"She Won't Talk to Me" by Luther Vandross

Song#:  3787

Date:  01/28/1989

Debut:  73

Peak:  30

Weeks:  12

Genre:  R&B, Dance-Pop

Pop Bits:  Vandross' sixth studio album Any Love would be his sixth to go platinum and sixth to reach #1 R&B. Yet despite consistent sales and fifteen R&B Top 10s, Vandross still had yet to get a song into the Pop Top 10. The title track and first single to Any Love seemed like it might do the trick since it got to #1 R&B and #12 AC, but it stalled at a minor #44 on the Pop chart. Hopes were then pinned on this follow-up. It would do only slightly better making it to the Pop Top 30 while getting to #3 R&B, #17 AC, and #18 Dance. Although the results still had Vandross seeking a Pop Top 10, he finally did break one barrier. The album did well enough to become his first to make the Pop Top 10 hitting #9. It was a testament to Vandross' growing popularity beyond the R&B market and showed that he could still move product without the benefit of a major crossover hit.

ReduxReview:  Vandross was way overdue for a Pop Top 10, but this was not going to be the one to do it. Nothing against the tune, it's an enjoyable piece of R&B/dance-pop, but it just didn't have the hooky snap of something like "Stop to Love," which should have been a Top 10'er. However, Vandross' Pop chart luck would change before the decade would come to a close.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  This song was written by Vandross and Hubert Eaves III. Eaves had been a session player/songwriter since the early 70s. He mainly worked in the jazz field but as the decade wore on he branched out to R&B. He released is one and only solo album in 1977, the jazz fusion effort Esoteric Funk. Right after that, Eaves joined the band Mtume and recorded two albums with them. However, he left before the band scored their 1983 gold record "Juicy Fruit." After his stint in Mtume, Eaves began working with his old high school friend and collaborator James "D-Train" Williams. The pair would begin to record and perform as D-Train. They would have some good success in '82 and '83. Two fo their songs would reach the Dance Top 10 including the #1 "You're the One for Me." They also got four R&B Top 20s including the #5 hit "Something's on Your Mind," which also made the Pop chart at #79. After the duo split in '85, Eaves would mainly concentrate on songwriting/production work for other artists. This song by Vandross would be Eaves' biggest multi-chart hit following his D-Train days.

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