Luther: Never Too Much

I have been a fan of Luther Vandross for over 30 years. Own all his 13 albums including his Christmas album making a total of 14. When I learned that a new documentary will be made on his life, I could not wait to see it. Now that the opportunity has arrived, I would like to say that I have now received my chance to see it. I must say that I came out of it enlightened.

For a while, I have been wanting to see a full documentary on Luther Vandross. Aside from the Journeys in Black mini-documentary hosted by BET, there have been no documentaries on the life of Luther until this day. I would like to send my kudos to the director Dawn Porter for providing us a documentary long overdue.

My background is in production, plus as a University Archival Reference Librarian, I have high standards for documentaries. The research team on this film did a fantastic job showcasing Luther Vandross in Luther: Never Too Much (2024). The director did a linear timeline of Luther Vandross and Sony assisted in providing outstanding sound quality of the music videos and live concert performances. I felt everyone in the audience had a favorite Luther Vandross song, and at the time in the 1980's and 1990's a lot of interviews just cared about "Who are you dating?" and questions regarding his weight. When Luther was so much more. He was a vessel who helped others find love through his music. Love the interviews with Jamie Foxx on how much Luther Vandross's music helped him to win over the ladies, how Mariah Carey felt singing with Luther Vandross. And even how Dionne Warwick was blown away at a remake of one of her songs sung by Luther. I even learned about some songs I never knew about before. I can not wait for the world to see this movie. Luther truly had a gift of singing and struggled so much to not just be labeled on black radio stations, but on popular radio stations as well. It's a film where you will learn, laugh, and tear up with emotion if you listen to the words of this perfectionist's lyrics. I hope it's distributed soon!

Good thing I glanced at films now playing section of my phone to see what was playing. I wanted to see this documentary ever since its buzz from Sundance. Then I notice it only had only one showtime today. After further research I noticed it had opened on November 1rst 😩 so any time now it would be out of the cinemas. I dropped everything I had schedule today to watch LUTHER: Never too Much and it was FANTASTIC!!!! Took me back to the 60's, 70's, 80's & 90's. Absolutely LOVED it!!! If it's playing in your area it's a MUST SEE!! RIP Luther! Such a great artist! It was a beautiful journey through his life, his music. So many things I did not realize about his earlier days and struggles at the time. But you made it Luther! And almost 20 years after your passing we still remember you, your music and we love you! For any fans of Luther, this documentary will fill your heart with joy!

It's been nearly two decades since Luther Vandross' early death at 54, but this overdue 2025 documentary from Dawn Porter is most welcome at this moment because it places clear focus on both the successes and struggles of the great crooner and songwriter. Porter covers the full spectrum of his career from his appearances on the first season of "Sesame Street" as part of the vocal group, Listen My Brother, all the way to his last and most personal chart hit, "Dance With My Father". In the three-plus decades in between, his mellifluous tenor was heard consistently on a series of hit recordings at the same time he worked as producer, songwriter, and collaborator with the most legendary divas. Drastic weight fluctuations, diabetes, and his closeted private life also get attention but not excessively so. Incorporating interviews with colleagues and confidants, this is a well-paced and researched chronology of a genuine talent frequently underrated but not forgotten.

Using a wide array of archive and some fairly honest and potent interviews, this documentary presents us with a short biopic of rather an enigmatic gent. Initially, his dulcet tones earned him a decent enough living doing lucrative commercials and providing backing vocals until a session with David Bowie started his career on a largely unhindered upwards trajectory. His associations with Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler and Roberta Flack, his total - almost perfectionist - commitment to his art and his cheeky sense of humour all contributed further to a success that transcended not just US racial boundaries, but also physical international ones too. I wasn't really that aware of his music, but watching this does effectively illustrate just how many songs he was behind - writing and/or performing, that are more familiar than I'd expected. This also wasn't a messy man. He wasn't in and out of the papers with stories of his life, his lifestyle, his drinking or drug taking - he actually comes across as a remarkably stable man in many ways, even if his solution to problems he faced was to reach for the fried chicken bucket or the ice cream spoon. Happily, we don't really focus too much on the personal life. Perhaps because his own comments of "mind your own **** business" are echoed by the film's contributors who knew him and who chose not to add fuel to any fires burning about his sexuality. It's a celebration of his music that broadens awareness for folk like me who didn't realise the scope of his skills, and it is a fitting and spangly tribute for those who did.