I’m a fan of Luther Vandross all around, but especially big Luther. That’s the time when he was really churning out the hits, and “Never Too Much” is no exception. I’m gonna go ahead and say that if you ask a lot of people their Top 5 Male R&B vocalists, Luther gonna be in there somewhere. His voice is transcendent. Luther can heal your heart and break it in the same damn song. His vocals were velvety and perfect. Big Luther (and Little Luther) just never hit bad notes. It wasn’t in his DNA.
“Never Too Much” was a bit out the box for Luther because by that time, he was really known for his ballads that are classics in their own right. But this song was upbeat! Luther was tryna make his way to the club and on the dancefloor, and boy did he ever. If this song is played when you’re out somewhere your gut instinct is to say “Awwww sh*t!” and then proceed where the party reside.
Luther was in love, love on this track. I mean the man said, “A thousand kisses from you is never too muuuchhh…“. To me, a bit excessive, but when you in love, love… you want ALL the kisses ALL the time. The man also missed work because she showed up to his door, talking bout, “Who needs to go to work to hustle for another dollar, I rather be with you cause you make my heart scream and holler…” Shoot, I know if you calling out of work for me, or vice versa the love is real, cause I like my money.
Of all of Luther’s songs, it was hard to narrow it down to just one. The reason this one edged out the others was because it just feels so damn good! You know right from the minute that intro starts playing that your whole checklist for the makings of a quality R&B song will be completed. Beat, check. Melody, check. Danceable, check. Vocals, checks on checks on checks! Mr. Vandross never came to play, so big or small… thank God for Luther, he is missed.
“Never Too Much” is an extremely rare classic, because it is written and produced by Luther Vandross himself. It’s extremely rare that an artist crafts a hit like this completely on their own, with no help on the writing or production. Just shows how much of a legend he truly was! The song was released in 1981.
Readers Might Also Like:
Everything You Need To Know About Aretha Frankin, The Queen of Soul Music
A Classic Revisited: “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
The Evolution of Prince: A 90’s Baby’s Guide To The Star
