Luther Vandross – Best of Love: A Valentine’s Day Vinyl Review
Romance sounds better when the record keeps turning.
Wine Score: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
Album Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Scores reflect my personal experience — less about perfection, more about vibe.
A Love Song Worth Coming Back To
I don’t usually buy “Best Of” albums. They tend to skip the slow burn, the reward of discovering the quieter corners of an artist’s catalog in favor of what history has already decided matters most. But every rule has an exception, and this one started with a song I wanted on vinyl that Luther Vandross never technically released under his own name.
Before he became Luther, he was a producer on Cheryl Lynn’s Instant Love album, which included a stunning cover of “If This World Were Mine,” originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It’s a song built on tenderness, lush strings, unhurried phrasing, and a kind of intimacy that doesn’t rush the moment. Cheryl Lynn had a solid body of work, no question, but she wasn’t yet an artist I felt compelled to collect. That may change one day. For now, the song was the thing.
Fast-forward to something more recent. In our house, listening sessions are a regular ritual, anyone can take control of the music and make their case to a demanding audience. On this night, my son queued things up the modern way, a quick click in iTunes rather than a needle drop. I’ll always lean analog, but that appreciation hasn’t fully landed for him yet. Fixable. He had Kendrick Lamar’s GNX lined up, and while I knew Kendrick’s work well enough, this album was new to me. We were all nodding along when a voice came in that stopped the older listeners in the room cold.
Luther.
The track, appropriately titled “Luther” reimagines that same song, this time through Kendrick and SZA’s lens. And while it stands fully on its own, I felt a quiet obligation in that moment to point out the lineage. After Kendrick’s version finished, I queued up the original with Cheryl Lynn. Side by side, the connection was unmistakable. The phrasing, the emotion, the way the song lingers instead of resolves, it’s easy to hear why Kendrick chose it.
When Kendrick and SZA took home the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance, it felt like a full-circle moment. Something from my formative years had found new life, reshaped but still intact at its core. And somewhere in all of that, between the needle drops and late-night listens I realized Valentine’s Day was right around the corner.
Some music doesn’t just set the mood. It reminds you why the mood matters.
The Listening Ritual
Before the needle drops, set the tone. Whether you’re revisiting this album or hearing it for the first time, here’s how to experience it fully.
🎧 Start the Record
Stream the album on your preferred platform and settle into the mood before the first side begins.
🍷 Pour the Pairing
Bring the full experience together with a bottle that complements the character of the record.
Availability may vary by location.
🎵 Own the Record
For readers who want the full analog experience, here’s where to track down the album on vinyl.
Let the Record Play (and Know What You’re Buying)
It’s hard not to enjoy anything on The Best of Luther Vandross: Best of Love, and I won’t pretend this is the place to break down every standout moment. This is a record that works best when you stop overthinking it. Put it on, let the needle drop, and allow it to move through its rotations uninterrupted.
This is a double album, four full sides of music that can easily carry an entire evening. There’s no rush here. You’re listening to the arc of a six-time Grammy winner, sequenced to reward patience. As the sides turn, it’s almost impossible not to start mentally bookmarking moments and thinking about where you might want to go deeper next.
From a collecting standpoint, this is also one of those releases where expectations matter. Original pressings, especially clean copies with strong jackets tend to command a premium, often landing in the $60–$90 range, and climbing higher for near-mint examples. Later represses are far more approachable and typically fall between $30–$45, making them an easy recommendation if your goal is listening rather than chasing first-press pedigree.
If this is your entry point into Luther’s catalog, this compilation does exactly what it should, it opens doors. And once you start thinking about deeper dives, these albums are natural next stops for longer listening sessions:
- Dance with My Father
- Songs
- Your Secret Love
- The Power of Love
- Never Let Me Go
Each of those deserves its own uninterrupted evening, the kind where the lights stay low, the wine keeps pace with the music, and the only decision you’re making is whether to flip the side now or let the silence linger a moment longer.
I’ll be circling back to revise this post as we spend time with those albums individually, so consider this an open invitation. Stop back once in a while. There’s plenty more waiting in the grooves.
The Groove and the Glass
This is a record that asks you to slow down, and the wine should meet it at the same pace. For this spin, Samuel Robert Vineyard Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir feels like a natural extension of the music, nothing flashy, nothing rushed, just quietly confident from the first pour to the final groove.
Like Best of Love, this Pinot rewards patience. Give it a little air before the needle drops and resist the urge to rush the moment. Early on, it leans into soft red fruit and gentle spice, but as the album moves from side to side, the wine settles in, growing warmer and more expressive. It mirrors Luther’s voice in that way, never pushing, never forcing, just gradually filling the room.
This is a wine meant to stay with you for the full listen, not disappear in the opening tracks. Let the glass breathe between sides. Let the music breathe, too. And if four sides turn into a long, comfortable evening and you find yourself opening a second bottle somewhere around Side C, consider that less indulgence and more confirmation that the session is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
How to Handle the Pour
- Slightly cool, not cold , cellar temperature is ideal; lively but still soft
- Pour modestly and early, give it 10–15 minutes to open while Side A settles in
- No decanter required, this wine opens naturally in the glass as the record plays
- Let it evolve with the album, expect it to soften and warm as the sides turn
- Plan ahead, four sides is a commitment, and backup is never a bad idea
And a reminder, this session isn’t about critical listening or chasing tasting notes. This one is for the romance. The kind that doesn’t need commentary, just presence. Let the record play, let the wine keep pace, and let the rest of the evening take care of itself.
This is what The Groove and the Glass is about. One record. One bottle. Maybe two. No distractions.
Charles’ Pour Notes
Wine: Samuel Robert Vineyard Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Profile: Soft red cherry and raspberry, gentle spice, and a smooth, velvety finish. Expressive enough to stay interesting, restrained enough to let the music lead.
Pairing Mood: This pairing works because both the wine and the record value restraint. Luther glides, the Pinot follows, warming as the night unfolds. Serve it slightly cool and let it carry the evening without overthinking it.
A Final Note
There’s a reason this music has lasted. Luther knew how to slow things down without draining the energy out of a room, how to turn intimacy into atmosphere rather than spectacle. Best of Love doesn’t push the moment—it invites it in and lets it settle.
If this record fits into your Valentine’s plans, listen with someone you care about. Not as background, not in passing, but as something shared. Let the sides turn, let the wine breathe, and let the space between tracks do some of the work. Luther has a way of quietly raising the temperature, and by the time the final grooves fade, you may find the room feels a little warmer than when you started.
That’s more than romance. That’s good music doing exactly what it was meant to do.
If Luther raises the temperature slowly, our reflection on Ike & Tina Turner’s Workin’ Together explores what happens when that same chemistry arrives with motion and grit.