# Dance with My Father (album)

Dance with My Father is the fourteenth and final studio album by American 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 Luther Vandross, Sr. and features production credits from Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, and Marcus Miller as well as guest appearances by singer Beyoncé, 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. 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 Beyoncé, and Best R&B Album.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Guardian | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Plugged In | (mixed) |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Vibe | |
Dance with My Father was released to generally positive reviews from music critics. In his review for Allmusic, David Jeffries summed that "Dance with My Father isn't able to maintain the high standards it often achieves, but Vandross' voice is always compelling and the background singers live up to the superior arrangements throughout. With nearly 70 minutes of music on the disc to choose from, more savvy listeners will be able to program their CD players for a more focused and rewarding listen." He rated the album four out of five stars. Writing for The Guardian, Adam Sweeting declared the album "one of Vandross's very finest recordings." He found that "always a class act, a kind of top-of-the-range Lexus among soulmen, Vandross has clung to his traditional strengths – lush melodies and artful arrangements, sung with that elegantly beseeching voice – while incorporating some discreet nods to modernity."
BBC Music critic Jack Smith called Dance with My Father "another faultless, high-gloss collection of love songs to follow his 2001 Luther Vandross release [...] 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." Los Angeles Times editor described the album as "a beautifully sung, ultra-nostalgic ballad cataloging childhood memories of his long-departed dad. But more to the point, [it] better updates the singer-songwriter-producer's time-tested strengths as a butter-voiced chronicler of romance." Gail Mitchell, writing for Billboard, found that Dance with My Father was "signature Luther: hot-buttered vocals dripping over lush ballads, with occasional midtempo spikes [...] Vandross proves, again, that he's a gifted vocalist who transcends time."

### Accolades

Awards and nominations for Dance with My Father :
| Organization | Year | Category | Result |
| American Music Awards | 2003 | Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Won |
| American Music Awards | 2003 | Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Won |
| BET Awards | 2004 | Best Male R&B Artist | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | 2004 | Song of the Year | Won |
| Grammy Award | 2004 | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Won |
| Grammy Award | 2004 | Best R&B Song | Nominated |
| Grammy Award | 2004 | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Won |
| Grammy Award | 2004 | Best R&B Album | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Album | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Male Artist | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Music Video | Won |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Song | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2004 | Best Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2004 | Best R&B/Soul Album – Male | Nominated |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2004 | Best R&B/Soul Single – Male | Won |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2005 | Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo | Nominated |

## Chart performance

Upon its release, Dance with My Father debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 442,000 units, becoming Vandross' first and only album to do so, while also marking his best sales week in the Nielsen SoundScan era. The album was his eighth and first album in the twelve years to top the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. By October 2003, Dance with My Father had sold 1.2 million copies in the United States. On April 14, 2004, it was certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RAA) for domestic shipments figures in excess of 2.0 million units.

## Track listing

Sample credits
* "Lovely Day (Part II)" contains excerpts from the composition "Say Yeah" as performed by The Commodores.

## Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.
* Nat Adderley Jr. – arranger, keyboards, piano, producer, string arrangements
* Tawatha Agee – background vocals
* Sanford Allen – concert master
* Alli – art direction
* June Ambrose – stylist
* Skip Anderson – arranger, keyboards, programming, soloist, vibraphone
* Ray Bardani – engineer, mixing, string engineer
* Beyoncé – primary artist
* Big Bub – background vocals
* Jeff Bova – sound design
* Al Brown – string contractor
* Al Brown & His Tunetoppers – string contractor
* Foxy Brown – featured artist, guest artist, vocals
* Sharon Bryant – background vocals
* Busta Rhymes – featured artist, guest artist, vocals
* Shep Crawford – instrumentation, producer
* Carl Cyrius – assistant engineer
* Jason Dale – assistant engineer
* Jill Dell'Abate – production coordination
* DJ Kay Gee – remix producer
* James Ervin – choreographer
* Jim Ervin – choreographer
* Eddie F. – remix producer
* Paul J. Falcone – vocal engineer, vocal recording
* Phil Hamilton – guitar
* Reggie Hamilton – bass
* Ivan Hampden – arranger, drum programming, drums, keyboard programming
* Cissy Houston – guest artist, background vocals
* Loren Howard – mixing assistant
* Roger Innocent – hair stylist
* Michael J – background vocals
* Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar
* Brion James – guitar
* Chris James – piano
* Joyce James – performer, background vocals
* Bashiri Johnson – percussion
* Jeff Jones – hair stylist, make-Up
* Beyoncé Knowles – primary artist
* Chris LeBeau – art producer, artwork
* Darren Lighty – remix producer
* Richard Marx – drum programming, keyboard programming
* Michael McCoy – assistant engineer
* Rick McDonald – background vocals
* Daniel Milazzo – assistant engineer
* Byron Miller – bass
* Marcus Miller – arranger, drum programming, engineer, keyboard programming, producer, background vocals
* Claudius Mittendorfer – assistant engineer
* Cindy Mizelle – background vocals
* Robbie Nevil – guitar, keyboards
* Flip Osman – assistant engineer
* April Owens – group member, performer, background vocals
* Dave Perini – assistant engineer
* James Porte – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming
* Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
* Queen Latifah – featured artist, guest artist, primary artist, vocals
* Jerome Ramos – bass
* Rex Rideout – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming
* RL – background vocals
* Matt Snedecor – assistant engineer
* Jason Stasium – assistant engineer
* Max Szadek – assistant, personal assistant
* Candace Thomas – group member, performer, background vocals
* Fonzi Thornton – vocal contractor, background vocals
* Luther Vandross – executive producer, primary artist, producer, vocal arrangement, vocals, background vocals
* Gabriel Varde – engineer, tracking
* Víctor Vega – guitar
* Reed Vertelney – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming
* Jamie Wallace – assistant engineer
* Stan Wallace – engineer
* Rick Watford – guitar
* Ricky Watford "Bishop" – guitar
* Kevin Westenberg – photography
* Brenda White-King – background vocals
* James "D-Train" Williams – background vocals
* Jay Williams – guitar
* Stevie Wonder – guest artist, harmonica, soloist
* "You Can Ask" Giz – engineer, mixing

## Certifications

Certifications for Dance with My Father :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||