The album was released to positive reception from music critics, who called it Vandross' best effort in a decade. His rendition of the 1962 Chuck Jackson song "Any Day Now" received a nomination for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance at the 2003 Grammy Awards. Upon release, Luther Vandross debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 136,000 copies, his best first week sales yet. The album produced three singles, including "Take You Out" which reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult R&B Songs chart.
AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis found that Luther Vandross was "a return to form," and ranked the album "as the singer's best since 1991's critically and commercially lauded Power of Love." He further called it "the singer's most engaging, exciting, and compelling album in years; [it] shows Vandross in step with changing times, all the while still managing to hold on to the essence of what made him so famous in the first place."[1]People magazine called Luther Vandross "vintage Vandross" and wrote: "With his new disc, Vandross has finally come up with a collection of songs worthy of his silky, elastic tenor. Sounding as robust as ever despite having dropped 120 lbs. since his last album [...] Vandross works his seductive spells on sensitive slow jams [...]."[5]
Denise Boyd from BBC Music noted that "with this album Luther has stepped into the 21st century with style. He's combined his classic soul sound with the new digitised R&B beat, therefore cleverly pleasing his die-hard fans and also paving the way for a new generation of followers. Luther is undisputedly still the king of soul ballads but he is also recognised as a force to be reckoned with on the new R&B scene."[6]Entertainment Weekly's Robert Cherry felt that "Vandross doesn’t need to rely on expletives to stimulate a response. Armed with G-rated ballads and a bevy of hot producers who step aside to let the man do his thang, Vandross and his caramel-smooth croon could spark yet another baby boom."[2] In a negative review, PopMatters editor Mark Anthony Neal called the album a "dismal attempt on Vandross' part to remain relevant to today’s listening audiences."[7]
Commercial performance
Luther Vandross debuted and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 136,000 copies in its first week.[8] It marked Vandross' best chart showing since Billboard began using SoundScan to track sales in 1991.[8] On Billboard's component charts, the album reached number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming his twelfth solo album to reach the top ten.[8] In total, Luther Vandross sold 1.2 million copies domestically.[9] It was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipment of over 1 million copies in the United States.[10]
