Live Radio City Music Hall 2003

by Luther Vandross

Overview

Recorded two months before his hospitalization for a serious stroke, Live 2003 at Radio City Music Hall is a welcome addition to the Luther Vandross' discography with absolutely no foreshadowing of the devastating event. Those who have only been exposed to his smooth croon on record are in for a treat. The cool pillow talk of his studio recordings is performed perfectly here, but live Vandross adds improvisational twists, stunning vocal theatrics, and some of the most entertaining banter with an audience ever heard. Absolutely effervescent (he declares at least half the songs "my favorite") the singer wins over the audience right away and it just keeps building from there. The band is tight, with Nat Adderley Jr. as leader and on keyboards, but vocals are the thing. You can always count on Vandross to have the best background singers, and here his interaction with them surpasses anything on his studio albums (their playful exchange on "Creepin'" is unbelievable). A slower "Here and Now" is monolithic and the 13 minutes of "Superstar" fly by like it was nothing. Going back to his days in the group Change for "Glow of Love" is a nice nod to the hardcore fans and a perfect, shimmering, disco closer. The keyboards could sure use an update from their '80s presets and Vandross' visual references don't come off so well on a mere CD, but these are small complaints. If there ever was an argument that you can own every one of his studio albums and still only know half the story, this proves it. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	02/09/2024
Label:	J Records
UPC:	0828765699129
Rank:	138390

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Luther Vandross   Primary Artist
Karl Martin   Keyboards,Guest Artist
Cindy Mizelle   Vocals (Background)
Ivan Hampden   Drums
Valerie Pinkston   Vocals (Background)
Phil Hamilton   Guitar
Nat Adderley, Jr.   Keyboards,Musical Director
Roger Squitero   Percussion
Arturo Tappin   Guest Artist,Sax (Soprano)
Skip Anderson   Keyboards
Byron Miller   Bass
Brenda White-King   Vocals (Background)
Patricia Lacy   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Matt Snedecor   Assistant Engineer
Alli   Art Direction
Kevin Westenberg   Photography
Paul J. Falcone   Engineer
Jill Dell'Abate   Production Coordination
Roger Innocent   Hair Stylist
Max Feldman   Assistant Engineer
Max Szadek   Personal Assistant
Alexis Yraola   Design
David L. Elliott   Composer
Jeff Jones   Make-Up,Hair Stylist
David Romani   Composer
Daniel Milazzo   Assistant Engineer
Stan Wallace   Engineer
Shep Crawford   Composer
Bobby Eli   Composer
Bonnie Bramlett   Composer
Frank Filipetti   Mixing
Warryn Campbell   Composer
Luther Vandross   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Mauro Malavasi   Composer
John Harris   Engineer
John Smith   Composer
Richard Marx   Composer
Nat Adderley, Jr.   Composer,Producer
Ray Bardani   Engineer
Brenda Russell   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
David Elliot   Composer
Terry Steele   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Fonzi Thornton   Producer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Vinnie Barrett   Composer
Leon Russell   Composer
Jim Ervin   Choreographer
Jason Dale   Assistant Engineer
Harold Lilly   Composer
David Elliott   Composer
Wayne Garfield   Composer
Hardi Kamsani   Assistant Engineer