TITLE: LOVE, LUTHER

ARTIST: LUTHER VANDROSS

STARS: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

SOUNDS LIKE: Some of the best soul balladeering this side of heaven.

To say that the late Luther Vandross is the most beloved R & B male vocalist of this generation is a gross understatement. For many, the silky smooth balladeer is the quintessence of love-making soul music.

Besides possessing a velvety sweet tenor, Vandross wore many hats as a songwriter, producer and creator of what some folks call "baby making music." His music was the kind of stuff that made you wanna turn out the lights, light a few candles, pop the cork on some fine wine and slow dance with your lady.

The four CD box set "Love, Luther" draws from three decades in the singer's phenomenal career. In no chronological order there's a total of 56 tracks that cover the singer's career from 1973's "Gonna Make It Easier for Me" to 2003's beautifully haunting "Dance with My Father."

In between is a smorgasbord of hits, previously unreleased tunes and little known duets with Frank Sinatra, Beyonce and Dionne Warwick from the sweet soul crooner's songbook.

What's amazing is that each selection here is somebody's hit favorite. But then again how can you pick a favorite from "Never to Much" to "If Only For One Night" and "A House Is Not a Home"? Each is an R & B gem in its own right.

"His simple but poetic lyrics," said LA Weekly Music critic Ernest Hardy in the CD liner notes, "sidestepped macho posturing to grapple with larger truths about the human heart and the universal need for connection... Luther Vandross transcended all sorts of boundaries - national, racial, gender, sexuality - to sing songs that resonated with anyone who had a heart."

Enough said.