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Songs (Luther Vandross album)

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Songs
Studio album by
Luther Vandross
ReleasedSeptember 20, 1994 (U.S.)
RecordedDecember 1993–June 1994
Studio
Various
Length61:00
Label
Producer
Luther Vandross chronology
Never Let Me Go
(1993) 		Songs
(1994) 		This Is Christmas
(1995)

Songs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by LV Records and Epic Records on September 20, 1994 in the United States. The album, a collection of cover versions, produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". According to an interview both Vandross and Mariah Carey gave in Japan following the release of their duet "Endless Love", there was mention that Carey had given advice as to what songs Vandross would cover on this album.[1][2]

Songs garnered generally mixed reviews from music critics. It debuted and peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200 and opened at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Vandross' highest-charting project yet. The album earned Vandross four nominations at the 1995 Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Love the One You're With", Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Endless Love", Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Always and Forever", and Best R&B Album.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Michael Eric Dyson wrote in his reviews for Rolling Stone: "While there may be no stunning surprises on Songs, this collection, brilliant in many spots, proves that Vandross is a master of musical reinterpretation."[6] Music & Media noted that "this covers-only album could go a long way in finally giving Vandross the same status on the continent that he enjoys in the Anglo-American markets. Apart from more obvious choices [...] he successfully tries his hand at up-tempo material [...] and strays away from the R&B realm by giving a whole new twist to Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With."[7] Cash Box critic M.R. Martinez felt that Songs "demoustrates the ample stylistic repertoire that the singer can wield."[8]

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album two out of five stars. He found that "the collection of personal favorites suffers from the common flaws of covers albums – it isn't consistent, it sounds slightly canned, and seems like a way to buy time between "real" albums. Nevertheless, Vandross is a truly fine singer, which is what makes Songs worthwhile."[3] Jeremy Helligar, writing for Entertainment Weekly, called This Is Christmas a "hodgepodge collection of 13 revamped classics sounds like a desperate attempt to secure [...] a No. 1 pop single. Vandross just might find what he’s looking for. Too bad it couldn’t be something less drippy than "Endless Love"."[4]

Chart performance

[edit]

Songs debuted and peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200 in the week of October 8, 1994,[9] becoming Vandross' highest charting album yet.[9] It spent 37 weeks on the chart and reached both Gold and Platinum status on November 23, 1994.[10] On March 20, 1996, Songs earned a double Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for domestic shipments figures in excess of 2.0 million copies.[10] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on October 1, 1994.[11] It marked Vandross' first chart-topping album there and was certified Platinum on December 1, 1994.[12]

Track listing

[edit]
Songs track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Originally recorded byLength
1."Love the One You're With"Stephen StillsStephen Stills5:03
2."Killing Me Softly"
Lori Lieberman5:33
3."Endless Love" (duet with Mariah Carey)Lionel RichieLionel Richie and Diana Ross4:21
4."Evergreen"
Barbra Streisand3:54
5."Reflections"Holland-Dozier-HollandDiana Ross & the Supremes3:21
6."Hello"RichieLionel Richie4:44
7."Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"
McFadden & Whitehead4:53
8."Always and Forever"Rod TempertonHeatwave4:53
9."Going in Circles"
  • Anita Poree
  • Jerry Peters
The Friends of Distinction5:12
10."Since You've Been Gone"
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Teddy White
Aretha Franklin4:15
11."All the Woman I Need"
Linda Clifford as "All the Man I Need"4:54
12."What the World Needs Now"
Jackie DeShannon5:18
13."The Impossible Dream (The Quest)"
Richard Kiley5:16
Total length:61:00

Personnel

[edit]

