Elton John & Luther Vandross [2005] - Anyone Who Had A Heart [J]

SoulStrutter's Rating: 9.0

Yes, you have read that  correctly ... Elton John & Luther on a Bacharach & David 'standard' ... have I gone mad?  Well just take a listen.  If this is NOT soulful then I don't know what is! 

Taken from the album 'So Amazing An All-Star Tribute To Luther Vandross'

I'm not entirely sure whether this track was recorded before or after Luther's untimely death (Jul 2005).  It was released 3 months after he died (Sep 2005), but not sure whether Elton John's vocals were overdubbed on Luther's existing track or recorded with him before he died (None of the other tracks are duets with Luther). I 'suspect' the latter, given that he had a stroke in April 2003. If anyone knows for sure please post a comment.

Of course Luther, in his heyday, had a knack of taking B&D songs and re-arranging and interpreting them beautifully e.g. A House is Not A Home, Close To You and this one to name a few.  However, it has to be said that, Elton John adds another dimension to this song which, I have to confess, I have always loved (probably because I heard Dionne Warwick's and Cilla Black's version it when I was a toddler and it has become ingrained).

Have we ever heard Elton more soulful?