April 27, 2022

Top Ten: The Best of George Benson

It's hard to believe that one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, 
the incredible George Benson, recorded for years before the powers that be- and the public- realized he also had some great vocal chops! 


George's hot guitar playing and smooth, creamy vocals, make him a perfect staple for night time jazz radio. The man can do it all! I've been a fan for decades, and I've heard him master The Great American Songbook, the Beatles, take on a classic Carpenters ballad and make it his own, and straddle that fine line between dance and pop under the direction of Quincy Jones. Take about versatility!


Here's this fan's Top Ten list in no particular order:

1976-  Breezin'- This snappy and light hearted instrumental is still heard on radio today. Driving along the road with the top down? The perfect song for a Summer day!

1983- From George's often overlooked In Your Eyes album, here's a cut that surprises!  Feel Like Makin' Love- an upbeat, high energy turn around reinvention of the Roberta Flack classic. His guitar is in top form, and his singing is upbeat, joyful, and funky.

1986- Next up is one sensual sounding song. George croons this one, caressing each word from the lyric sheet: Kisses in the Moonlight, from the excellently urban disc While the City Sleeps.

1989- The man's getting older and wiser, but he's still got it. Take a listen to the whole album Tenderly. One of the offerings is the incredibly sentimental This Is All I Ask. Reflecting on the simple things takes us back to our roots of thankfulness.

2024 Update: The guitar great is interviewed by Rick Beato.

1980- A double play. The Quincy Jones produced Give Me the Night and Turn Out the Lamplight. The former one brings shades of Michael Jackson for a more mature crowd who can still party with the best of them. The latter shimmers with elegance and a laid back groove.

1981- Duetting on Love All the Hurt Away with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, George can hold his own vocally. Still on many of my playlists. George Michael may have given Aretha an updated and beloved smash, but with Mr. Benson, she may have found her musical soul mate. A modern version of Motown's Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.


1987- Beyond the Sea (La Mer). There's a reason it's been covered by so many artists. But George gives it something special. You just have to hear it. From the album 20/20.

1978- On Broadway. What is left to be said about his version of this classic? George scats in the same style as he plays his guitar. From the epic live disc, Weekend in LA.

1976- The one that started it all. This Masquerade. It took guts to record this Leon Russell song when Karen Carpenter had done the definitive version on the Carpenters Now & Then album.  But George did- and it brought him to mainstream radio as well as making me a fan!

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