Hidden Gems

by Luther Vandross

Overview

Three of the 15 songs on this Luther Vandross compilation qualify as hidden. Out of those three, one was released on the soundtrack to Hero (1992), another was pulled from the soundtrack to Money Train (1995), and the third track was a bonus cut on the Japanese edition of Luther Vandross (2001). They are not quite gems, but dedicated fans should be happy to have them in one spot. Out of the remaining dozen tracks, two come from gold-selling releases and ten were issued on albums that went platinum and double platinum. So, those are not exactly hidden or "seldom heard," as a press release was crazy enough to claim. Hidden Gems is more like the missing fifth disc from the Love, Luther box set released in 2007. Between the releases, only two songs overlap, and this adds depth with not much filler, though it could have been more generous with '80s cuts and not so reliant upon relatively tepid '90s material. The liner notes, written by Vandross' longtime associate Fonzi Thornton, are a great touch. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	06/10/2016
Label:	Smcmg / Sony Music
UPC:	0889853343225
Rank:	100410

Tracks

1. When You Call on Me (Baby That's When I Come Runnin')
2. Once You Know How
3. I Know You Want To
4. Once Were Lovers
5. You Stopped Loving Me
6. The Impossible Dream
7. Are You Using Me?
8. Goin' Out of My Head
9. The Thrill I'm In
10. Heart of a Hero
11. Buy Me a Rose
12. I (Who Have Nothing)
13. I'd Rather [Radio Version]
14. Like I'm Invisible
15. You Really Started Something

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Luther Vandross   Primary Artist
Martha Wash   Featured Artist
Stevie Wonder   Harmonica

Technical Credits

Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez   Producer
Jim Parham   Project Director
Kevin Westenberg   Photography
Alice Butts   Design,Art Direction
Giulio Rapetti   Composer
Denise Rich   Composer
Bobby Weinstein   Composer
Luis Vegas   Composer
Terry Lewis   Composer,Producer
Carlo Donida   Composer
Tom Burleigh   Project Director
Luther Vandross   Composer,Producer
Little Louie Vega   Producer
Junior Vasquez   Composer
Porter Carroll   Composer
R. Kelly   Composer,Producer
Jeff James   Compilation Producer
Jerry Leiber   Composer
Martha Wash   Duet
Nat Adderley, Jr.   Producer
Walter Afanasieff   Producer
Rex Rideout   Composer
Mike Stoller   Composer
David Gamson   Composer
Marcus Miller   Producer
Kenneth Gonzalez   Composer
James Harris III   Composer
Fonzi Thornton   Composer,Liner Notes
Jimmy Jam   Producer
Mitch Leigh   Composer
Tom Ruff   Material
Frank Harkins   Art Direction
Teddy Randazzo   Composer
Shep Crawford   Composer,Producer
Babyface   Producer
Joe Darion   Composer
Jim Funk   Composer
Erik Hickenlooper   Composer