One of the best debut album of the eighties, Luther's first solo album is an energetic masterpiece that soars from beginning to end without hitting a single false note. Luther was already producing all of his material, and he always seems to know exactly what a song needs. Everything is flawlessly arranged, with a perfect balance struck among the instruments, synths, and background vocals. Luther solely wrote six of the record's seven tracks, and he had already mastered the art of crafting strong hooks, interlaced with non-cliched lyrics. It may surprise fans of Luther's later, more laid back recordings, that the bulk of NEVER TOO MUCH contains up-tempo material.

The infectious title track is definitely the best-known track here, but every cut on this record is a classic. The post-disco dance tracks "Sugar And Spice" and "I've Been Working" are irresistible, and the harder sounds of "Don't You Know That?" and "She's A Super Lady" rival even the best funk recordings. Luther slowed things down with the touching mid-tempo "You Stopped Loving Me," which brings us to the disc's only ballad - and it's the highlight among highlights. Luther's gorgeous, heart-breaking rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "A House Is Not A Home" is one of the most perfect marriages between a singer and a song. Luther recorded many more covers over the years, many of which were quite excellent, although he never surpassed the intimate power of his take on this classic.

Luther instantly connected with the public, and had achieved a considerable fan base virtually overnight. NEVER TOO MUCH hit #19 on the Hot 200, and impressively reached Double-Platinum status in sales.

For those who collect EVERYTHING Luther has done, I offer the following info in case you don't already have it. Luther did so much session work as a backup singer and/or arranger, that it would take days to list it all. So I am just listing the highlights. In 1973 Luther recorded a duet with Delores Hall on her LP "HALL MARK". The song is "WHO'S GONNA MAKE IT EASIER FOR ME?". In 1976 Luther formed a quintet and released an album on the Cotillion label called "LUTHER". Then as a trio, Luther released another LP called "LUTHER- THIS CLOSE TO YOU" in 1977. In 1979 Luther appeared on the following soundtrack- "SUNNYSIDE - THE NEW YORK CITY BAND" (a movie starring John Travolta's brother Joey in a teen drama). I don't know if it is a solo song or what. I do know he was part of the group THE NEW YORK CITY BAND and sang lead on some of their songs. And of course it is well-known he sang lead on a couple songs when he was part of the group CHANGE. He sings lead on 2 songs from their 1980 debut album- "THE GLOW OF LOVE", and those songs are "SEARCHING" and "THE GLOW OF LOVE". The following year he released his debut album "NEVER TOO MUCH". And what a debut.

Luther Vandross was born to sing! By the time his debut album hit the streets, Mr Vandross was already one of the most sought-after singers in the business. "Never Too Much" is an entertaining soulful album that showcased real music before synthesizers and drum machines were the norm.

Luther also established himself as an accomplished songwriter, producer and arranger. To prove this point, some two years after releasing his debut, Luther was collaborating with his musical idols: Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross - not bad at all!

The album kicks off with the title track which is a bright and breezy up-tempo number. It has the kind of catchy chorus that you find yourself singing along to. Musically, it was produced in a way that you can hear each instrument. Marcus Miller's bass provided the funky backdrop that would feature prominently on future Vandross albums.

Other tracks worth noting are:

"Sugar And Spice" - a solid old school groove and my favourite up-tempo track. It's a real feel-good track.

"Don't You Know That" is a delightful mid-tempo number.

The middle tracks flow quite nicely and we then come to the final number:

"A House Is Not A Home" is a ballad par excellence, and it demonstrated Luther's considerable nuanced vocal talents. It was Luther's desire to sing about the more sensitive part of love and relationships that gave his music its special identity - no one else sounded like him and I doubt that no one ever will.

It's sad to think that Luther is no longer with us. I'm glad that I followed his solo career right from the beginning and his solo debut would make a welcome addition to your collection

This was a good album, but to be honest I bought it because I am a Luther Vandross album collector and I had to have it for my collection. For the individual who has no idea who Luther is and just wants to hear his hits, should not buy this album as an introduction to Luther. Instead buy " The Best Of Luther Vandross:The best of love" you will most likely get what you are looking for. For the avid collector like myself, you have to buy this album for, "Don't you know that", b/c you probably already have all of the other titles on one of your other five Luther CDs.

What is there to say about this project that has not been said before? It is nothing short of a work of soul music classic. It is by far one of Luther's best project. This actual purchase for this project will personally be my 3rd time buying it. the 1st time of course was on vinyl, the 2nd was on the first compact disc version, now the 3rd copy will be a REMASTERED VERSION!!

the record company finally heard my prayers, I wonder will Warner Bros start REMASTERING early Prince Projects...