<P> Jason King of Vibe magazine wrote that Knowles had some "cojones" to follow up a Jay - Z duet with a Luther Vandross duet on the album's track - listing . Rob Fitzpatrick of NME stated that "it's the irredeemably cheesy ballad with 80s cornball Luther Vandross that will make the voices in your head demand hot, fresh blood ." By contrast, Lewis Dene of BBC gave the song a positive review, stating that it is guaranteed the number one slot on the US R&B charts . Consequence of Sound's Chris Coplan noted that the song contained "unintentional cheesy vibe, (which) seems way more heart - wrenching now (in 2013) than it did a decade ago" and added that Knowles' vocals contained a "real sweetness and innocence". Pamelia S. Phillips, the author of Singing for Dummies, credited Knowles' vocal performance on "The Closer I Get to You" as one of her best . Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters gave Knowles and Vandross "vocal props" for their performance in the "quiet storm", but described the overall performance as flat . During the 46th Grammy Awards, this version of "The Closer I Get to You" won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals . </P> <P> Knowles and Vandross' cover of "The Closer I Get to You" debuted at number 76 on the US Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Singles and Tracks chart dated July 24, 2004 . The next week it moved up to number 68, and on August 7 it peaked at number 62 . The track spent a total of twenty weeks on the chart . On the airplay component of this chart, the Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Airplay, "The Closer I Get to You" spent eight weeks and reached a peak of number 60 . </P> <Ul> <Li> US promotional CD single </Li> </Ul> <Li> US promotional CD single </Li>

Who sang the song the closer i get to you