George Benson: The Very Best of

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * *)


There's no shortage of Benson compilations — some George even knows about.

When in Auckland last November he was more amused than annoyed at the number of same-same collections and unauthorised reissues, but had lawyers on to a few of them. And George can afford the best legal brains because of multimillion-selling albums for Warners, who once again rattle the vaults for these 20 tracks which inevitably include his signature tunes Give Me The Night, Breezin', This Masquerade, Nature Boy, On Broadway and so on.

So far so familiar. However, with a reasonable liner essay ("he successfully eroded the barriers separating jazz from r'n'b and pop") and the inclusion of less threadbare material such as the duets with Roberta Flack, Patti Austen and Aretha, this legit compilation once again showcases the smooth, sentimental, and studio-buffed sound of a man who put the "eez" into breezin'.

Label: Warners