Songs is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released by LV Records and Epic Records on September 20, 1994 in the United States. 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.[1][2]
Michael Eric Dyson wrote in his review for Rolling Stone: "While there may be no stunning surprises on Songs, this collection, brilliant in many spots, proves that Vandross is a master of musical reinterpretation."[8]Music & Media noted that "this covers-only album could go a long way in finally giving Vandross the same status on the continent that he enjoys in the Anglo-American markets. Apart from more obvious choices [...] he successfully tries his hand at up-tempo material [...] and strays away from the R&B realm by giving a whole new twist to Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With."[9]Cash Box critic M.R. Martinez felt that Songs "demoustrates the ample stylistic repertoire that the singer can wield."[10] Alan Jones from Music Week named it "an impossibly strong selection of covers", "from an album which is likely to spin-off a string of hits, and venture well into platinum territory."[7]
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine found that "the collection of personal favorites suffers from the common flaws of covers albums – it isn't consistent, it sounds slightly canned, and seems like a way to buy time between "real" albums. Nevertheless, Vandross is a truly fine singer, which is what makes Songs worthwhile."[3] Jeremy Helligar, writing for Entertainment Weekly, called This Is Christmas a "hodgepodge collection of 13 revamped classics sounds like a desperate attempt to secure [...] a No. 1 pop single. Vandross just might find what he’s looking for. Too bad it couldn’t be something less drippy than "Endless Love"."[5]
Chart performance
Songs debuted and peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200 in the week of October 8, 1994,[11] becoming Vandross' highest charting album yet.[11] It spent 37 weeks on the chart and reached both Gold and Platinum status on November 23, 1994.[12] On March 20, 1996, Songs earned a double Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for domestic shipments figures in excess of 2.0 million copies.[12] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on October 1, 1994.[13] It marked Vandross' first chart-topping album there and was certified Platinum on December 1, 1994.[14]
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