Dance With My Father Album

[Josette Werst]

Dancewith My Father is the thirteenth and final studio album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross. It was released by J Records on June 10, 2003 in the United States and served as the follow-up to his self-titled studio album (2001). The album, especially its title track, was dedicated to Vandross's late father and features production credits from Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, and Marcus Miller as well as guest appearances by singer Beyonc, R&B trio Next, and rappers Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes.

Upon its release, Dance with My Father debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 442,000 units, becoming his first and only album to do so.[2] It also marked his eighth and first album in the twelve years to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Critically acclaimed, Dance with My Father earned Vandross two American Music Awards in the Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and the Favorite Soul/R&B Album categories as well as four Grammy Awards wins out of five nominations, including Song of the Year and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Dance with My Father", Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Closer I Get to You", his duet with Beyonc, and Best R&B Album.

Rabbit holes are my thing, for good or ill. I was a big Manhattan Transfer fan back in the late 70s/early 80s. They could go a lot of directions in the kind of material they recorded and did some great stuff. I will have to look for some of those newer groups.

Wow I totally heard Surfer Girl in that, I could picture the lyrics

Little surfer little one

Made my heart come all undone

Do you love me, do you surfer girl

Popping up at any second. I guess nothing is ever completely new, just a previous idea tweaked or improved somehow.

I have been a casual fan of the Beach Boys from the time I was a kid, but realize that my experience has been pretty shallow. It shall joint the list of groups/genres that are waiting in their own rabbit holes.

Choosing the dance song was a job assigned to me by the bride. But I am sure I would have been fine with one that she would have picked out too. There are a lot of good ones that specifically fit the occasion, but most of them are more modern.

It would have been cool to see the Beach Boys live. I enjoyed their songs on the radio when I was a kid but should probably take a deeper dive into them at some point. And yes, I was happy that she wanted me to pick the music.

They did a fun concert JP and I always saw them at outside venues. They put on quite a show and from the beginning of the concert, everyone was up and on their feet singing along as everyone knew the words and the Beach Boys loved the audience participation. I would like to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert sometime. His loyal base of Parrot Heads scoop up tickets as soon as they go on sale and he only appears one day only, and one concert only, at an outdoor venue here in Detroit. Some day hopefully.

You were around the age when people first started deciding that they were not interested in learning how to shift gears. Earlier generations had not gotten a choice on that. My grandma used to tell a story that the first time she drove was to bring a car in from one of the farm fields when a storm was coming and my grandfather had to take the tractor back. He got it into first gear for her, and she stayed in first gear all the way back to the house. That would have been a slow trip! ?

I read that you started working on this album right after your father's passing in 2016. So you were putting this album together while you were also going through grief. What was that like?

I'm not certain if this happens with everybody, but I'm consulting my father and his work less and less as a father, and more and more as a man, as a lifetime of decisions. I'm ever-struck by the beauty of his work and what he's left behind and his legacy. It did have a sentimental dimension, because I was indeed staying in the company of my father, but there was a sense of duty. He'd asked me to complete these works, which we'd begun together, and that's what I was doing.

My father wasn't prolific. He's sort of the opposite of Dylan, who had this from the hip [songwriting process]. My father was much more methodical, he had a chisel ... there were big, big pieces at which he'd been at work for years. There really was only what he'd left vocals on and what we'd discussed. It was a very small batch of work and I knew exactly what I was tackling.

People will often say "Oh, Leonard Cohen: those songs, those albums, are so depressing, so dark. But there is a real sense of humor that I think comes through in his work. It was dry, to be sure, but you can hear it on this record, and one song that springs to mind is "Happens to the Heart." That first line "I was always working steady / But I never called it art." His fans hear that and their reaction is "Well, don't kid yourself, Mr. Cohen."

He did have a beautiful sense of modesty. He was really devoted to his work. He wasn't interested in accolades, he was interested in blackening pages. He did have an old-world devotion and dedication to his craft that is increasingly uncommon. You must be familiar with his work because the humor and lightness, for which he's not known, is actually a signature of his work for his connoisseurs.

