Personnel: Luther Vandross (vocals); Phil Hamilton (guitar); Arturo Tappin (soprano saxophone); Skip Anderson, Karl Martin (keyboards); Byron Miller (bass); Ivan Hampden (drums); Roger Squitero (percussion); Kevin Owens, Cindy Mizelle, Brenda White-King, Valerie Pinkston, Pat Lacy, Cindy Mizelle, Kevin Owens (background vocals).
Producers: Luther Vandross, Nat Adderley Jr.
Recorded live at Radio City Music Hall, New York, New York on February 11 & 12, 2003.
Personnel: Phil Hamilton (guitar); Skip Anderson, Nat Adderley, Jr. (keyboards); Ivan Hampden (drums); Roger Squitero (percussion); Cindy Mizelle, Brenda White-King, Kevin Owens, Pat Lacy, Valerie Pinkston (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Frank Filipetti.
Recording information: Radio City Music Mall, New York, NY (02/11/2003/02/12/2003).
Photographer: Kevin Westenberg.
One listen to RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 2003 LIVE and it's hard to believe that two months later, musical great Luther Vandross would be laid up in a hospital bed, the victim of a stroke. Part of the disbelief that comes from the this observation is due to how vibrant Vandross sounds throughout these 11 career-spanning cuts. Accompanied by a seven-piece band and a quartet of female background singers, Luther poured his honeyed croon over some of his best-loved ballads including his trademark cover of the Hal David/Burt Bacharach standard "A House Is Not a Home" and his own perennial prom/wedding song "Here and Now." Other nuggets plucked from the Vandross canon include the crackling "Never Too Much," the uplifting "Power of Love," and "Glow of Love," a song originally recorded by the vocalist when he was a member of the disco outfit Change. Hearing how full of life Luther Vandross is on stage during RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 2003 LIVE serves as a welcome reminder of the man's enormous talents.
Professional Reviews
Q (2/04, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A] special night for Vandross....His voice - the best of his generation - is like honey on the slow songs."
