LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH (2024)
Featuring Carlos Alomar, Fonzi Thornton, Robin Clark, Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, Richard Marx, Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Lisa Fischer, Ava Cherry, Cheryl Lynn, Valerie Simpson, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley Jr., Jocelyn Brown and archival footage of Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Luther Vandross.
Directed by Dawn Porter.
Distributed by CNN Films. 101 minutes. Not Rated.
Screened at the 2024 Philadelphia Film Festival.
In an era that was full of great, soulful male vocalists, Luther Vandross was arguably the best singer of the bunch. He certainly was the most popular one. People like Peabo Bryson, James Ingram and Jeffrey Osborne all had impressive careers as well, but no one topped the charts with the regularity that Vandross did.
However, although Luther had a pretty impressive and constantly evolving career, his personal life was much more troubled, leading to an eventual way-to-early death at age 54, due to complications of a stroke.
Luther: Never Too Much shows the good and bad of Vandross’ career, although it smartly mostly focuses on his career. The film even tells us some interesting factoids of Vandross’ work. Like, who knew that years before his popular music breakthrough, he was one of the original cast members of Sesame Street? Also, before he broke out, he made a mint writing and singing commercial jingles for the likes of Juicy Fruit gum, Mountain Dew, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King. I had no clue.
I did know, as did many people, that Vandross’ first notable recording studio work was doing extensive backing vocals and vocal arrangements for David Bowie’s soulful 1975 Young Americans album. Luther was the one who came up with the “young American, young American, she was a young American” backup line in the title track.
He also sang backing vocals for many other artists like Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Ringo Starr and Donna Summer. He was also a member of such bands as Bionic Boogie and Change and even wrote a song in the soundtrack of the popular musical The Wiz.
However, it wasn’t until his 1982 breakthrough solo album Never Too Much became a huge hit – mostly riding on the wings of the title track single – that Vandross’ musical career went supernova. Over the next couple of decades, he had 12 top forty hits (and many other popular singles), and won several Grammys and even more American Music Awards.
Luther: Never Too Much has wall-to-wall terrific music, although strangely they skipped over my personal favorite Vandross song, “Don’t Want To Be a Fool,” which was a huge hit, reaching number 9 on the pop charts in 1991, becoming one of his best-charting songs. I think perhaps it didn’t make the cut because it was one of Vandross’ rare love songs which was rather cynical about relationships.
Vandross had a long-time battle with weight, and Never Too Much also shows us surprisingly many moments in which the singer was fat shamed during his career, as well as his dietary ups and downs.
Slightly more in the shadows was Vandross’ sexual orientation. Vandross was always single and always looking for love. Throughout his career, there were whispers that Vandross may have been a closeted gay man. In an archival interview here, Vandross outright refuses to confirm or deny this rumor. And while only Vandross and perhaps his closest friends know the answer, Never Too Much does float the possibility, but refuses to take a position one way or the other on the fact. If it was true – if – Vandross took the secret to his grave, so there is no point in outing him beyond the grave.
Luther Vandross had a complicated life, a mixture of joy and tragedy. However, he left behind an incredible musical legacy. That is what he should really be remembered for, and Never Too Much reminds us of that fact definitively.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 31, 2024.
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