By the time
George Benson
released
Love Remembers
for
Warner
in 1993, he had basically accomplished everything a musician could ever dream of: he has played with a who's who of
jazz
greats, scored big as both a
and an
R&B
artist, won numerous Grammys, and had his name become synonymous with two different radio formats:
adult contemporary
and
smooth jazz
. Long the bane of "serious"
critics,
Benson
didn't even need to think about it: he made music that communicated to millions from one record to the next -- the man had a single or album somewhere on the charts ubiquitously from 1975 until the turn of the 20th century! This 12-track set listed a number of fine producers on its roster including
Bob James
,
Stewart Levine
Gary Henry
Jimmy George
, and
David Gamson
, in addition to the man himself . The set begins with the laid-back funky
soul
of
Brian McKnight
's
"I'll Be Good to You."
's voice and
Wah Wah Watson
's guitar twin intro lines in trademark fashion before gliding right into the sensual lyric. The interesting thing here -- besides the overwhelming infectiousness of the groove -- is what a fine singer
had become by this time. With
Ndugu Chandler
on the kit,
William Bryant
on the Fender Rhodes,
Bill Summers
on percussion, and
McKnight
on backing vocals, the tune is unbeatable as an album opener -- radio listeners thought so, too.
"Got to Be There"
is a romantic ballad with
in the guitar as well as vocal chairs,
Melvin Davis
holding down the big bank of keys, and
handling the programmed loops and percussion samples. It's elegant, graceful and drenched in atmosphere. The old
CTI
gang gets together again on the
produced instrumental
"My Heart Is Dancing"
by
Omar Hakim
.
James Benson
Hubert Laws
Richard Tee
Randy Brecker
Hakim
team with relative newcomer
Kirk Whalum
on saxophone. It's an easy, mysterious groover with hip guitar work and horn charts. Another fine instrumental on the set is
Whalum
"Willing to Fight,"
with
James
, bassist
Will Lee
and especially
all in fine form. This one got played like crazy on
contemporary jazz
radio stations at the time, and despite the dated sound of its production, holds up beautifully as a composition.
turns in another inspired vocal performance on
"Lovin' on Borrowed Time,"
a mid-tempo
tune written by
John F. Hammond
. A real surprise is the second from last cut, a cover of
Ronnie Foster
"Lost in Love,"
Phil Upchurch
guesting on rhythm guitar and the composer on keyboards along with
Paulinho Da Costa
on percussion. A shimmering buckle shiner of a track, its groove is drenched in melody with
Foster
's keys hovering right around
's lead lines with
Upchurch
painting the backdrop with gorgeous chord fills.
is certainly a solid high mark for
in the '90s, and anyone interested in
's brand of
pop
will be delighted with it. ~ Thom Jurek