Search - George Benson :: George Benson Anthology

"I loved pretty," says George Benson in a quote included on this attractively packaged anthology's comprehensive liner notes. And really, the guitar great/R&B singer's penchant for prettiness is the thread that runs through all of his music--from his early cool-bop jazz charts (nicely represented on 1964's "Shadow Dancer" and 1967's vibrant "Ready and Able") to the '70s chart-toppers ("This Masquerade," "On Broadway," "Turn Your Love Around") and through the Quiet Storm musings of the last two decades. As a guitarist, Benson's ability to arc and shape a melodic phrase has constantly thrilled, especially when these lines are accompanied by his trademark vocal scats. The producers wisely omit some of Benson's later (and schlockier) easy-listening works, and provide us with endearing cuts like a 1968 collaboration with Herbie Hancock on "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (delivered with a down-home, decidedly blues-inflected wail) and inspired works with musical heavies such as rhythm guitarist supreme Phil Upchurch, bassist Ron Carter, organists Jimmy Smith, Lonnie Smith, and Aretha Franklin. But the anthology's most delightful inclusion is "Shark Bite" (the B-side to "20/20"), a white-hot acid jazz number that reminds us that Benson could indeed be the grooviest guitarist since the legendary Wes Montgomery. --Sylvia W. Chan