Search - George Benson :: Absolute Benson

Still Cookin'

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 10/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Its been years since I've bought a George Benson album. Having been a fan of his guitar virtuosity from the days of White Rabbit and Good King Bad, I was dismayed by his seemingly permanent move to the world of disco and soft jazz/soul. The teaser for Absolute Benson promised a taste of the old days once again so I was lured into buying the album. Well, it took a few listens to appreciate what George was doing here. It is not like the days of long ago, but neither is Absolute Benson like the disco pop atrocities of the late 70s-80s. That veteran producer Tommy LiPuma is here is a plus, so is the presence of keyboard master Joe Sample. As it turns out, Absolute Benson is an enjoyable mixture of jazz and blues with just enough guitar heroics to evoke the days of old, but also enough understatement to let you know that this is a new day. The album is smooth enough to play at the office, yet generates enough musical energy to make it perfect background for a party. My favorite cuts are the last two, the bluesy Come Back Baby and the George Benson-Joe Sample composition Medicine Man. If you are an old time fan who has been ambivalent about the musical path Benson has taken, its time to shake it off because he proves here that he's still cookin'."

Benson's Back And Better Than Ever.....

Kurt Harding | 05/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"....well, almost. This isn't a return to his be-bop roots and the great music he made in the late Sixties. However, he does demonstrate his technical excellence on Absolute Benson with some great soloing. It's almost all instrumental, but the vocals are pretty impressive too - the Donny Hathaway cover - The Ghetto - is a good example of this. Benson also covers material by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Marc Antoine. Other features are the prevalent influence of Joe Sample and the involvement of Masters At Work (the best guys in the business). This will probably be popular with radio, and confirm George Benson as the doyen of smooth jazz musicians."

One song woke me up!

Edric | Warner Robins, GA | 06/19/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Its a Sunday, MY day of rest and this particluar Sunday following a very long hard working Saturday where I was working as a festival organizer. I had Jazz playing from one of the Jazz music audio channels off Dish Network Satalite. And I heard this booming sound! I was in a deep sleep and was dreaming some music only this music picked me up out of my deep sleep and grabbed my attention! I had to grab the remote, turn on the television to read the display and find out what song was playing. I already knew it was George!, but I had to get the details. The song was El Barrio! One song so damn good and "Absolute" pure, without a doubt powerful BENSON, that as far as I am concerned, SOLD! And I am out my door within minutes and getting this CD. It is a MUST have not only if you are a Benson fan, or a music fan! Thanks Amazon.com for offering ALL of the sound clips. If my local store in the MALL (I live in a small town) does not have this, I will order it from here ASAP. But I'll pay the Mall prices for this one. And those who know me know thats me saying a lot for any CD that I buy."