Ray Benson: Beyond Time

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * *)

The velvety baritone of Benson graced Asleep at the Wheel, a classic Bob Wills-styled western-swing outfit which joined the dots between Count Basie and Randy Newman.

This first solo outing under his own name on mostly originals signals an even more laidback direction and, while no one could criticise the musicianship (guitarist Stanley Jordan, Delbert McClinton) or guest list (Dolly Parton, Jimmie Vaughan), there is also the sense that while, by his own admission, Benson is writing across genres (Basie, Nelson Riddle, Bill Withers meets the Crusaders and Steely Dan) the drift feels sometimes shapeless.

It's a leap between the cool jazz stylings of Let's Get Lost (co-written with Willie Nelson), the bitter-sweet ruminations and the chipper Leave That Cowboy Alone (with Dolly). Beautiful stuff scattered around, the unifying features are Benson's wonderful balladry and the sensitive arrangements, and yet ...

Label: Shock