In my opinion, there's something about the thesis of this man's work, which is about brokenness. One of the main points of interest was this idea of "the broken hallelujah," or "the crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." I think I'm not transgressing by saying one of the positions of what "Happens to the Heart" is bleak, that it breaks. But it's how one sees one's own heart breaking: if you see it as everyone's heart breaking, it re-contextualizing it.

People have had lovely, supportive, enthusiastic, kind things to say about this album, for which, I'm grateful and find myself nourished. The thing that is, beyond anything, the most comforting is when their jaw falls open and they say "It's like he's still here with us." There is this indelible feeling of his presence, like he's still among us.

When Leonard Cohen died in 2016, he left behind a substantial amount of unfinished music and poetry. The late musician's son, Adam, has taken it upon himself to help finish what his father started. The result is Thanks for the Dance, the first posthumous album from Cohen.

After more than two decades as the most celebrated soul balladeer in American soul, Luther Vandross isn't about to change a winning formula, and Dance With My Father is another faultless, high-gloss collection of love songs to follow his 2001 Luther Vandross release. 'I must admit I get so emotional', he sings early on, and proceeds to demonstrate the fact over a dozen tracks that contain no surprises, but will keep his considerable following more than satisfied.

Amongst the collaborations that one expects from r&b veterans these days, the high points are "If It Aint One Thing" with Foxy Brown and "Hit It Again" with Queen Latifah, both opting for restrained dance rhythms tailored to Vandross precise phrasing. (The latter has an opening line verging on self-parody: 'Well, by now you know I'm insatiable.') The low point is a version of Bill Withers "Lovely Day", with unnecessary interruptions from Busta Rhymes, which sounds like an exercise in marketing. Finally, towards the end, we get a characteristically beautiful harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder on "Once Were Lovers", that comes as welcome relief after an hour of predominantly programmed sounds.

Amidst all the tales of adult relationships, the title track is the one exception to the lyrical theme. Co-written and produced by Richard Marx, its a lament for the loss of a parent that avoids sentimentality and is genuinely touching.

Now in his early-50s, Vandross is so much the master of his craft, you cant help but want him to stretch out a little, take a few chances, maybe get a collaborator with some more imaginative ideas for instrumentation to match his own impeccable vocal arrangements. But if you like your r&b to be smooth and your songs to be grown-up, you're not going to argue too much.

Father John Misty offered up a late Christmas present in the shape of a surprise new live album. Recorded only just over a week ago, at his solo show on December 15th, 2023, Live At The Sunset Cultural Center revisits that performance and debuts a brand new track.

Father John Misty is no stranger to live albums. His previous 2020 compilation, Off-Key In Hamburg, shared live versions of songs from his first four albums. In 2022, Live At Electric Lady celebrated the release of his new album, Chloe And The Next 20th Century, with stripped-back live performances. After a busy year of touring that new record and appearing at Hyde Park with Lana Del Rey, the singer is at his live best.

You know it's been a while since I talked about the father - daughter dance at Charleston weddings. As the years go by, tastes have a tendency to change as well as the choice of songs and genres. More often than not, the first man in a bride's life is going to be her father. While the year has changed and the music on the charts change, one thing that remains the same is that tender love between a father and her daughter during their dance at her wedding reception. Depending upon the desired timeline of the bride and groom, the father - daughter dance usually occurs right after the first dance. Doing the father - dance right after the first dance is a perfect time because ALL eyes are on the bride at this time. Your Charleston Wedding DJ will gracefully fade down your first dance and professionally fade in and announce everyone that a special moment is about ready to happen between the bride and her father.

This song is a truly beautiful way for the bride to express her gratitude to the first man in her life. Choosing the right song will be an excellent gift and make him feel like the most important guy that he is. Be sure to take some time to think about a song, and if you need to get together to practice your wedding dance, please do so. Some of the songs on this list are very popular choices, but some of the songs are more modern and more "2018-ish". Put some thought into the song you choose and if you need any more help, let's set up a time to talk soon.

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