Dance with My Father isn’t able to maintain the high standards it often achieves, but Vandross’ voice is always compelling and the background singers live up to the superior arrangements throughout. Land Down Under, Luther Vandross, Bob Seger, Bruno Mars, Frank Sinatra. Tacked onto the end of the album, “They Said You Needed Me” is a silly, light calypso and also the one true dud. Get Up, Stand Up was the last ever song Bob Marley performed: it was the last. Superstar R&B album conventions being what they are, Busta Rhymes’ and Foxy Brown’s guest spots feel more mandatory than necessary, but Queen Latifah’s contribution to “Hit It Again” is welcome and inspired. Miller’s “She Saw You” borrows heavily from Timbaland’s production style, adding a tasteful Wes Montgomery-toned guitar to surround another story of betrayal. Luther Vandross, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad) Adrian Younge, Luther Vandross, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, The Midnight Hour. The Vandross-helmed “If I Didn’t Know Better” is a complex combination of bitterness and vulnerability, with Vandross confronting a two-timing lover. The rest of the album’s winners are the most restrained numbers, often with Marcus Miller or Vandross himself in the producer’s chair. The six-minute, sensual quiet storm “The Closer I Get to You” is the other high-profile track, a duet with Beyoncé Knowles holding her own with Vandross’ perfect phrasing. In top form at the time of recording, he is able to deliver the song with a voice strong enough to handle the monolithic sentimentality of the lyrics and Richard Marx’s swollen production. Vandross’ own serious ailment at the time of the single’s release makes the song’s references to absent loved ones even more poignant. Luther Vandross pours his heart and soul into Dance with My Father’s title track, an ambitious kickoff single that misrepresents an album where most highlights are down-tempo.
0 kommentar(er)
