compilation is pretty difficult.

AlexdeParis said:

agreed.Another single that rarely appears on these compilations is "Love Me Again",a beautiful song from his 1993 'Never Let Me Go' album.

squiddyren said:

Excatly. Only one disc? There is already a two disc set on the market. It gets most of his hits but misses some of the later stuff (no "Best Things In Life Are Free"...for some reason that one gets away from people). And I really liked his song "Nights In Harlem". He made one album for Virgin after leaving Columbia, which he had been on for years (and who butcher the hell out of his music into multiple compilations). The album really didn't do well and I don't even think the single charted.

Speaking of Luther comps, I recently bought a budget set titled "Stop To Love" which features his more upbeat hits. It's only six songs, but it's a cool idea. It features "Glow Of Love", which I never saw on a Luther CD before.

amit1234 said:

If "Closer" makes the cut, this is a J Records collection, isn't it? It's alread not "Ultimate"!

VinnyM27 said:

"Glow Of Love" is actually a 1980 song by the band Change,featuring Luther on lead vocals.This is the song that Janet samples on her hit "All For You".

VinnyM27 said:

"Glow of Love" is on the best Luther CD (The Best of Love). The video remix of "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is on One Night With You.

DavidEye said:

Yeah, that's why I figured it was never on any Luther CD (guess I was wrong).

As a true Luther fanboy, I don't even need this or any other compilation.

I got the albums, man.

OdysseyMiles said:

Doesn't that mean you're missing "Here & Now," "Treat You Right," and "The Best Things in Life Are Free"?

Since Sony and BMG merged, I think this collection will be different in that it will merge his Columbia era and J era material together.

We should be seeing songs like "Take You Out" and "Dance With My Father" make their first appearance on a Luther compilation.

I was right...

J, Epic, and Legacy Records Join in the Release of the Ultimate Luther Vandross

Career Spanning CD Features Two Previously Unreleased Tracks With Sixteen Classic Recordings
First Ever Collection of J and Epic Hits

NEW YORK, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating the extraordinary artistry and impact of the legendary superstar, J, Epic, and Legacy Records will join in the release of The Ultimate Luther Vandross on August 22nd. A first-of- its-kind, career spanning collection, the eighteen-track album is drawn from the multi-talented singer/songwriter and producer's recordings for both J Records and Epic Records. The CD will include two previously unissued cuts, "Shine" (produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis), the first single from the album and "Got You Home." "Shine" is already being blasted on the airwaves as radio stations across the country have jumped the gun and added it prior to its official impact date of June 19th. The overwhelming response from radio programmers includes comments from "it's the hottest adult song of the year" to "it's another great record from Luther!"

The Ultimate Luther Vandross features all of Luther's chart topping singles including the Grammy-winning No. 1 pop/R&B smash, "Dance With My Father," the title track for Luther's 2003 platinum-plus J Records album; 1989's Grammy-winning Epic hit, "Here And Now" and "Endless Love," Luther's 1994 million-selling duet with Mariah Carey. The CD also includes J hits "Take You Out" and "I'd Rather" and Epic '80s and '90s singles, "Never Too Much," "Give Me The Reason," "Any Love" and "Power Of Love/Love Power."

The powerhouse album also reprises such Vandross classics as "A House Is Not A Home," "Wait For Love" and "Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me" alongside key album cuts such as Luther's 2003 duet with Beyonce, the cover of the Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway classic "The Closer I Get To You," "Buy Me A Rose" and "Think About You," all taken from Luther's last studio album.

Luther Vandross was undeniably one of the most significant vocalists of our time. Since the 1981 platinum-selling release of Never Too Much, Luther's recording career spanned over two decades and resulted in a lifetime of chart topping hits. Through the 1980's, he recorded a string of platinum albums, including Forever, For Always, For Love, Busy Body and The Night I Fell In Love. He scored his first Grammy Award in 1989 with "Here And Now." 2003's Dance With My Father received 4 Grammy Awards and has generated worldwide sales exceeding 3 million copies. Collectively, Luther's body of work has sold in excess of 30 millions records worldwide, winning eight Grammy Awards, numerous Soul Train, BET, NAACP Image Awards and American Music Awards.

The release of The Ultimate Collection just over a year after his death is a solid reminder of the creative genius, soulful magic and sheer artistry of Luther Vandross, an unforgettable presence and one of the most influential vocalists of our time.

SOURCE J Records

There are 30 or 40 songs that should be there instead of "The Closer I Get to You." That one should've been left to Roberta and Donny.

amit1234 said:

I think that's the whole point....put his J hits on there. Also, this is the first big release since his death, and with new songs, they are probably hoping for an actual seller rather than those half ass comps that just take up space in the bargin bin (not for lack of good music, though).