Never Too Much (album)
| Never Too Much | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Luther Vandross | ||||
| Released | August 12, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | April–July 1981 | |||
| Studio |
Media Sound Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul, pop, quiet storm, post-disco | |||
| Length | 36:50 | |||
| Label | Epic, Legacy | |||
| Producer | Luther Vandross, Larkin Arnold | |||
| Luther Vandross chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Robert Christgau | B+[3] |
| Rolling Stone | |
Never Too Much is the debut solo album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981 (see 1981 in music). It peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard 200 (then known as Pop Albums), peaked at #1 on the R&B Albums chart, and went double platinum by the RIAA. The album earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982—"Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male".
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.
Track listing
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"A House Is Not a Home"
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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 |
| 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
- As listed at allmusic[5]
- Luther Vandross: lead and background vocals
- Tawatha Agee, Phillip Ballou, Michelle Cobbs, Cissy Houston, Yvonne Lewis, Sybil Thomas, Fonzi Thornton, Brenda King and Norma Jean Wright: background vocals
- Nat Adderley, Jr.: keyboards, background vocals
- Ed Walsh: synthesizers
- Steve Love, Georg "Jojje" Wadenius: guitars
- Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller: bass
- Buddy Williams: drums
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett, Bashiri Johnson: congas, percussion
- Billy King: congas
- Horns and strings arranged by Paul Riser and Leon Pendarvis
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 41 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Albums | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Black Albums | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000 |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
See also
Notes
- ↑ Never Too Much (album) 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.
- ↑
- ↑ "Never Too Much" personnel at allmusic
- ↑ "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – Never Too Much". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

