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Forever, For Always, For Luther


"Theeeeeeeereeeeee was a taaaahaaaaaaaaahm..." Who DOESN'T know those immortal words or the melodramatic opening chords of "Forever, For Always, For Love"?


On September 21st, Luther Vandross' sophomore album, Forever, For Always, For Love, turned 35. And being my favorite Luther album, it just wouldn't have felt right to let this anniversary go unacknowledged.


Summer of 1982... Cheryl Lynn releases her 4th album, Instant Love, while the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin releases her 31st, “Jump To It." Both albums are hits (Aretha’s was even certified gold) and they each have one thing in common: Luther Vandross.

Luther is all over both albums. In addition to producing, he did vocal arrangements, keyboards, and background vocals on both albums. He even duetted with Cheryl Lynn on a remake of a 1967 Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell tune.








For Aretha, he introduced a new kind of post-disco groove with the album's title track. (He and Aretha actually had an argument over the way this song should be recorded/presented... Luther won.)





Still flying high off of the success of his debut album, Never Too Much, Luther’s label executives over at Epic Records pressured him to return to the studio and release a follow-up. Unlike the recording process for Never Too Much, when Luther hit the studio to record Forever, For Always, For Love, he was rushing to meet label deadlines and didn’t have a lot of the album’s lyrics written. That didn’t stop his shine, though!


Forever, For Always, For Love is a masterpiece. Luther was determined NOT to let the sophomore jinx get him. It had claimed so many other great artists and he pledged not to be on that list. From RIP, the album BANGS!



"Bad Boy / Having A Party" opens the album in a way that could only be described as the Black experience. You get laughter, conversation, what sounds like dancing, and shit-talking before Luther's smooth vocals grab you. The song samples one of the greats, Sam Cooke, and features Brenda White, Fonzi Thornton, Nat Adderley Jr., Paulette McWilliams, and Phillip Ballou on background vocals. If you've followed my background vocalist thread on Twitter, you will recognize some of those names.






On "You're The Sweetest One", Luther starts with a vocal diary entry. "Dear diary... I know I've said it before... but I'm sure this time. It's really love." It's perfect disco/funk hybrid. New Jersey LEGENDS Cissy Houston and Tawatha Agee lend their voices to the background vocals on this one.

"Since I Lost My Baby" has become one of Luther's signature songs. Written by Smokey Robinson and originally recorded by The Temptations, Luther's version far exceeds what David Ruffin did vocally on the original. (That doesn't mean I DISLIKE the Temptations' version or David Ruffin, I just recognize that Luther was vocally superior... but this is all MY opinion. You might hear it differently.)




The album's title track, "Forever, For Always, For Love", is as smooth as smooth gets and enjoyed a revival of sorts when Lalah Hathaway remade the song in 2004 as a tribute to Luther. "I'd be a fooooool tooooo eeeeeeveeeeeeer chaaaaange... if she says she looooooves theeee waaaaaay IIIIIIIIIIII aaaaammmm..." Only Luther Vandross could sing about love with such a passionate yearning in his voice.



Now the next song, "Better Love", is one of my all time favorite Luther up-tempo songs. With Paul Riser on horns/strings and Marcus Miller playing one of the funkiest bass lines in R&B?! No way you can go wrong with this song. Add to that Brenda White, Cissy Houston, Fonzi Thornton, Michelle Cobbs, Phillip Ballou, Tawatha Agee, and Yvonne Lewis giving a masterclass on background vocals and this song is a certified #TurnThisUp classic! Anyone remember when Young Guns and Rell sampled this in 2004 for "No Better Love"?







What can be said about "Promise Me" that hasn't already been said numerous times before? It's the quintessential R&B love song. This is probably my favorite Luther slow jam of all-time (and that is no easy feat!) This song is all Luther. Lead and background vocals. On that eternal quest for love.

"She Loves Me Back" is a drum-heavy, percussion driven groove. Luther was the KING of vocal arrangements and this song DEFINITELY showcases that. Ad-libs? Luther got those too! LOL The bridge of this song is one of Luther's most beautifully recorded moments.


The album closes with a lesser-known Luther ballad, "Once You Know How". Pay special attention to the piano here... Luther wrote that arrangement himself and it absolutely accentuates his voice.



Do you have a favorite song from this album? Take a listen below!




And if you're a fan of Luther Vandross' work, I suggest you check out my friend Craig Seymour's book, Luther | The Life and Longing of LUTHER VANDROSS. It's a GREAT book that provides not only a lot of behind-the-scenes info into Luther's career, but also an eye-opening look into his personal life and what made him so special as an artist.










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