Alicia Keys,
Celine Dion, Elton John, and Usher are among the artists
paying tribute to one of contemporary R&B's most
celebrated balladeers on So Amazing: An All-Star
Tribute to Luther Vandross. The album will be
released September 20 by J Records; the
gay artist died in July in the wake of a stroke
suffered two years earlier. "No one had ever heard of anyone
that sounded like Luther," says Mary J. Blige, who
covers the Vandross classic "Never Too Much." "No one
heard anyone that brought that much soul."
In a posthumous
duet, John sings the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song
"Anyone Who Had a Heart" alongside the original vocals
Vandross recorded for his 1986 album Give Me the
Reason (Epic). The R&B standard "Always and
Forever," which Vandross covered, is delivered
here by Wyclef Jean. Keys is joined by Jermaine Paul
on "If This World Was Mine," while Dion adds a cover
of Vandross's "Dance With My Father," the title track of
the album released shortly after he suffered the stroke.
That J set debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200
and has sold 2.3 million copies in the United States,
according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The set also
features the contributions of such storied artists as Aretha
Franklin, who takes on "A House Is Not a Home"; Patti
LaBelle on "Here and Now"; and Beyonce, who
covers the title track. Others featured on the tribute
include Jamie Foxx ("Creepin"), Donna Summer ("Power
of Love"), Fantasia ("Till My Baby Comes Home"), John
Legend ("Love Won't Let Me Wait"), and Babyface
("If Only for One Night"). "Luther Vandross's music
influences generations of past, present, and future by
helping us understand the language of love," says
Usher, who covers "Superstar." "His legacy will live
on forever, and I'm happy that I could
contribute to his legacy." (Barry A. Jeckell, via
Reuters)