I had a great time working with my Luther Vandross family on this remake of Luther’s hit song, Take You Out, to encourage others to take the necessary precautions.
The concept popped into my head when Keith Anthony Fluitt mentioned that one of his favorite Luther songs is Take You Out. My immediate reply was, “we should update the lyrics to reflect what was happening with the pandemic.”
A few days later, I was hosting our weekly FANDROSS zoom call. At the end of the session, we took turns pitching project ideas. When it was my turn, I pitched the idea of remaking Take You Out. I shared how I wanted to change some of the lyrics to emphasize COVID precautions. Keith jumped in and said he would do it, and shortly after, everyone agreed to participate.
The next thing I knew, Ivan Hampden Jr. had created a track for us to work with. Then, to my complete surprise, I was gifted the fantastic experience of songwriting with Lisa Fischer!! We collaborated over the phone. I texted Lisa my initial lyric ideas, she sang them back, and then we tweaked and altered them as needed.
Lisa, Ivan, and I played the track and shared new lyrics with everyone in the next zoom session.
From there, Keith, Kevin Owens, and Clayton Bryant took turns singing the lead, and Lisa Fischer, Alfa Anderson, Tawatha Agee, and Cindy Mizelle sang the backgrounds.
Once the song was finished, we were challenged with how to share it. Everyone wanted to do a video, but New York City’s health protocols prevented us from getting together. I decided to take a stab at producing a video by myself. I ran around the streets of New York shooting videos on my i-Phone. FANDROSS producer and longtime Divabetic collaborator Leisa Chester Weir provided me with royalty-free videos I altered in iMovie.
Of course, none of it would have happened with the love and support of Luther’s niece, FANDROSS CEO, Seveda Williams. Seveda heard my initial idea and loved it. She fully supported the project from the jump. You can’t ask for a better friend!
It will always be an honor and privilege to support and continue Luther’s musical legacy. I feel so fortunate to have known and worked for such a musical genius. Luther Vandross was SO AMAZING.
Enjoy our chic FANDROSS twist on one of Luther’s iconic songs, Take You Out as we urge you and your loved ones to take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
Take You Out written by Warryn Campbell, Harold Lilly, and John Smith
Lead Vocals: Keith Anthony Fluitt, Kevin Owens, Clayton Bryant
Backing Vocals: Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Tawatha Agee, Alfa Anderson Music Remix: Ivan Hampden, Jr.
Vocal Arrangements: Lisa Fischer
Mixer: Aaron Whitby
Luther Vandross Archival Footage: Thornworld
Hats & Masks Images: Harlem Heaven’s Hats
Revised Lyrics: Max Szadek, Lisa Fischer
Video Compilation: Leisa Chester Weir, LGK Marketing
Video Production: Max Szadek
FANDROSS CEO: Seveda Williams