Forever, For Always, For Luther 'Forever For Always For Luther' album

On July 24, 2004, GRP will release Forever, For Always, For Luther. Produced by Rex Rideout and Bud Harner, this rapturous tribute to R&B living legend Luther Vandross showcases eleven of smooth jazz's heaviest singers (Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi) and players (George Benson, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson, Jr., Boney James, Mindi Abair, Dave Koz, Brian Culbertson, Richard Elliot, Rick Braun) lifting ten of his most cherished songs to new levels of emotional healing.

The Songs: Kirk Whalum's liltingly soulful sax reinvents "Any Love"'s original soft samba slow drag as a swaying two step. Paul Jackson, Jr. version of "Never Too Much" uses the original's classic rhythm line as the springboard for a series of bubbly solos phrased in the key of LV. Boney James's burnished alto warms "Stop To Love"'s original vodka tang to a cognac smoothness. Lalah Hathaway's tour de force interpretation of "Forever, For Always, For Love" answers the question, How off-the-chain could a Donny Hathaway version of a Luthersong get?

Mindi Abair alto sax takes "Stop To Love" on a jaunty ride up Jr. Walker's southern-fried highway. Once a tender ballad, "If Only For One Night" is transformed into a languidly funky, ethereal hip hop waltz by Dave Koz and Brian Culbertson (sax and piano, respectively). Anchored by an earthy R&B-hip hop groove, buoyed by Boney's sax, Ledisi rocks "Sensitivity" like Mary J. Richard Elliot's "Sweet Love" straight up channels Luther with no apology. George Benson remakes/remodels "Take You Out" into an easy-like-Sunday-morning moveable feast of smoovey nu-soul bass 'n drum, cocktail brass and melodiously high-stepping octave runs. Trumpeter Rick Braun's starry-eyed version of the Grammy-winning "Dance With My Father" ends the album on an emotional high note.

On April 16, 2003, Luther Vandross suffered a diabetes-induced stroke that left him a coma for several weeks. Since he regained consciousness, his condition

has steadily improved. Last February, Luther savored his four Grammy wins in the
warm comfort of his living room. Forever, For Always, For Luther is a heartfelt toast to all -- spirit, life, music -- that is Luther Vandross. "I didn't want it to be a tribute to someone who's not here," says Rideout. "This album is a celebration of Luther because he's here and he's in the present and he's getting better."

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