(November 27, 2024) Luther Vandross, from the very start of his career as a solo artist, had this rare ability to possess every song he touched with his rangy voice. It didn’t matter whether the tune was a Luther original like “Never Too Much,” or a remake from the same album, such as “A House Is Not a Home.” The latter song, originally performed by Dionne Warwick – one of Vandross’s favorite singers – is a shining example of Vandross ability to totally possess a remake with his vocals, as well distinctive arrangement that honored the original while being very much his own. While the Warwick version was sweeping and filled and orchestral in that Burt Bacharach way, Vandross gave us a more bluesy, intimate version that felt like he was sharing his innermost feelings with a couple million of his closest friends.
Vandross always aimed high when it came to his reinterpretations of tunes from the popular musical canon. He took on songs by The Carpenters, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. He found the soul and gospel that lurked inside show tunes like “The Impossible Dream.”
Like many of these notable musical discoveries, Vandross’s reinterpretation of the Beatles classic “Michelle” was hidden in plain sight. The cut was a track on a cassette tape labeled June 1, 1989, according to an article on eurweb. Fonzi Thornton, a friend of Vandross and backing vocalist, found the cassette while visiting the family to search through musical archives.
Vandross’s reinterpretation serves as another example of his ability to find the soulful sweet spot in any song. Vandross’s version of “Michelle” accomplishes this through a percussive and slow, burning smooth R&B arrangement and his trademark vocals that reveal the longing for the woman named Michelle that’s expressed in the lyrics. Check out Luther Vandross’s soulful remake of The Beatles classic here.
By Howard Dukes
