Power Of Love (Luther Vandross Album)
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''Power of Love'' is the seventh
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
by American singer-songwriter
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 ...
, released in North America by Epic on April 26, 1991, following the critical and commercial success of his sixth album '' Any Love'' (1988). ''Power of Love'' received critical acclaim from most critics, earning Vandross a number of awards and accolades including 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 Pro ...
and two
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 pre ...
. It reached number seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, while topping the
Top R&B 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 Ja ...
chart for five nonconsecutive weeks. On the latter chart, it was Vandross's last number one for twelve years until '' Dance with My Father'' was released. The album was later certified double platinum by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
.


Critical reception

Dave Obee from ''
Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...
'' wrote, "This disc offers more of what we've come to expect: solid R&B vocals, a touch of funk in the guitars and a touch of gospel from supporting singers. A gem is Luther's duet with
Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...
on the classic "
I (Who Have Nothing) "I (Who Have Nothing)" (sometimes billed as "I Who Have Nothing") is an English language cover of the Italian song "''Uno dei Tanti''" (English: "One of Many"), with music by Carlo Donida and lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti. The initial versio ...
" (consider it the definitive version). The title cut is a perfect introduction to an album that's wonderfully seductive. So if you're having trouble getting in the mood - Luther never has, it seems - just slip on this disc and relax. When it ends an hour later, you won't feel the need to put anything else on."


Track listing


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Technical * Produced by Luther Vandross 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 ...
* Engineered and mixed by Ray Bardani * Recorded by Fred Bova, Brian Cowieson, Carrie McConkey, Michael Morongell and
Shelly Yakus Sheldon Gershon "Shelly" Yakus (born November 1945) is an American music engineer and mixer. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Yakus is referenced ...
* Recording assistants – Martin Brumbach, Mark Harder, Robert Hart, John Herman, Rob Jaczko, Chad Munsey, Brian Schueble and Rich Travali * Mastered by Steve Hall at Future Disc (Hollywood, California) * Production coordinator – Marsha Burns * Art direction and design – George Corsillo * Photography –
Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his career with the revival a ...
Performers and musicians * Luther Vandross – lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5) *
Jason Miles Jason Miles (born June 30, 1951) is an American jazz keyboardist, composer, and record producer. Throughout his career, he has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, bassist Marcus Miller, and singer Luther Vandross, as well as maintaining a successfu ...
– synthesizer sound programming *
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 ...
– keyboards (1-4, 6), synthesizer programming (1-4, 6, 8), rhythm arrangements (1-4, 6), bass guitar (2, 3, 4, 6, 10), backing vocals (2), additional keyboards (7, 8, 9) * Reed Vertelney – synthesizer programming (1) * Nat Adderley, Jr. – acoustic piano (2), keyboards (5, 10), synthesizer programming (5, 10), rhythm and string arrangements (5, 10) *
Hubert Eaves III Hubert Eaves III is a keyboardist, songwriter and record producer. In the early 1980s, he worked on hits by the dance act D-Train. He also did session work with Mtume. Biography Eaves was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was taught piano b ...
– keyboards (7, 9), synthesizer programming (7, 9), rhythm arrangements (7, 9) * John "Skip" Anderson – keyboards (8), synthesizer programming (8), rhythm arrangements (8) * Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9) * Paulinho da Costawind chimes (2, 6), percussion (5, 8, 10) *
Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
– saxophone solo (10) * Joe Soldo – string contractor (5) * Alfred Brown – string contractor (10) *
Tawatha Agee Tawatha Agee (born November 14, 1954) is an American backing vocalist and songwriter. Her voice has been described in ''The New York Times'' as an "acrobatic, gospel-charged soprano." She was the lead singer of funk and soul band Mtume; her soulf ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7) *
Lisa Fischer Lisa Fischer (born December 1, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. She found success with her 1991 debut album ''So Intense'', which produced the Grammy Award–winning hit single "How Can I Ease the Pain". She has been a back-up singer ...
– backing vocals (1, 2) *
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 ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7) *
Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 9) *
Paulette McWilliams Paulette McWilliams is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career singing with the bands The American Breed and Rufus, and has appeared as a backing vocalist on recordings and on tour for numerous artists. She worked with Marvin Gaye ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9) *
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 ...
– backing vocals (1, 2, 5), vocal contractor (all tracks) * Brenda White King – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9) * Genobia Jeter – backing vocals (2, 9) * Pat Joyner – backing vocals (2) * Kevin Owens – backing vocals (2) * Tamira C. Sanders – backing vocals (2) * Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals (5, 6) * Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals (9) *
Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...
– lead and backing vocals (10)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


See also

* List of number-one R&B albums of 1991 (U.S.)


References

{{Authority control 1991 albums Epic Records albums Legacy Recordings albums Luther Vandross albums Albums produced by Luther Vandross Albums produced by Marcus Miller