George HaffendenThis year we’re trying something new: each week we’re going to be revisiting an album in full. They might be classics, rarities or simply albums we’ve forgotten about.
This week we’ve been continuing our musical journey with George Benson’s excellent Songs & Stories album from 2009.
Jazz maestro or soul superstar?
The conventional story of George Benson’s career goes something like this: George started out as a jazz guitarist at a very young age, becoming an accomplished player. Then, in 1976 George released Breezin’, which began his transition from pure jazz guitarists to R&B/pop/soul superstar. And since then, George has tried to straddle both worlds, releasing big selling albums alongside jazzier records.
Jazz critics tend to deride some of George’s late seventies/eighties output, and some would dismiss a lot of his work as smooth jazz, pop mush. After all, it’s a big move from releasing purely instrumental jazz albums to middle-of-the-road ballads like ‘Nothing’s Going To Change My Love For You’.
But in reality, George has had such a varied and long career there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy, from the jazz aficionados to your Mum dancing at a family wedding. You name, George has probably done it.
A quick scan of George’s discography, and it’s pretty big. And George continues to add to it, most recently with his tribute album to Chuck Berry and Fats Domino (which is surprisingly good) and his live album, Weekend In London.
And while other artists tend to chase trends as they get older, George has really not changed his approach to music since he released Breezin‘ in ’76: everything is well produced, featuring both brilliantly smooth vocals and guitar playing, and catchy melodies that remain long after listening. Here’s a little selection:
- Givin’ it Up (2006) with Al Jarreau – a great album, combining two of the greats. If that wasn’t enough, Herbie Hancock, Jill Scott, Patti Austen and Paul McCartney make appearances. The album won 2 Grammys.
- Guitar Man (2011) – another fine album, with a more jazzier feel than his soul/pop records. Features covers of well-known songs, including a great version of ‘My Cherie Amour’ which I think rivals the original version (sorry Stevie).
- Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole (2013) – a lovingly produced tribute album, that is super, super smooth. It also features Frozen’s Idina Menzel on ‘When I Fall In Love’.
But this week I chose to revisit a personal favourite, George’s Songs & Stories from 2009.
Songs & Stories
Compared with Guitar Man or even Givin’ It Up, Songs & Stories is a much more polished, smoother affair, returning George back to his mid-70s/early 80s R&B records than his jazz roots.
Produced by John Burk and Marcus Miller, the album features a who’s who of musicians, from members of Toto to Motown’s Wah Wah Watson to keyboardist extraordinaire Greg Phillingaines, many of whom have already appeared on earlier records by George.
The track list is a mix of covers and originals written specifically for the album, written by some absolutely top blokes.
For example, George is reunited with Rod Temperton (yes, the same bloke from Cleethorpes who wrote ‘Thriller’ and ‘Rock With You’, and George’s smash ‘Give Me The Night’ and ‘Love X Love’) who co-wrote ‘Family Reunion’.
Meanwhile, Toto’s Steve Lukather and David Paich contribute ‘Show Me The Love’, one of the album’s best tracks, and one that wouldn’t look out of place alongside the likes of ‘Turn Your Love Around’ or ‘Lady Love Me (One More Time)’.
Then the names become even bigger: Bill Wither’s contributed a real gem in ‘A Telephone Call Away’, which George duets with Lalah Hathaway while Gerald Albright provides the sax solo. How this went under the radar is a mystery: together, George and Lalah sound great. Could we not get an album of duets, please?
Another personal favourite is ‘One Like You’, co-written by George’s long-time bandmate David Garfield and Motown-icon Smokey Robinson. It’s probably one of Smokey’s better songs in recent years, and I can’t help wonder why he didn’t keep it for himself. Smokey does provide backing vocals, and to be fair, he recorded a version with Garfield but that seems to have gone unnoticed.
And if that wasn’t enough Motown-connection for you, Lamont Dozier wrote the blistering instrumental ‘Living In High Definition’.
There’s other instrumentals as well: George performs with guitartist Norman Brown on ‘Nuthin’ But A Party’ (one of the album’s less successful tracks, in my opinion) and he also includes a cover of Christopher Cross’s ‘Sailing’, which is actually quite pleasant (even if it could send me to sleep, it’s so laid back). ‘Exotica’ is another laid back instrumental, with George doing his trademark scat vocals over his guitar soloing.
Then there are some surprising choices for covers. The album opens with James Taylor’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight’, which George really makes his own, giving it a slight bossa nova flavour.
Even better is his version of Donny Hathaway’s ‘Someday We’ll All Be Free’. Naturally, it’s far more polished than Donny’s original but it loses none of it’s poignancy or punch. Featuring lush strings, George duets with his own guitar playing, weaving in and out to create one of the standout moments on an album filled with great moments.
Another one of those great moments is his take on ‘Rainy Night in Georgia’. It’s not a million miles from Brook Benton’s original, but it’s given the George Benson makeover, and George sounds particularly great on it.
A lost gem?
When this album came out, I played it over and over, and it’s been great to revisit this week; a reminder of just how great George Benson is beyond his Greatest Hits selections. It also shows an artist continuing to do what they do best in their later years, proving you don’t have to chase trends to stay contemporary.
That said, the album seemed to fade away pretty much, even if George does play ‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight’ in concert still (it’s on his latest live album, Weekend In London).
Perhaps it’s because the album doesn’t stray from the well-trodden path of smooth R&B that George helped pioneer. He’s in his comfort zone, and he sounds great. And while he’s taken on the music of Nat King Cole, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry since, he hasn’t changed his formula of sophisticated R&B/soul.
Songs & Stories may not be a career changing album in the way Breezin‘ was, but its nevertheless a solid performance featuring some of the greatest musicians and songwriters of all time. How many people can get Rod Temperton, Bill Withers, Smokey Robinson, Marcus Miller, and half of Toto to play on their album?
The best only work with the best, and few are as great as George Benson.