Love Luther [Box set]

Luther Vandross | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Epic
• ASIN: B000VH3FV8
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,340 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > R&B > Quiet Storm

Editorial Reviews

THE FIRST CAREER-SPANNING COLLECTION BY LUTHER VANDROSS Featuring:
56 stunning songs on 4 CDs -- over 4 hours of music!
Breathtaking ballads, funky favorites, demos and all the #1 hits
Intimate moments with Luther at rehearsal
Deluxe 60-page book includes rare photos and memories from the Vandross family album
A powerful essay plus a beautiful poem from Luther's mother
Featuring the exclusive new single "There's Only You"

"Luther Vandross: singer, songwriter, masterful producer, pop balladeer, blues and jazz stylist, soul crooner, torch singer, chansonnier. He made baby-making music that doubled as the soundtrack to nearly unbearable loneliness and isolation, themselves the result of heartbreak or heartache. The yin and yang of joy and emotional despair played out in his music, with one always hinting at or acknowledging the other. With his death, an era came to an end." --from the liner notes by Ernest Hardy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give up the love for this box set!, January 5, 2008

By 

Tom (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Luther (Audio CD)

What is with all the nit-picking about this box set? The purpose of this box set is to give an overview of Luther Vandross's career, and it does an excellent job of that. This set DOES have some rarities, yet the hardcore fans complain there are not enough. That was not the purpose of this collection. It is not a B-sides/rarities compilation, but rather an anthology of his career. There are complaints that not all of Vandross's charted hits are here. Yes, not all of the songs that charted below number 60 on the Billboard charts are here, but it's not a major oversight and it's not like the collection leaves off his major classics.

The sound is excellent. The '80s hits sound crisp and fresh as ever. The liner notes are well-written and not exhaustive. Songs come in extended or original form, not cut up or edited like so many other compilations. How can you complain when you get the rare, extended version of "Never Too Much"? Certainly not me. You get excellent live versions of "Searching", "Always & Forever" and "A House is Not A Home". You even get a sample of his producing abilities, with the full-length version of Aretha Franklin's "Jump to It". I think that's a smart move on the compilers' part; Vandross was a huge fan of divas like Aretha and he was prolific in his production skills.

It's rare that I can listen to a box set all the way through. Yet "Love, Luther" is such a consistently good listen, that you can enjoy it straight through from disc one to disc four. In fact, the collection just gets better and better with each disc, and each disc stands on its own.

Even if some of Luther's music sounds very much from the era it was recorded, he was a talented artist who had great taste in song choices and production. This production really is a labor of love.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sinply For Luther, October 17, 2007

By 

Michael Kerner "Michael Kerner" (Brooklyn, New York U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love Luther (Audio CD)

When it comes to making great R&B music these days, we really don't seem to have the feeling that true soul & its essence carried over the years. For acts like Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, they've all made really good records, but the music industry and fans seemed to be more eager into rap & hip hop acts like 50 Cent and Jay-Z. For a definitive crooner like Luther Vandross, his music seems to keep lovers everywhere wishing they had more from him. It has been 2 years since his devistating death, and many people who've been in the hearts of sensual soul are still listening to his sexy voice, and that can be said well in his first ever career-spanning box set.

Love Luther, is the 2007 box set showcasing Luther Vandross through his delightful 3 decades of true sensual soul. The collection includes great tracks that were remastered well and true to what his voice carried over a lifetime. The collection includes great tracks as classic Luther standards like Any Love, the somber and mellow Dance With My Father, Take You Out, Stop To Love, Power Of Love/Love Power, to his classicly conjured duets with Mariah Carey on Endless Love, Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce' with The Closer I get To You, and legends like Dionne Warwick with How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye. The collection also includes live rendiditions of A House Is Not A Home, Searching, and the Lady Is A Tramp with the legendary Frank Sinatra.

Although the box set spans very well, there are a few disadvantages to this collection. The first one is that the collection doesn't keep the tracks in chronological order, which might confuse new listeners, as well as die hard fans. the other problem is that the album does overlook a few great songs that could've been displayed here like Going In Circles, Think About You from Dancing With My Father, and other great tracks.

All in all, Love, Luther still remains a remarkable box set that is worth the heart and the soul from a legendary crooner. While the collection could've been fixed up a little, it still remains a shining box set that is worth the money for anyone who needs a little love from a late angel. Luther Vandross was. and always will be one of a kind, and I really recommend Love, Luther. It is a great buy.

Album Cover: B+

Songs: B+

Price: B

Remastering: A-

Overall: B 1/2+

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Love, Luther' Is Nice But Not Truly Definitive!, October 18, 2007

By 

chakasworld "chakasworld" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love Luther (Audio CD)

'Love Luther' was very nice, but could've been better IMO! Don't get me wrong, I think the packaging (photos, liner notes, etc) was awesome, but with all of the many (and I mean MANY!) Luther compilation CDs available (most feature the same old tracks!), it would've been extra special to include previously unreleased (or rare) songs in addition more non-album tracks & hits! I'm referring to music from the 1st 2 albums by the group Luther (1976-1977), which have never been issued on CD (this would've been a perfect time). Personally, I own about 3-4 Luther compilation CDs, so the rare tracks in this box were the main attraction (after placing the rare tracks on a single CD, I had to resell the box!). One of these so called rare tracks ('The Lady Is A Tramp' with Frank Sinatra) is not rare at all (and sounds out of place here!), so it didn't make the cut on my personal CD. Also, who was the nut that decided to include Aretha's 'Jump To It' on this collection ?? I know Luther produced it, but COME ON!!! Sony/Legacy/J Records should've returned 'Got You Home' back to the vault.....it sounded bad on last year's 'Ultimate Luther Vandross' CD, and it REALLY sounds bad now! This Luther box set would be a 5 star affair if it included a few more hits along with songs like 'I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning' (1978 Duet with Patti Austin), 'The Thrill I'm In' (fr.'Money Train' SDTK), 'Heart Of A Hero' (fr.'Hero' SDTK), 'She's So Good To Me' (fr.'Goonies' SDTK), 'Hold On' (Awesome Live Duet with Patti Labelle), and 'You Really Started Something' (An Import Only Bonus Track from 2001!) in addition to other non-album tracks. I'd also hoped to see a few rare 12" mixes of Luther's hits included, but maybe that's coming soon when they remaster all of his studio CDs. All in all, the 'Love Luther' box set, with it's nice packaging & questionable tracklisting, is not as great as it SHOULD'VE been. With a legend like Luther Vandross, I expected a definitive box set along the lines of Marvin Gaye's 'The Master' (4 CDs) or The Temptations' 'Emperors Of Soul' (5 CDs). If you don't have Luther Vandross' greatest hits, ultimate collection, essential collection, etc, I'd recommend that you invest in 'Love Luther' or simply wait a few more years for the next compilation. You know it's coming!
Take care, SD