Following up 2013's urbane
Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole
,
George Benson
returns with another tribute production, 2019's ebullient
Walking to New Orleans: Remembering Chuck Berry and Fats Domino
. Interestingly, while
Benson
is best known for his funky instrumental jazz of the '70s and '80s, and smooth R&B crooning of the '80s and '90s, both of these latter-career tributes find him tackling material from even older traditions. Where
Inspiration
was a lushly swinging standards album,
Walking to New Orleans
is all blues grit and old-school R&B swagger. Though primarily influenced by jazz artists like
Wes Montgomery
and
Charlie Christian
certainly owes at least a modicum of his soulful style to early rock legends
Berry
Domino
, both of whom helped shape the sound of modern rock and pop music. As
grew up in Pittsburgh, the album's title evokes a conceptual travelogue as he moves from the Midwest through
's home state of Missouri, all the way down South to
's hometown of New Orleans. To help achieve this rootsy trek,
worked with producer
Kevin Shirley
(
John Hiatt
Aerosmith
Joe Bonamassa
) at Nashville's Ocean Way Studios, where he also conscripted the assistance of pros like drummer/music director
Greg Morrow
, guitarist
Rob McNelley
, pianist
Kevin McKendree
, and bassist
Alison Prestwood
. The results are loose and straightforward as
(primarily showcased here as a singer) takes on
favorites like "Walking," "Nadine (Is It You?)," and "Memphis, Tennessee," as well as
hits like "Ain't That a Shame," "I Heart You Knocking," and "Blue Monday." These are earthy and robust productions that never stray too far afield of their rock & roll source. ~ Matt Collar