Soul singer Luther Vandross achieved his first success in the early 1970s when, as a twenty-year-old songwriter, he composed the closing song A Brand New Day for the film The Wiz. Thirty years later, the singer's fifteenth solo album is released, but not after he nearly succumbed (in April 2003) to the consequences of a serious stroke. At the time of writing Vandross's condition is no longer
… life-threatening, but whether he will ever fully recover is the question. Partly due to the publicity surrounding these tragic events, Dance With My Father entered the US album charts at number one. For fourteen slick soul songs, Vandross once again proves to be among the best singers of his generation, with help from the new crop of stars including Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah and Foxy Brown. Most impressive song is the title track, in which Vandross reminisces about his deceased father. (MS)more
