What's There To Say, There's Not Much To Talk About

We all have favourite intros to tunes, those opening bars that bring with them the unbridled joy at what is to aurally unfold. Hip-hop often has its skits, a la the answer phone messages over rolling beats for Biggie's One More Chance, or countless others - The bassline that kicks off Tribe's Scenario, anyone? Anyway, I digress slightly, as the intro I wanted to mention today is not from rap's bulging canon, but from one of the world's smoothest singers, sadly no longer with us. Of course I'm talking about Luther, and particularly the intro to Give Me The Reason. How incredible is it as the understated but somehow dramatic keyboard, bass and drums are overlaid by Luther's swooping and swooning vocals. Luther really does have the smoothest vocal styling, and this is one of his finest moments. The intro serves as a perfect precursor to the rest of the tune, a heart-felt ode to broken love, and if you don't already know this track, and this album, you really do need to get involved. The king of modern 80s R&B without doubt, and such a rich catalogue to explore. In fact, that reminds me, how amazing is the intro to Never Too Much....