The debut solo album from
Luther Vandross
featured one outstanding song after another.
Vandross
concocts a bouncy, vibrant flow on his up-tempo numbers and an intimate, emotional connection on his moderate grooves and his lone ballad. The title track stormed up the
Billboard
R&B charts to number one where it remained for two weeks. The mellow groove of
"Don't You Know That,"
which checked in at number ten, was the second single.
"Sugar and Spice"
had less of an impact on the charts due to its short stay of six weeks. However, this feverish number gets all the juices flowing as does the unreleased
"I've Been Working."
Also featured on this set is the sentimental number
"You Stopped Loving Me."
The song was written by
but initially released by
Roberta Flack
; both versions stand tall.
"A House Is Not a Home"
is the only ballad, and an elegant one it is, written by
Burt Bacharach
and
Hal David
and originally sung by
Dionne Warwick
nearly 20 years prior.
orchestrates a contemporary masterpiece with this vintage number. Though it was never an official release by the label, it's a quiet storm jewel. In addition to his many music credits,
was a featured guest vocalist with the progressive band
Change
. The same vocal savvy and smooth styling that the New York City native exhibited on songs like
"Searching"
"Glow of Love"
resurface here. This is one of the better R&B albums of the early '80s. ~ Craig Lytle