Luther Vandross Love, Luther

October, 2007

For American audiences not familiar with the sounds of Count Basic, their latest CD Love & Light is the perfect introduction for a band with 13 years of delivering their jazz flavored rhythms all over the world. Mastermind, composer, and guitarist Peter Legat along with dynamic vocalist Kelli Sae are the soul of Count Basic, a group of 11 band members who have achieved an impressive number of hit singles. Love & Light, the group's fifth project since their 1994 debut Life Think It Over, is perhaps their most soulful project to date, with a mixture of funk and R&B with some very clever arrangements.

Legat's dazzling guitar sets the tone on the opening track, "Last Man on Earth." Sae, with her amazing vocal abilities, wails with conviction as she sings "I can't look at you/ love nothing about you/ I won't change my mind/ if you were the last man on Earth," and almost makes you feel bad for the person about whom she's singing. It's followed by the title track, which has a message of empowerment and features the funky horn section that is a signature of the Count Basic sound. The track "No Visible Scars" is a throwback to the Memphis bred Stax sound of the early 70s. Other standout tracks include "I Wanna Get Off," "Sun Shines On You" and "Sir Karl."

After conquering the international music scene for a number of years, Love & Light should be the CD that gains Count Basic a legion of admirers in the United States. Fans of the acid jazz movement of the early to mid 90s will be familiar with Sae, who has fronted the legendary band Incognito as well as the Philippe Saisse Trio. From the first track to the last, this is a great CD that will make you feel good and is soothing to the soul and comes highly, highly recommended.

October, 2007

Finally.

That's the one word that can best describe the feeling after reading Jason A. Michael's superb biography, Strength of a Woman: The Phyllis Hyman Story .  Not much has been said or written about this legendary "Goddess of Love" since her transition in 1995. Standing at six feet, Phyllis Linda Hyman could dazzle with her beauty and mesmerize with her voice.

It was with Norman Connors that Phyllis made her major label debut in 1976 that planted the seed for the Philadelphia-bred chanteuse to make her mark on the music world. Slowly but surely Phyllis was becoming a force to be reckoned with as hits like "You Know How to Love Me," "Living Inside Your Love," and "Under Your Spell" inched their way up the charts. Unfortunately, she felt Clive Davis and the powers-that-be at Arista Records were not putting the same effort into her album sales as they did for her labelmate, Angela Bofill. Although she could pull in an audience, the records were not flying off the shelves and as a result, a disgruntled Phyllis let it be known how unhappy she was at the label. It didn't help that her combination of substance abuse and mental health issues were getting the best of her and would eventually lead to her leaving the label just as Davis began grooming an emerging young singer from New Jersey by the name of Whitney Houston.

Despite a failed marriage, weight gain, insecurities, and missed opportunities (she was slated to play Shug Avery in The Color Purple), Phyllis found a fresh start at Kenneth Gamble's Philadelphia International Records, the legendary label that was once home to the Jacksons, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, and the Three Degrees. Her 1986 project, Living All Alone, produced the classics "Old Friend" and "You Just Don't Know" but stopped short at 465,000 albums sold, thus robbing Phyllis of something she long desired: a gold record. With her mental health deteriorating at a steady decline and facing a mountain of financial difficulties (she was in debt to Arista Records), Phyllis would not release another album until 1991's Prime of My Life which finally awarded Phyllis her first number one hit with "Don't Wanna Change the World."

But that would be the beginning of the end for Phyllis Hyman.

Erratic behavior mixed with substance abuse led to no-shows and botched concert appearances. Her weight gain became so uncontrollable that her self-esteem was at an all-time low. She often spoke about her suicidal thoughts as well as expressed how unhappy she was with life in general. She was adored by fans from around the world and those within her inner circle tried in vain to show her how much she was loved and appreciated but it wasn't enough. Life had become unbearable and on June 30, 1995, Phyllis Hyman took her own life. She was a few days shy of her 46th birthday.

There have been numerous greatest hits packages with extensive liner notes released since her passing, all touching briefly about Phyllis' contributions to the world of music. However, Michael takes the reader into the heart and mind of Phyllis and sheds light on the issues that plagued her throughout her life, such as growing up in a household with a mother who dealt with her own mental health issues. Not since Timothy White's splendid biography about Bob Marley - Catch a Fire - has an author delved so deep into the psyche of an artist that you can literally feel their joys and pains, trials and tribulations. Michael is exceptional at writing a book that details Phyllis' tragic downfall without passing judgment as to why she chose to make the decisions that she did.

For fans of Phyllis Hyman, Strength of a Woman will tell the story that to many has been long overdue. Those who are unfamiliar with the legacy that is Phyllis, it will be an introduction into the life of an extraordinary entertainer. Author Jason A. Michael has managed to write a biography that is sure to be a conversation piece for many years to come. Don't be surprised if this book is one day made into an exceptional film. Highly recommended.

October, 2007

It's almost hard to believe that we live in a world in which Luther Vandross is no longer with us. The most beloved male vocalist of the past quarter century passed away in 2005 but he left behind a musical legacy to be cherished for generations to come. Blessed with a versatile tenor voice, Vandross charmed millions with his smooth and romantic music. With a track record of 30 million worldwide album sales, 20 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in the United States alone, and 8 Grammy Awards, he had a profound impact on the music industry as a talented songwriter, producer, and arranger.

Just in time for the holidays is Love, Luther, a 56-track, deluxe display-book package of four CDs that features all of his hits as well as rare and previously-unreleased material that chronicles his splendid 27-year career. Disc One opens with "Ready For Love," a demo discovered on a cassette tape dated 1979-1980 which finds Vandross singing in exquisite form alongside a piano accompaniment. "Meet Luther Vandross" is an advertisement that introduces the music world to a future star in the making, and segues into "The Glow of Love," the Top 40 R&B hit with the studio group Change that placed Vandross on the musical map. Here in an extended version is "Never Too Much," which was one of the funkiest tracks of its era,with a thumping bass line courtesy of Marcus Miller. However, it's the covers of "A House Is Not a Home," "Since I Lost My Baby," "If This World Were Mine," and "Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" that, due almost exclusively to Vandross's exquisite delivery, surpassed the original versions to become the definitive recordings of these songs.

Disc Two can be considered "the romantic disc," with some of Vandross' most celebrated love songs such as "If Only For One Night," "Wait For Love," "There's Nothing Better Than Love," and "Here and Now." Other highlights from this disc include the Monserrat Sessions, which consist of three intimate rehearsal recordings. Disc Three features "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)" with his group Luther and "Georgy Porgy" with Charme. "Endless Love," the 1981 hit for Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, gets transformed into another classic cover song with Mariah Carey as does "The Closer I Get To You" with Beyonce. Rounding out this boxed set is Disc Four which showcases Vandross later hits like "Dance With My Father," "Take You Out," and the dance number "Shine." A track that stands out from this particular disc is the hard-to-find "Hot Butterfly", a 1978 disco number cut performed with Gregg Diamond's Bionic Boogie.

There have been countless compilations with Vandross' hits that have been released since his passing, but Love, Luther is the finest of them all. Whether you are a beginner to the legacy of Luther Vandross or a longtime fan, this is a package that you will definitely want to add to your music collection.