The late
Luther Vandross went down in history as the most important male vocalist on the romantic side of '80s R&B. Perhaps that isn't saying much when one considers that the '80s, generally speaking, weren't as exciting a decade for R&B as the '50s, '60s, or '70s; regardless,
Vandross recorded his share of great soul/urban albums, and his death at the age of 54 on July 1, 2005, was a huge loss for R&B. Produced by
Rex Rideout and
Bud Harner,
Forever, for Always, for Luther, Vol. 2 is a sequel to the
Vandross tribute they worked on together in 2004. Many jazz enthusiasts -- including some major proponents of fusion and jazz-funk -- run for cover the minute they hear the term smooth jazz, which is understandable given how many truly dreadful albums have come from smooth jazz over the years. But this 50-minute CD, although uneven, has its moments. There are some forgettable tracks, including saxophonist
Najee's lackluster performance of "The Night I Fell in Love" and guitarist
Norman Brown's unimaginative version of "'Til My Baby Comes Home." But
Gerald Albright sounds genuinely inspired on "If This World Were Mine," which has usually been heard as male/female duets (first
Marvin Gaye and
Tammi Terrell in the late '60s, then
Vandross and
Cheryl Lynn in 1982) but works well as an instrumental for saxman
Albright -- and other enjoyable contributions come from singer
Patti Austin on "So Amazing" and electric bassist
Wayman Tisdale on an infectious arrangement of "The Glow of Love" (which a pre-solo career
Vandross performed in 1980 with the
Chic-influenced group
Change).
Forever, for Always, for Luther, Vol. 2 won't be remembered as the most consistent release of 2006, but it has its share of worthwhile tracks and has more going for it than most of 2006's smooth jazz discs. ~ Alex Henderson