I Can Make It Better

Luther Vandross Returns: "I Can Make It Better" and the Epic Legacy of 1996

By the time Luther Vandross released I Can Make It Better in late 1996, he had already spent more than a decade as one of the most celebrated vocalists in contemporary R&B. His recording of this song represented a specific moment in his career, a period when his artistry was fully mature and his commercial standing remained formidable even as the R&B landscape had shifted significantly since his breakthrough years in the early 1980s.

Vandross was born in New York City on April 20, 1951, and spent his early career as a sought-after session vocalist and jingle singer. He appeared on recordings for artists including David Bowie, Bette Midler, and Donna Summer before transitioning to a solo career in 1981 with his debut album on Epic Records. That label relationship would define much of his commercial life, and by the mid-1990s he had released a string of critically and commercially successful albums that established him as the preeminent male voice in contemporary soul and adult R&B.

I Can Make It Better appeared on his 1996 album Your Secret Love, also released on Epic Records. The album was a return to form following several years of health challenges that had significantly affected Vandross's ability to record and tour. A serious weight fluctuation issue that had plagued him for years had again come to the forefront of his public profile during the early 1990s, but by 1996 he had stabilized enough to deliver a full-length album of new material. Producer Nat Adderley Jr. contributed to the album's sophisticated, warm sound, which placed Vandross's voice at the center of lush orchestral arrangements that were his signature context.

The song is a cover, originating with the Emotions, the Chicago-based vocal group that recorded it in the late 1970s. The original Emotions recording appeared on their 1977 album Rejoice, produced by Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire. That production context gave it a specific warmth and harmonic richness that Vandross's version sought to honor while reshaping it through his own interpretive framework. His cover brought the song to a new generation of listeners who may not have encountered the Emotions' original, and his vocal authority transformed it into a Luther Vandross record in the fullest sense.

The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on December 21, 1996, debuting at position 90. It climbed steadily through the final days of December, reaching number 83 on December 28, then hitting its peak of number 80 on January 4, 1997. The chart life extended across ten weeks in total, a solid run that reflected steady radio support in the adult contemporary and urban contemporary formats that were Vandross's natural home. His audience, loyal and substantial, kept the record circulating through early 1997.

Within the R&B chart universe, Vandross commanded even stronger numbers. His standing with urban radio programmers was exceptional, and his records routinely outperformed their Hot 100 positions when measured against R&B-specific charts. I Can Make It Better followed this established pattern, finding its primary audience through soul and adult R&B stations rather than broader pop radio, where competition from hip-hop and new jack swing dominated the format in 1996 and 1997.

The Your Secret Love album performed well commercially, continuing Vandross's streak of platinum-certified releases. His audience trusted him to deliver a specific kind of romantic sincerity that had been his calling card since Never Too Much in 1981, and the album satisfied those expectations fully.

The song has accumulated approximately 6.1 million YouTube views, reflecting the continued enthusiasm of Vandross's fan base for his catalog. He remained active until 2003, when a devastating stroke left him incapacitated. He died on July 1, 2005, leaving behind a body of work that stands among the most beloved in R&B history. I Can Make It Better belongs to his mature period, when his gifts as an interpreter were at their fullest expression.