Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 Explained

Live Radio City Music Hall 2003
Type:live
Artist:Luther Vandross
Cover:Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 album cover.jpg
Recorded:February 11–12, 2003
Venue:Radio City Music Hall (New York City)
Length:75:29
Label:J
Producer:
Prev Title:The Essential Luther Vandross
Prev Year:2003
Next Year:2004

Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 is a live album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released on October 14, 2003, by J Records. Recorded live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on February 11 and 12, 2003, two months before Vandross' hospitalization due to a stroke, it was produced by Vandross' longtime musical director Nat Adderley, Jr. and marked his first live album. Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 debuted and peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 5, 2003.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor David Jeffries called the album a "welcome addition to the Luther Vandross' discography." He found that "those who have only been exposed to his smooth croon on record are in for a treat. The cool pillow talk of his studio recordings is performed perfectly here, but live Vandross adds improvisational twists, stunning vocal theatrics, and some of the most entertaining banter with an audience ever heard. Absolutely effervescent the singer wins over the audience right away and it just keeps building from there. The band is tight, with Nat Adderley Jr. as leader and on keyboards, but vocals are the thing." In a retrospective review for Medium, Mason Stoutamire wrote: "It's a series of highs and reaches even higher in the possibilities of live music. By delivering in every way, the live album successfully provides a snapshot of the vocalist’s capabilities before his passing, just two years later." He noted that "each song performed during that night is filled with potentially more soul than each respective studio version. Each track is performed perfectly."[1]

Chart performance

Live Radio City Music Hall 2003 debuted and peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard 200 in the week of November 5, 2003. It also reached number six on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stoutamire. Mason. Remembering the ‘Velvet Voice’: Visiting Luther Vandross’s 2003 Live Album . . November 28, 2024.