Customer Reviews

Irreplaceable

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The latest effort by George Benson is a welcome addition after too long an absence. I am so glad I decided not to rely solely on the reviews of others. I actually cannot imagine what was expected here. This is vintage George Benson - tight vocals (and sterling additional vocals from some female vocalists who, while are unkown to me right now, certainly will not stay that way), excellent guitar work, smooth senusal mood, in other words, vintage George Benson.

George Benson has been blending jazz and R&B for decades. When I think hip-hop, I think R&B vocals with additional rap - that is not the case here, thank god....just good singing and excellent playing. If you are a real George Benson fan, you will not be disappointed in the least. His version of Luther's "Take You Out" is festive and while he could certainly have handled vocal chores here, he wisely decided not to but instead transformed this into a wonderful instrumental.

From the sound of some reviewers, it appears this is a futile attempt at meshing hip-hop and jazz...I submit these listeners have not been listening to George since "This Masquerade." If they had, they would have known that there is no departure whatsoever from the formula that brought George to national prominence. But everyone has the right to their opinion. That being said, you should rely totally on your own tastes.

This is quite simply an excellent project and well worth the wait. In my humble estimation, Mr. Benson has not sacrificed his art one iota and presents a clean, fresh, long-overdue smooth jazz project that will be a worthy addition to any smooth jazz collection.

Benson is the musician who has inspired me most in my musical career (second only to Stevie Wonder), so the following review is not meant to trash him; just an expression of disappointment. I've been listening to GB's older albums for 20 years, they never get tiresome, some of them are masterpieces. It's always an event when he releases an album. But in this case, I'm sorry to say, this album is a dismal failure - something I'll never listen to again, a waste of money. George has fallen back on his worst commercial tendencies. He's a living legend, a multi-millionaire, and nearing 60, yet for some inexplicable reason he's hooked up with a talentless hip-hop producer to make the shallowest possible music. This is the time in his career when he should be going back to his roots, doing the kind of top quality jazz he longs to do - and as a reward for his longtime fans who've endured his past 25 years of crass commercialism (Big Boss Band & Tenderly excepted). But instead, he sold out yet again. This album is meaningless & empty. It's just one big dollar sign. George Benson has as much in common with a hip-hop rap producer as Frank Sinatra has with Mariah Carey. Every song has the exact same sound/feel, as if it all was scooped out of a giant vat of gooey, radio friendly slop. You know, the one that people like Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce go to - the Fake Soul vat that guarantees a return on the record company's investment, but is devoid of any musical quality whatsoever.

The lyrics are laughably bad - unless you think GB's repeating of the phrase "girl, I love ya girl, oh yeah girl" is innovative. How he was able to go in the studio and sing this junk with any inspiration, I'll never know. Apparently, he can reduce his quality standards to absolute zero, and live with it. I've never understood how he can do that so easily. He's a mystery to me. He made some albums in the 80's that were simply bad commercial sellouts, and this was at a time when he already a millionaire and didn't need to do that!

The few instrumentals are superficially listenable, but a closer listen reveals they're just watered-down aimless noodling compared to what this brilliant guitarist has done in the past. Rubbing salt in the wound is GRP head honcho and Benson's producer from "the good old days", Tommy LiPuma, who approved this project and spews out the same fake excitement about it that George does. It's mindboggling that people with such high musical standards can release this commercial junk to the public, and SMILE about it, calling it "a new direction." They both know (I presume) that at this stage of his career, GB should be playing the great guitar soul-jazz that made him famous. There will NEVER be another guitarist like him; what a shame to see him waste his talent, album after album for *decades*. But I guess George needs another house or BMW, so he'll do this stuff until he realizes that it doesn't matter if "the kids" are hip to him, or not. People who are gonna get hip to George will find him on their own, later in life; they don't need to hear this kind of stuff on the radio to check him out further. Before you know it, he'll be too old to make ANY recordings, and he'll have to look back on albums like this and say "why in the heck did I waste my time on that crap?!"

Lest you think I'm a totally negative person, I do have one positive thing to say about this album: George's singing is pretty darn good, and saves this album from getting one star in my rating. He sounds younger, and seems to have given it an extra effort to avoid that "old man" sound which has plagued his recent recordings (as far back as 1990, in fact.) But if you're considering buying the album because of that, I still suggest you skip it. Even good singing can't redeem something that is 99% manure.

I think GB will learn his lesson from this album, which I hope disappears quickly and permanently. This lengthy GRP quiet storm phase is getting very repetitive, and Benson is not a man who likes to repeat himself endlessly. All of his GRP albums are somewhat weak, semi-commercial efforts made to try and appease ALL fans of his different styles, at the same time. Even "Absolute Benson", with it's many instrumentals, was still watered-down George - afraid to expose his true jazz talent and thereby (he thinks) alienate people who can't handle a guitar playing that fast. George is really paranoid about what would happen if he didn't try to please all of the people all the time, and it's really hurt his oeuvre. Now, in the twilight of his career, it's time to accept the fact that the world doesn't care too much about what he does, which frees him to make the quality music he excels at. Soul jazz, baby! Suggestion for next album title: "BENSON'S BACK!"

