On his new self-titled release, his first for Clive DavisвЂ™ burgeoning J label, Vandross is an artist in crisis. In a genre where vocalists are expected to be more grits and gravy than tactician (see Patti Labelle or Wanya Morris for examples), Vandross has remained the consummate tactician, while not sacrificing any of the gut-wrenching emotions that we expect from the R&B singer - a figure that is in part defined by a slick urbanity and the Soul-shout tradition that made black vocalists immensely popular figures during the past four decades. Extravagantly stylish and necessarily so. On the one hand, the nickname is an in-house linguistic joke about the proclivity of some African-American speakers to pronounce the вЂњthвЂќ sound as an вЂњfвЂќ sound, as in вЂњtoof decayвЂќ or вЂњbafroomвЂќ, but it is also a term of endearment for an artist who has been on a first name basis with much of black America for more than two decades.ДЇor some Luther Vandross is as familiar as Sweet Potato pie during Juneteenth and while his music has been consciously crafted to eschew the familiar church and chitlinвЂ™ elements that are traditionally aligned to African-American expression, Vandross remains a singular representation of late-stage black modern style. TThanks to comedian Steve Harvey and a host of other folks, most of America is familiar with the name вЂњLoofuhвЂќ, the one-name nickname of vocalist Luther Vandross.

Luther vandross songs in 1986