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Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on August 12, 1981. Composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200, also peaking at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Never Too Much earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.
| Never Too Much | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 12, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | April–July 1981 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 36:50 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer |
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| Luther Vandross chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Luther Vandross | ||||
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The album's title track topped the Black Singles chart for two weeks. Vandross's rendition of Dionne Warwick's 1964 "A House Is Not a Home" became one of his signature songs, and received attention for its transformation into an "epic", since its duration was extended to seven minutes. In 2020, the album was ranked number 362 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [3] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Allmusic editor Craig Lytle found that Never Too Much featured "one outstanding song after another. Vandross concocts a bouncy, vibrant flow on his up-tempo numbers and an intimate, emotional connection on his moderate grooves and his lone ballad [...] This is one of the better R&B albums of the early '80s."[2]
Track listing
All songs written by Luther Vandross; except "A House Is Not a Home" written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Too Much" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Sugar and Spice (I Found Me a Girl)" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Don't You Know That?" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "I've Been Working" | 6:35 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "She's a Super Lady" | 5:04 |
| 6. | "You Stopped Loving Me" | 5:16 |
| 7. | "A House Is Not a Home" | 7:07 |
Personnel
Adapted from Allmusic.[6]
Performers and musicians
- Luther Vandross – lead vocals, vocal arrangements, rhythm arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7), backing vocals (1, 3-6), arrangements (4), song arrangements (7)
- Nat Adderley, Jr. – keyboards (1–7), rhythm arrangements (1, 2, 3, 5, 6), arrangements (4), backing vocals (4, 5)
- Ed Walsh – synthesizers (2, 4)
- Georg Wadenius – guitar (1, 2, 3, 7)
- Steve Love – guitar (3–6)
- Marcus Miller – bass (1–7)
- Anthony Jackson – bass (7)
- Buddy Williams – drums (1–7)
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett – percussion (1, 4, 5, 7), congas (4)
- Bashiri Johnson – congas (1, 2), percussion (2, 5)
- Billy King – congas (3, 5, 6)
- Paul Riser – horn arrangements (2, 5), string arrangements (2, 3, 5)
- Gary King – arrangements (4)
- Leon Pendarvis – string arrangements (6, 7), horn arrangements (7)
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (1–6)
- Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Cissy Houston – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Yvonne Lewis – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Sybil Thomas – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Brenda White King – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Phillip Ballou – backing vocals (3–6)
- Fonzi Thornton – vocal contractor, backing vocals (4, 5)
- Norma Jean Wright – backing vocals (4, 5)
Technical
- Producer – Luther Vandross
- Executive Producer – Larkin Arnold
- Production Coordination – Sephra Herman
- Recorded and Mixed by Michael Brauer
- Engineer – Carl Beatty
- Assistant Engineers – Lincoln Clapp, Andy Hoffman, Nicky Kalliongos, Gregg Mann and Don Wershba.
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
- Art Direction – Karen Katz
- Photography – William Coupon
- Wardrobe – Hutaff Lennon
- Management – David M. Franklin
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1981 (U.S.)
References
- "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020.
- Never Too Much at AllMusic
- Kot, Greg (1993-10-03). "The Best Of Vandross On Record". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
- Christgau, Robert. "CG: Luther Vandross". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
- DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; Miller, Jim; George-Warren, Holly (February 14, 1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. Random House. ISBN 9780679737285 – via Google Books.
- "Never Too Much - Luther Vandross | Credits". AllMusic.
- "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- "Luther Vandross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- "Billboard 200: Year End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – Never Too Much". Recording Industry Association of America.
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