Search - George Benson :: Body Talk

Another Benson CTI Winner

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 04/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"George Benson is yet another one of those musicians who didn't achieve widespread popular acclaim until after his best work was behind him. A pity, truly, since he bravely stepped into the big shoes left behind by Wes Montgomery and gave jazz fans a new guitar master to revere. With Body Talk, George Benson and CTI gave the jazz world yet another winner.
Perhaps the best reason for Benson's early failure to catch on with the public beyond the hard-core jazz connoisseur is given in the liner notes to Body Talk. These state that Benson was a restless young player who never wanted his next album to sound like his last, and until he went "mainstream" and finally achieved overwhelming popularity, they mostly did not. A lot of music listeners like a reassuring continuity in an artist's work. As for me, I don't care as long as the artist gives me some great tunes to enjoy.
There are several aspects of Body Talk which make it an important release. First, Benson starts to come into his own as a composer. Top of the World is a first rate piece of funky jazz. Secondly, he has brought in Earl Klugh to play guitar in counterpoint to his manic fretwork. Klugh built the foundation with Benson on which he was later to launch his own successful solo career.
I enjoy the entire album, but am especially enamored of Plum and the aforementioned Top of the World. Though Body Talk does not reach the five-star heights of Good King Bad or White Rabbit, it is still a recording that should be in every George Benson fan's collection. My only negative comment on it is that at a mere 46 or so minutes, it is far too short. But still, that is 46 minutes of great horns, great piano, great guitar, great MUSIC. Order this today!"

BENSON'S BEST

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 07/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS IS AN EARLY-MID 1970'S GEORGE BENSON RELEASE ON CTI RECORDS, BEFORE HE RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR THE MUCH MORE MAINSTREAM AND COMMERCIAL WORK "BREEZIN". THIS IS BY FAR BY A VERY WIDE MARGIN HIS BEST ALBUM. AND EQUAL ACCLAIM ON THIS ALBUM GOES TO A THEN-VERY-YOUNG EARL KLUGH, WHO PLAYS SOME TRULY AMAZING RHYTHM GUITAR TO BACK UP GEORGE ON THIS ALBUM. IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET ONE GEORGE BENSON CD, THIS IS IT, HANDS DOWN. NOTHING HE DID BEFORE OR AFTER COMES CLOSE. NOT ONE BAD CUT........."