By the way, as the reviewer below noted, there are different songs on the Euro version. It's not like the old days when someone made an album and it was what it was, period. Now they shake up albums for different countries, based on sales or predictions or whatever, to maximize their sales. It doesn't matter. Do yourself a favor & forget ANY of the versions ever existed.

This album is a sad disapointment if you like jazz,and the quality that made Benson famous. This album sounds more like boys to men, not jazz.There is only one song that has some quality . Track # 8, Softly,As In A Morning Sunrise. But even this track sounds more like Wes Montgomery than Benson. Before you buy this cd for full price check out the re-sale shop,your library,or friends,to listen to this before you spend your money on this CD. It's not his usual high quality material. This CD is more R&B urban definatly not for a jazz listener. Sorry George,but you need to go back to what got famous,and it's NOT this stuff.

If I could, I'd give Irreplaceable zero stars. Benson should stop with this kind syrupy, average and boring crap. I was a huge Benson fan and these kind of records really start to piss me off. He's such a great guitarist, he should finally put out a couple of jazz CD's again as long as he can play the axe and doesn't have shaky fingers and stop with this awkward cosmetic surgery on his face - he's looking like a joke.

I have been a George Benson fan for many years and was shocked at the quality (or lack thereof) of this album. It is perhaps, one of the silliest "jazz" albums that I have ever heard. This superb musician and vocalist has definitely and sadly hit a low point in his career. The music is lame and the lyrics are dismal. To say that some of the songs would make even Justin Timberlake or Boys to Men cringe from their silliness is to put it mildly.

Everyone makes mistakes and Mr. Benson has made a huge one with this album. His attempt to pander to the baggy-pants wearing, slow-drag, hip grinding hoochy audience has backfired horribly. Evidence of this is the extraordinarily painful and vacuous song "Six Play". The singer laments, "I I could paint the words across the sky, 'cause when we touch I feel like I could fly". That is PAINFUL. There are already too many irrelevant so-called musicians in this world for Mr. Benson to add his name to the list. Usher and Justin should start to worry because their status as pseudo-musicians is under assault. Mr. Benson needn't stoop to their level but stoop he does.

Lo, for the days of "On Broadway", "Breezin", and "Give Me the Night". At least those albums made me close my eyes and groove and wish I could play the guitar. Call me old-fashioned. Did I just say "groove"?

As a fan of both R&B/Jazz, this album comes as schock! I never knew jazz/r&b could clash like this.
Everything is so bizarre with this production, I don't know where to start?!
1. The lyrics sound like Craig David...LIGHT!, the "contemporary" (infantile) lyrics sound "funny" & laughable in George's mouth, kind of a Monthy Python kinda way...

2. The production is boring & lame, no variations in arrangement/tempos whatsoever...

I have a postive note: the chorus of the 1st track, that's about it. Sorry...

When I heard a tune from this album from radio, I could not believe when the DJ said it was George Benson. I had to buy the CD, I have all of Benson.
Listening to it it's a pure torture for a Benson fan: first, it's not a jazz CD. Ok, this is not necessary you'll say. I agree, if the CD is good music, but....
Listening to this CD it's impossible. It's one of the worst all-the-same-boring-R&B-commercial-product I've ever experienced. Benson guitar almost does not exist, nothing exciting in the whole album, I had to force myself to hear it all.
After 2 listening pains, I sold it to the used record shop in the neighborood. Do not waste your money in this one.

No no no this can't be happening to all us devoted GB fans.

I've waited for several years for this New George Benson CD to come out and hit the stands. When I heard that it was an import I said hang the cost! Let me at it!

Wow what a horrible let down. No guitar work except for this guy that is playing a sick acoustic guitar.

It like his third or forth release for WB when the guitarist that played Flash Dance, only worse!

I didn't want to resort to buying bootleg recording of GB but whats left? Wait another 4 years for this type of S___???!!!

Easily the most Non-Benson George Benson CD. If You're a GB devotee (like myself) This is one to pass up.
If you're a rap/hip hopper buff who's curious about Jazz then this one is for you!
It has trace elements of Jazz while maintaining a hip-hop theme. What was George thinking when he did this one? It was a great ideal (to someone) but POOR execution. Avoid this CD

I have been buying his albums for years and never regretted a single purchase, until NOW!!!But Hey George you more than make up for it in 'Absolutely Benson', so Ill forgive for this.