J Records to Release So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross

J Records to Release So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross

Alicia Keys, Usher, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Elton John and Others Join Star-Studded Tribute to a Quintessential Singer of Our Time

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of today's most talented and world-renown music superstars, from Alicia Keys and Celine Dion, to Usher and Elton John, have gathered to pay musical homage to one of the greatest singers of our time on So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross, set for a September 20 release on J Records.

So Amazing is a collection of the most memorable hits from Vandross' musical legacy. Artists and songs featured on the album thus far include Mary J. Blige ("Never Too Much"), Aretha Franklin ("A House Is Not A Home"), Usher ("Superstar"), Beyonce ("So Amazing"), Alicia Keys ("If This World Was Mine" - duet with Jermaine Paul), Donna Summer ("Power of Love"), Celine Dion ("Dance With My Father"), Patti LaBelle ("Here and Now"), Jamie Foxx ("Creepin"), Elton John ("Anyone Who Had A Heart" - duet with Luther's original vocals), Fantasia ("Till My Baby Comes Home"), John Legend ("Love Won't Let Me Wait"), Babyface ("If Only For One Night") and Wyclef Jean ("Always and Forever").

So Amazing has been a work in progress for some time with an overwhelming response from Luther's friends, colleagues and admirers, all eager to contribute to the project. Clive Davis says, "It seemed like an impossible task to do full justice to all Luther classics. And yet these landmark artists have done just that. Memorable performances of wonderful songs that ensure Luther's legacy will live on forever."

Celine Dion comments that singing "Dance With My Father," one of Luther's last studio recordings from his J Records 2003 release of the same name, was difficult to do at first since the passing of her father a few years ago. "But I feel much stronger now to sing it. I'm very thankful I'm getting the chance to do it. It's a very pretty song and I loved Luther very much," she adds. Mary J. Blige, who performs "Never Too Much," the hit song from Luther's debut album, Never Too Much, recalls the first time she heard the song as being a "breath of fresh air ... No one had ever heard of anyone that sounded like Luther. No one heard anyone that brought that much soul." Usher adds, "Luther Vandross' music influences generations of past, present and future by helping us understand the language of love. His legacy will live on forever and I'm happy that I could contribute to his legacy."

Luther Vandross was undeniably one of the most significant balladeers of our time. Since the 1981 platinum-selling release of Never Too Much, Luther's recording career spanned over two decades and resulted in a lifetime of chart topping hits. Through the 1980's, he recorded a string of platinum albums, including Forever, For Always, For Love, Busy Body and The Night I Fell In Love. He scored his first Grammy Award in 1989 with "Here And Now." His last studio album, 2003's Dance With My Father, received 4 Grammy Awards (including Song of the Year for the title song "Dance With My Father") and has generated worldwide sales exceeding 3 million copies. Collectively, Luther's body of work has sold in excess of 30 million records worldwide, winning eight Grammy Awards, numerous Soul Train, BET, NAACP Image Awards and American Music Awards. Vandross died on July 1, 2005 from complications from the stroke he suffered in 2003. He was 54.

Source: J Records

CONTACT: Theola Borden, +1-646-840-5673, Theola.Borden@SonyBMG.com

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