''Dance with My Father'' is the thirteenth and final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

. It was released by

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

on June 10, 2003 in the United States. The album, especially its title track, was dedicated to Vandross' late father and features production credits from

Nat Adderley Jr. Nathaniel Adderley Jr. (born May 23, 1955) is an American pop music, pop and rhythm and blues music arranger and pianist who spent much of his music career arranging as music director for Luther Vandross tours and contributed as co-songwriter on ...

Shep Crawford Shep Crawford (December 18, 1970) is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and gospel musician, songwriter, and record producer best known for Whitney Houston's "Same Script, Different Cast", Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Tamia ...

, and

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

as well as guest appearances by singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

, R&B trio

Next Next may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare * ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage * '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film Lit ...

, and rappers Foxy Brown,

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

, and

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

. Upon its release, ''Dance with My Father'' debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart with first week sales of 442,000 units, becoming his first and only album to do so. It also marked his eighth and first album in the twelve years to top the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. Critically acclaimed, ''Dance with My Father'' earned Vandross two

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

in the Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and the Favorite Soul/R&B Album categories as well as four

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

wins out of five nominations, including Song of the Year and

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...

for " Dance with My Father",

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

for "

The Closer I Get to You "The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, two former members of Miles Davis's band, who were members of Flac ...

", his duet with Beyoncé, and

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

Critical reception

''Dance with My Father'' was released to generally positive reviews from music critics. In his review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, David Jeffries summed that "''Dance with My Father'' isn't able to maintain the high standards it often achieves, but Vandross' voice is always compelling and the background singers live up to the superior arrangements throughout. With nearly 70 minutes of music on the disc to choose from, more savvy listeners will be able to program their CD players for a more focused and rewarding listen." He rated the album four out of five stars. Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Adam Sweeting declared the album "one of Vandross's very finest recordings." He found that "always a class act, a kind of top-of-the-range

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

among soulmen, Vandross has clung to his traditional strengths – lush melodies and artful arrangements, sung with that elegantly beseeching voice – while incorporating some discreet nods to modernity."

Track listing

Sample credits *"Lovely Day (Part II)" contains excerpts from the composition "Say Yeah" as performed by

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and Soul music, soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed wit ...

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic. *

– arranger, keyboards, piano, producer, string arrangements * Tawatha Agee – background vocals * Sanford Allen – concert master * Alli – art direction * June Ambrose – stylist * Skip Anderson – arranger, keyboards, programming, soloist, vibraphone * Ray Bardani – engineer, mixing, string engineer *

– primary artist *

Big Bub Today is an American R&B vocal group formed in 1988. The group comprised Frederick Lee "Bubba" Drakeford, Larry "Chief" Singletary, Wesley "Wes" Adams, and Larry "Love" McCain, childhood friends from Englewood, New Jersey. History The group st ...

– background vocals *

Jeff Bova Jeff Bova (born Jeffrey Bova in 1953) is an American musician. He has been active in the music industry since the mid-1970s, contributing to recordings by significant mainstream artists like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton, ...

– sound design * Al Brown – string contractor * Al Brown & His Tunetoppers – string contractor * Foxy Brown – featured artist, guest artist, vocals * Sharon Bryant – background vocals *

– featured artist, guest artist, vocals * Shep Crawford – instrumentation, producer * Carl Cyrius – assistant engineer * Jason Dale – assistant engineer * Jill Dell'Abate – production coordination * DJ Kay Gee – remix producer * James Ervin – choreographer * Jim Ervin – choreographer * Eddie F. – remix producer * Paul J. Falcone – vocal engineer, vocal recording * Phil Hamilton – guitar * Reggie Hamilton – bass * Ivan Hampden – arranger, drum programming, drums, keyboard programming *

Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...

– guest artist, background vocals * Loren Howard – mixing assistant * Roger Innocent – hair stylist * Michael J – background vocals *

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musi ...

– guitar * Brion James – guitar * Chris James – piano * Joyce James – performer, background vocals *

Bashiri Johnson Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is a New York City-based percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, videogames, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded ...

– percussion * Jeff Jones – hair stylist, make-Up * Beyoncé Knowles – primary artist * Chris LeBeau – art producer, artwork * Darren Lighty – remix producer *

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...

– drum programming, keyboard programming * Michael McCoy – assistant engineer * Rick McDonald – background vocals * Daniel Milazzo – assistant engineer * Byron Miller – bass *

– arranger, drum programming, engineer, keyboard programming, producer, background vocals * Claudius Mittendorfer – assistant engineer * Cindy Mizelle – background vocals * Robbie Nevil – guitar, keyboards * Flip Osman – assistant engineer * April Owens – group member, performer, background vocals * Dave Perini – assistant engineer * James Porte – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming * Herb Powers Jr. – mastering *

– featured artist, guest artist, primary artist, vocals * Jerome Ramos – bass * Rex Rideout – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming * RL – background vocals * Matt Snedecor – assistant engineer * Jason Stasium – assistant engineer * Max Szadek – assistant, personal assistant * Candace Thomas – group member, performer, background vocals *

Fonzi Thornton Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is a U.S. songwriter/producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Aret ...

– vocal contractor, background vocals * Luther Vandross – executive producer, primary artist, producer, vocal arrangement, vocals, background vocals * Gabriel Varde – engineer, tracking * Víctor Vega – guitar *

Reed Vertelney Reed Philip Vertelney is an American record producer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Calabasas, CA. He has written for and worked with Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Charlie Wilson, Kenny Lattimore, Evely ...

– arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming * Jamie Wallace – assistant engineer * Stan Wallace – engineer * Rick Watford – guitar * Ricky Watford "Bishop" – guitar * Kevin Westenberg – photography * Brenda White-King – background vocals *

James "D-Train" Williams James Nelson Williams (born 1962), known by the stage name D Train, is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1980s with the release of his first album “ You're the One for Me” (wor ...

– background vocals * Jay Williams – guitar *

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

– guest artist, harmonica, soloist * "You Can Ask" Giz – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Award

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American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...

, , Favorite Soul/R&B Album , , , - , Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist , , , - , rowspan="13" , 2004 , ,

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

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Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, , Song of the Year , , , - ,

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Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

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NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

, , Outstanding Album , , , - , Outstanding Male Artist , , , - , Outstanding Music Video , , , - , Outstanding Song , , , - , rowspan="3" ,

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, , Best Album of the Year , , , - , Best R&B/Soul Album – Male , , , - , Best R&B/Soul Single – Male , , , - , 2005 , ,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dance With My Father 2003 albums J Records albums Luther Vandross albums Albums produced by Richard Marx Albums produced by Luther Vandross Albums produced by Marcus Miller Grammy Award for Best R&B Album