Forever, for Always, for Love | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 21, 1982 | |||
Recorded | February–June 1982 | |||
Studio | Media Sound Studios (New York City, New York) The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) The Village (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | R&B, soul | |||
Length | 43:32 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer |
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Luther Vandross chronology | ||||
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Singles from Forever, for Always, for Love | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Chicago Tribune | [2] |
Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Forever, for Always, for Love is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 21, 1982, by Epic Records. It became Vandross' second album to chart in the top 20 on the Billboard 200 and was his second album to top the R&B Albums chart where it spent three weeks.
The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and earned Vandross his third nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, but lost to Marvin Gaye for his song "Sexual Healing".
The hit "Since I Lost My Baby" was originally recorded by the Temptations in 1965, while the "Having a Party" part of the opening track was originally recorded by Sam Cooke in 1962. The album's opening track was heard during the opening credits of the 1990 film House Party . Rolling Stone gave the album a four-star rating, describing Vandross as "the most gifted male pop-soul singer of his generation".
In 2004, singer Lalah Hathaway covered the song "Forever, for Always, for Love" for the compilation album Forever, for Always, for Luther . She later included the song on her 2004 third album Outrun the Sky . In the same year Philadelphia rap-duo Young Gunz sampled "Better Love" on their top 40 hit "No Better Love" ft. Rell.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Bad Boy/Having a Party" | Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Sam Cooke | 5:16 |
2. | "You're the Sweetest One" | Vandross, Miller | 4:46 |
3. | "Since I Lost My Baby" | Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore | 5:28 |
4. | "Forever, for Always, for Love" | Vandross | 6:23 |
5. | "Better Love" | Vandross, Nat Adderley, Jr. | 6:26 |
6. | "Promise Me" | Vandross | 4:43 |
7. | "She Loves Me Back" | Vandross | 6:09 |
8. | "Once You Know How" | Vandross | 4:35 |
In The Boston Phoenix , Marjorie Karp Spencer wrote that "the new record is precise, spiffy, and taunting: a shade too busy to be coldly clean, a little too punchy for the moneyed gleam of its surface. But Vandross is straightforward about fidelity, capturing some high-hat on the reproachful ballad 'Better Love' that’s metallic enough to rattle the silver in my molars." [6]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [12] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [13] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Known as the "Velvet Voice", Vandross has been recognized as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023) by Rolling Stone, as well as one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard. In addition, NPR named him one of the 50 Great Voices. He was the recipient of eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for a track recorded shortly before his death, "Dance with My Father". In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
"Since I Lost My Baby" is a 1965 hit single recorded by The Temptations for the Motown Records' Gordy label. Written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson, the song was a top 20 pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, on which it peaked at number 17. On Billboard's R&B singles chart, "Since I Lost My Baby" peaked at number four.
The Night I Fell in Love is the fourth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on March 8, 1985, by Epic Records. In 1986, Vandross garnered a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and two American Music Awards, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. The first single "'Til My Baby Comes Home" is notable for featuring Billy Preston on organ.
Get It Right is the twenty-ninth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on July 14, 1983, by Arista Records. It was produced by Luther Vandross, following his successful teaming with the singer for the Gold-certified album, Jump to It, in 1982. Get It Right was not as commercially successful, and Franklin did not have Vandross produce any further albums.
Songs is the ninth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1994. The album, a collection of cover versions, produced the singles "Endless Love", "Always and Forever", and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". According to an interview both Vandross and Mariah Carey gave in Japan following the release of their duet "Endless Love", there was mention that Carey had given advice as to what songs Vandross would cover on this album.
"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in 1981, as the lead single from Vandross's debut album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It peaked at #27 in Cash Box and #33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Silk Electric is the thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1982, by RCA Records. It was Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the decade. It reached No. 27 on the US Billboard 200, No. 33 in the UK Albums Chart and the Top 20 in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands. The album cover was designed by Andy Warhol.
Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981, by Epic Records. Mostly composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been 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.
Busy Body is the third studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on November 25, 1983. It was certified platinum by the RIAA in January 1985. It hit the number one position in the week of April 13, 1984 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Give Me the Reason is the fifth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 26, 1986, by Epic Records. The album earned Vandross an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and a nomination for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" in 1988, while the title track was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.
Any Love is the sixth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1988, in the United States. Produced by Vandross and Marcus Miller, the album features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait" as well as "The Second Time Around," a re-recording of a song featured on Vandross's band Luther's 1976 album of the same name.
Power of Love is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released in North America by Epic on April 26, 1991, following the critical and commercial success of his sixth album Any Love (1988). Power of Love received critical acclaim from most critics, earning Vandross a number of awards and accolades including two American Music Awards and two Grammy Awards. It reached number seven on the US Billboard 200 album chart, while topping the Top R&B Albums chart for five nonconsecutive weeks. On the latter chart, it was Vandross's last number one for twelve years until Dance with My Father was released. The album was later certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Your Secret Love is the tenth studio album by American R&B singer Luther Vandross, released by Epic Records in October 1996. The album's title track won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 39th Grammy Awards in 1997. The album served as Vandross's final album under Epic Records after being part of the record label for fifteen years.
Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on May 26, 1993, in the US by Epic. It was his first studio album not to debut at #1 on the R&B Albums chart.
The Ultimate Luther Vandross is a greatest hits album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross, released in 2001. The compilation was re-released in 2006 with a different track listing, along with two previously unreleased songs. The unreleased cut "Got You Home" which appears on the 2006 edition of the compilation, earned Vandross a posthumous nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards in 2007.
Naughty is the second solo album by American R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1980.
How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye is a studio album by the American singer Dionne Warwick. It was released by Arista Records on September 29, 1983, in the United States. Recorded during the spring of 1983, Warwick worked with the singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, who also appears on the hit title track. The album includes the original version of the song "So Amazing", which Vandross would record later for his Give Me the Reason album, and a remake of The Shirelles' 1960 hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", featuring the original group on guest vocals.
"Always and Forever" is an R&B song written by Rod Temperton and produced by Barry Blue. It was first recorded by the British-based multinational funk-disco band Heatwave in 1976. Released as a single on 3 December 1977, the song is included on Heatwave's debut album Too Hot to Handle (1976) and has been covered by numerous artists, becoming something of a standard.
"I'd Rather" is a song by American singer Luther Vandross. It written and produced by Shep Crawford and recorded by Vandross for his eponymous album (2001). The song was released as the album's third and final single. "I'd Rather" became a top twenty hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and reached the top forty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It also topped the US Adult R&B Songs chart, the second single from Luther Vandross to do so.
Lalah Hathaway Live is the first live album by American singer Lalah Hathaway. It was released on October 30, 2015 through her own label, Hathaway Entertainment, and eOne. The album won Best R&B Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2017. She also earned a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her cover of "Angel" by Anita Baker.