Performers and musicians

  • Luther Vandross – lead and backing vocals, BGV arrangements (1, 7, 10)
  • Walter Afanasieff – arrangements (1, 3, 4, 5, 10-13), keyboards (1, 3, 4, 6-13), synthesizers (1-4, 6, 7, 8, 10-13), Hammond B3 organ (1, 5, 8, 9, 10), bass guitar (1), drums (1), percussion (1), rhythm programming (1, 3, 4, 6-13), acoustic piano (2), Synclavier (2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13), Moog bass (3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10-13), drum programming (3, 4, 6-13), additional programming (5), synth horns (10)
  • Gary Cirimelli – digital programming, Macintosh programming, synthesizer programming
  • Ren Klyce – digital programming, synthesizer programming
  • Dan Shea – keyboards (2, 5, 6-10), synthesizers (2, 5, 8, 9), Moog bass (2, 5, 9), drum programming (2, 9), rhythm programming (2, 5, 9), arrangements (2, 6-9), programming (6, 8, 10)
  • Dann Huff – guitar, nylon guitar solo (3)
  • Michael Landau – additional guitar (2, 5, 7, 11)
  • Michael Thompson – additional guitar (8)
  • Stephen "Doc" Kupka – baritone saxophone (9)
  • Emilio Castillo – tenor saxophone (9)
  • David Mann – tenor saxophone (9)
  • Lee Thornburg – trombone (9), trumpet (9), flugelhorn (9)
  • Greg Adams – trumpet (9), flugelhorn (9), horn arrangements (9)
  • Jeremy Lubbock – orchestra arrangements and conductor (3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13)
  • Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor (3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13)
  • London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra (3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13)
  • Narada Michael Walden – original arrangements (11)
  • Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13)
  • Johnny Britt – backing vocals (1, 7, 8, 9, 11)
  • Alexandra Brown – backing vocals (1, 7, 9, 11)
  • Lynn Davis – backing vocals (1, 7, 9, 11)
  • Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (1, 7, 8, 9, 11)
  • Phillip Ingram – backing vocals (1, 7, 8, 9, 11)
  • Paulette McWilliams – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13)
  • Phil Perry – backing vocals (1, 7, 8, 9, 11)
  • Brenda White-King – backing vocals (1, 5)
  • Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (2, 5)
  • Mariah Carey – lead vocals (3)
  • Robin Clark – backing vocals (7, 9, 13)
  • Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (7, 9, 10)
  • Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (7, 9)
  • Claytoven Richardson – backing vocals (8)
  • Cissy Houston – backing vocals (10, 13), BGV arrangements (10)
  • Darlene Love – backing vocals (10)
  • Phillip Ballou – backing vocals (13)
  • Kevin Owens – backing vocals (13)

Technical

  • Walter Afanasieff – producer
  • Luther Vandross – co-producer
  • Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer, recording, mixing (1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
  • Mick Guzauski – mixing (2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13)
  • Paul Brown – vocal recording (Luther Vandross)
  • Jay Healy – vocal recording (Mariah Carey)
  • Hadyn Bendall – strings recording
  • Kyle Bess – assistant engineer
  • Gus Garces – assistant engineer
  • David Gleeson – assistant engineer
  • Bill Leonard – assistant engineer
  • Chris Ludwinski – assistant engineer
  • Kent Matcke – assistant engineer
  • Gil Morales – assistant engineer
  • Mike Reiter – assistant engineer
  • David Reitzas – assistant engineer
  • Mike Scott – assistant engineer
  • Andy Smith – assistant engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Marsha Burns – production coordinator
  • Barbara Stout – production coordinator
Studios

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Songs
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[10] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Mariah Helped Luther Put Together His Covers LP! (Interview With Them)
  2. ^ YouTube - Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey interview
  3. ^ a b AllMusic review
  4. ^ a b Helligar, Jeremy (October 14, 1994). "Album Review: Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "POP : Do You Hear What We Hear? : Prick up your antlers: Calendar's annual recordings guide is here to help you sift through the year's notable pop, jazz, classical, children's and holiday music--and the best of the box sets. : Separating Best Bets From Lumps of Coal". Los Angeles Times. 1994-11-27. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06.
  6. ^ a b Dyson, Michael Eric (February 23, 1995). "Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. October 1, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Martinez, M.R. (October 8, 1994). "Urban — Reviews: Pick of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – Songs". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Luther Vandross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "British album certifications – Luther Vandross – Songs". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Luther Vandross – Songs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Luther Vandross – Songs" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Luther Vandross – Songs" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Luther Vandross – Songs" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – Luther Vandross – Songs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Luther Vandross – Songs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Luther Vandross – Songs". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  21. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  23. ^ "Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1994r". uktop40.republika.pl. Z archiwum...rocka. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  25. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  26. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  27. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Luther Vandross – Songs". Music Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  28. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Luther Vandross – Songs". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
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