The 1989 release The Best of Luther Vandross captures Vandross at the peak of his powers, chronicling the '80s, when he reigned as the premier soul crooner of his time. That remains the definitive portrait of Vandross at his creative pinnacle, but 2003's The Essential Luther Vandross extends its reach much further, stopping when Vandross left Epic in 1996. So, it becomes a summary of his time at the label, and it's a thorough one; it may not be sequenced chronologically, but it hits al...   [ read more ]

CD $15.19

Luther Vandross made a return to form, of sorts, with his 2001 self-titled album, and his first bow for former Arista chief Clive Davis' new label, J Records. Luther Vandross ranks as the singer's best since 1991's critically and commercially lauded Power of Love, and it produced the single "Take You Out," which proved to be the velvet-voiced crooner's first Top 40 pop hit since "Endless Love," his drippy hit duet with Mariah Carey from 1994's covers collection Songs. {^Lut...   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

Three years after Luther Vandross left Sony Music Entertainment, the label's Special Products division issued this budget-priced compilation, which looked back on his 1981-1986 recordings. Boasting only two Top Ten R&B hits ("Give Me the Reason" and the Gregory Hines duet "There's Nothing Better Than Love"), it could not be called a best-of. Rather, the anonymous compiler seemed to be trying to construct a typical Vandross album out of tracks originally used on several different ones. ...   [ read more ]

CD $10.43