George Benson - That's Right CD Review

Introduction
Last weekend I visited the local used CD store to see if I could spice up my music collection without it costing an arm or a leg. I spent about an hour looking through a few thousand CD's in anticipation of finding a few winners. What I found was disappointment, that is until I stumbled upon a used copy of George Benson's "That's Right" CD. I never heard of this CD before, but I figured it's Benson, its only $5, so what the heck.

Sound Quality
I was immediately drawn to this CD by playing the 1 st track titled " That's Right ". This song is loaded with funky guitar licks and snazzy drumming. This song really rocked my living room with impressive dynamics, and tonality. It did however have a slight edge to the treble that may be more noticeable on some speakers with metal dome tweeters or horns.

Track #3 " Marvin Said " is a cool track reminding me how good jazz can be when its not jazzac typically found on radio stations labeled "Smooth Jazz".

Just when I thought it couldn't get better, it did, with track #4 " True Blue ". This song really rocks! This is how I like my jazz, with plenty of lumps. The drums are incredibly dynamic, and the guitars are well articulated and focused. I couldn't resist the urge to just flat out crank this song. I am sure I pissed off my neighbors and caused myself some minor hearing loss, but its all good, it's all worth it!

" Song to my Brother " track#6 is yet another one of my favorites because of the guitar and drumming combination. Towards the middle of the song, all of the instruments went silent for a quick drum roll that was so impressive that it really made me glad my speakers have aluminum cone woofers to take advantage of the dynamics and transient response. Bottom-line, don't expect to hear the realism of this CD with "cubed" speakers.

Track #8 " Summer Love " contained some well extended bass content that gave my woofers a nice workout and had me rocking on my chair.

What I really liked about this CD is the final song " Footprints in the Sand ", track #10. It did a great job calming me down from the adrenaline rush this CD gave me, while it awakened my sentimental side. I loved listening to this song with my wife and new baby daughter. It helped remind me what's important in life.

Conclusion
While I don't normally take a philosophical approach to my CD reviews, I could not restrain myself with this one. I hold a lot of respect for George Benson because he offers music that is loaded with excellent instrumentation, lyrics and meaning. These virtues are often not found in music today where we live in a MTV "Real World" mentality.

While it may have a pop/funk sound on the surface, George Benson's music is layered in melodic tones, funky beats, sophisticated instrumentation, and quality lyrics. I recommend this CD not for its above average sound quality, but for its inherently good musical content.