George Benson: Songs & Stories
This should be a how to manual for all aging rockers. When I first put this CD on, the vocals sounded like Benson from a style point of view but the voice was different. As I listened a bit more I realized what was going on.AS he has gotten older Benson has lost some of the range in his voice from both and amplitude and a frequency perspective. So rather than try to fight mother nature he has modified his vocals by singing in a slightly lower key and limiting the dynamic range that he uses. While this sounds different than the Benson we heard in the 1970s recordings, it still sounds good, and retains his distinctive style. (I was playing it in the car when i pick up my son last night and he immediately commented "Who is this, I want to say its Gorge Benson, but the voice sounds different." Unlike some of the aging rockers we saw on tour this summer (like Ian Anderson and Meatloaf) who tried to sing off the same charts in their 60s that they used in there 20s and just sounded horrible, Benson has reworded his style and arrangements so as to make the most of the vocal abilities he has left. This a) prevents any further damage to his voice from stretching it to a place that it just does not want to go and b)allows him to continue providing his fans with a quality musical product. Way to go George!
Oh, BTW, the album itself was very enjoyable as well. It is a Concord Records release and enjoys the typical Concord high quality jazz sound and from a musical perspective it is pure Benson. A keeper in my book.