Give Me the Reason (Luther Vandross album)

Give Me the Reason is the fifth studio album by American R&B/soul singer-songwriter Luther Vandross, released on September 26, 1986, by Epic Records. The album earned Vandross an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and a nomination for "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" in 1988, while the title track was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.

The album also includes Vandross' first Billboard top-20 pop hit, "Stop to Love." It also marked a svelte, thinner Vandross due to a weight loss earlier in the year. The album went on to sell over 2 million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition to the title track and "Stop to Love," the album features three other hit singles: "So Amazing", "There's Nothing Better Than Love" (duet with Gregory Hines), and "I Really Didn't Meant It."

Personnel

 * Luther Vandross – lead and backing vocals, vocal arrangements
 * Nat Adderley, Jr. – keyboards, synthesizers, string arrangements, rhythm and synthesizer arrangements (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9), horn and string arrangements (4)
 * Marcus Miller – synthesizers, bass, rhythm and synthesizer arrangements (2, 3, 7), backing vocals
 * Jason Miles – synthesizer programming
 * Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar (1-6, 8, 9)
 * Doc Powell – guitar (1-6, 8, 9)
 * Ira Siegel – guitar (7)
 * Yogi Horton – drums
 * Paulinho da Costa – congas, percussion
 * Kirk Whalum – saxophone solo (3, 9)
 * Paul Riser – horn and string arrangements (4)
 * John "Skip Anderson – rhythm arrangements (6)
 * David Lasley – backing vocals, vocal contractor
 * Kevin Owens – backing vocals
 * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals, vocal contractor
 * Ava Cherry – alto vocals
 * Charlotte Crossley – alto vocals
 * Michelle Cobbs – alto vocals
 * Paulette McWilliams – alto vocals, vocal contractor
 * Alfa Anderson – soprano vocals
 * Lisa Fischer – soprano vocals
 * Cissy Houston – soprano vocals
 * Cheryl Lynn – soprano vocals
 * Myrna Smith-Schilling – soprano vocals

Production

 * Marcus Miller – producer
 * Luther Vandross – producer
 * Larkin Arnold – executive producer
 * Ray Bardani – engineer, mixing
 * Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
 * Marsha Burns – production coordinator
 * George Corsillo – art direction, design
 * Matthew Rolston – photography