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 all the big songs, throwing in some obscurities like "She's So Good to Me" from the Goonies soundtrack. If The Best of Luther Vandross has a bit of an edge, it's because of the consistency of the material; by concentrating on a particular era, it leaves out a lot of pleasantly pedestrian duets that kind of bog this collection down a little bit. Still, that's a minor point -- as is the complaint that this is not sequenced chronologically -- because this serves up 30 of Vandross' finest in a nice double-disc package. Most listeners will be plenty satisfied with this fine collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Patti Austin (Vocals), Gregory Hines (Vocals), Gregory Hines (Guest Appearance), Cheryl Lynn (Vocals), Cheryl Lynn (Guest Appearance), Luther Vandross (Arranger), Luther Vandross (Vocals), Luther Vandross (Producer), David Lasley (Vocals), Ava Cherry (Vocals), Martha Wash (Vocals), Martha Wash (Guest Appearance), Robin Clark (Vocals), Darlene Love (Vocals), Lisa Fischer (Vocals), Steven Berkowitz (A&R), Tawatha Agee (Vocals), Skip Anderson (Synthesizer), Skip Anderson (Arranger), Skip Anderson (Synthesizer Programming), Phillip Ballou (Vocals), Ray Bardani (Engineer), Ray Bardani (Mixing), Ray Bardani (Compilation Producer), Eluriel Tinker Barfield (Bass), Bashiri Johnson (Percussion), Crusher Bennett (Percussion), Michael Brauer (Engineer), Michael Brauer (Mixing), Johnny Britt (Vocals), Alex Brown (Vocals), Mariah Carey (Vocals), Mariah Carey (Guest Appearance), Dana Jon Chappelle (Engineer), Dana Jon Chappelle (Mixing), Cissy Houston (Vocals), Michelle Cobbs (Vocals), Paulinho Da Costa (Percussion), Paulinho Da Costa (Conga), Paulinho Da Costa (Wind Chimes), Charlotte Crossley (Vocals), Lynn Davis (Vocals), Jim Gilstrap (Vocals), Ivan Hampden (Drum Overdubs), Doc Powell (Guitar), Yogi Horton (Drums), Phillip Ingram (Vocals), Paul Jackson, Jr. (Guitar), Anthony Jackson (Bass), Maurice Joshua (Product Manager), Brenda White-King (Vocals), Steve Kroon (Bongos), Steve Kroon (Conga), Yvonne Lewis (Vocals), Paulette McWilliams (Vocals), Jason Miles (Synthesizer Programming), Marcus Miller (Synthesizer), Marcus Miller (Bass), Marcus Miller (Arranger), Marcus Miller (Keyboards), Marcus Miller (Producer), Cindy Mizelle (Vocals), Joseph M. Palmaccio (Mastering), Leon Pendarvis (Arranger), Paul Riser (Arranger), Sybil Thomas (Vocals), Fonzi Thornton (Vocals), George Wadenius (Guitar), Ed Walsh (Synthesizer), Ed Walsh (Synthesizer Programming), Michael White (Percussion), Buddy Williams (Drums), Alfa Anderson (Vocals), Leo Sacks (Compilation Producer), Walter Afanasieff (Arranger), Walter Afanasieff (Producer), Genobia Jeter (Vocals), Howard Fritzson (Art Direction), Nat Adderley, Jr. (Synthesizer), Nat Adderley, Jr. (Piano), Nat Adderley, Jr. (Arranger), Nat Adderley, Jr. (Keyboards), Nat Adderley, Jr. (Producer), Norman Jean Roy (Photography), Ron Kellum (Design), Matthew Rolston (Photography), Pat Joyner (Vocals), Tamira C. Sanders (Vocals), Patti Matheny (A&R), Kyle Wofford (A&R), Darren Salmieri (A&R), Joy Gilbert Monfried (Product Manager), Liz Reilly (Photo Research), Linda Chang (Packaging Manager)
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