Luther Vandross - The Very Best (1994)

Suspense is crucial to soul music. The great soul singers from Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson to Al Green and Prince have always allowed for the possibility that their romantic pleadings might be rejected. No active singer creates more suspense in his or her songs than Luther Vandross, whose Never Let Me Go is one of his best. For example, in the opening verse of the first single, "Little Miracles (Happen Every Day)," the lonely singer longs for someone to talk to, and the gospelish voice-and-piano arrangement is heavily echoed to make it sound even lonelier. On a happy, up-tempo song like "Heaven Knows," there's a hint of uncertainty. The music radiates optimism, as a catchy pop-rock hook is married to co-producer Marcus Miller's out-front R&B bass riff. As on every album, Vandross includes a tribute to his musical roots, and this time it's a medley of the Bee Gees' 1977 disco double entendre "How Deep Is Your Love," an instrumental version of the Spinners' '74 hit "Love Don't Love Nobody," and the '54 Johnny Ace hit "Never Let Me Go." In this pop-music era of overbearing arrogance and unending self-pity, Vandross's suspenseful balance of yearning and doubt may be mistaken for slickness by some glib observers. For anyone interested in hearing a great voice explore the subtleties of adult romance, however, you won't find anything better than Vandross's. --Geoffrey Himes