Track Listing

1. Never Too Much
2. Sugar And Spice (I Found Me A Girl)
3. Don't You Know That
4. I've Been Working
5. She's A Super Lady
6. You Stopped Loving Me
7. House Is Not A Home

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18795 in Music
• Released on: 2002-02-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

CD Description
In hindsight, Luther Vandross's debut should be viewed as one of the most important R&B records of the 1980s. With its balance of slick, buoyant, uptempo numbers and lush, mid-tempo tunes, both of which are distinguished by Vandross's inimitably smooth voice and delivery, '81's NEVER TOO MUCH ushered in a distinctive brand of satin-sheeted, romantic R&B that carried throughout the rest of the decade and into the '90s and 2000s.
The writing, arrangements, and performances on the album are consistently strong, and many of the cuts made significant dents in the R&B charts (including the titletrack, which went to number one). Yet it is Vandross's treatment of the Bacharach-David song "A House Is Not a Home" that is the album's true highlight. Evocative, lonely, and heartbreaking, Vandross truly makes the song his own (besting even Dionne Warwick's popular version). Quiet Storm R&B gathered a lot of momentum in the early '80s; and Luther Vandross--as heard here-- was one of the best and most influential practitioners of the style.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Debut From Mr Soul
Luther Vandross was born to sing! By the time his debut album hit the streets, Mr Vandross was already one of the most sought-after singers in the business. "Never Too Much" is an entertaining soulful album that showcased real music before synthesizers and drum machines were the norm.

Luther also established himself as an accomplished songwriter, producer and arranger. To prove this point, some two years after releasing his debut, Luther was collaborating with his musical idols: Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross - not bad at all!

The album kicks off with the title track which is a bright and breezy up-tempo number. It has the kind of catchy chorus that you find yourself singing along to. Musically, it was produced in a way that you can hear each instrument. Marcus Miller's bass provided the funky backdrop that would future prominently on future Vandross albums.

Other tracks worth noting are:

"Sugar And Spice" - a solid old school groove and my favourite up-tempo track. It's a real feel-good track.

"Don't You Know That" is a delightful mid-tempo number.

The middle track flow quite nicely and we then come to the final track:

"A House Is Not A Home" is a ballad par excellence, and it demonstrated Luther's considerable nuanced vocal talents. It was Luther's desire to sing about the more sensitive part of love and relationships that gave his music its special identity - no one else sounded like him and I doubt that no one ever will.

It's sad to think that Luther is no longer with us. I'm glad that I followed his solo career right from the beginning and his solo debut would make a welcome addition to your collection