'IRREPLACEABLE'
'IRREPLACEABLE'
George Benson
(GRP)
ss Young singers sometimes end up sounding unconvincing because they choose songs that are too mature for them. But on "Irreplaceable," 61-year-old George Benson achieves the same result by picking material that is too immature for him.
Benson is made over here in an urban-contemporary, R & amp;B mold spiced with some hip-hop grooves, covering ground already harvested by R. Kelly, Usher and Brian McKnight.
The most "irreplaceable" person on this CD is not Benson, but songwriter-producer Joshua P. Thompson, who has crafted hits for Luther Vandross and Alicia Keys, among others. He shares writing and producing credits on seven of the 10 tunes and plays guitar and other instruments on various tracks. Many of the lush, multilayered tracks rely too much on vocal harmonies and drum programming, overshadowing Benson's vocals and guitar playing.
Benson also is saddled with overly saccharine lyrics, for example on the opening title track: "You've got my heart banging like an 808/ More than just sensational / You are irreplaceable."
The best of these tracks include the flamenco-spiced soul ballad "Strings of Love," on which Benson plays acoustic guitar, and the pop song "Stairway to Love," on which Benson's singing is at its jazziest and Gregoire Maret adds a stirring harmonica solo.
Benson appears to have had second thoughts about this CD, because its U.S. release was repeatedly delayed. Three tracks were dropped from the version released in Britain, and replaced with three instrumental tracks in the smooth jazz vein that Benson helped create: "Take You Out," a tribute to Vandross; "Arizona Sunrise"; and "Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise." They rate among the CD's highlights, although they don't match up to Benson's best smooth jazz jams like "Breezin."'
'STONE LOVE'
Angie Stone
(J Records)
ssss Three years have passed since Angie Stone's last album, but the long overdue "Stone Love" is well worth the wait.
The songstress' third solo release continues her neosoul tradition. But as she explains on the interlude "Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That," she wants to reach everybody. So she incorporates other genres, such as hip-hop on "I Wanna Thank Ya" featuring Snoop Dogg.
Stone is engaged to rapper THC, and talk of love is all over this album. She sings the praises of her guy on tracks like "My Man" and "Come Home [Live With Me]."
While the album contains less heartache than her earlier "Black Diamond" or "Mahogany Soul," Stone doesn't paint a completely rosy picture of love -- "U-Haul" and "You Don't Love Me" represent the pain that relationships can bring.
The lessons she provides on "That Kind of Love" with Betty Wright evokes Wright's classic soul style from the '70s. Her collaboration with fellow southerner Anthony Hamilton on "Stay For A While" is a phenomenal track drenched in their gospel roots.
And while there are plenty of samples on the album, Stone can make any song sound original.
'BRIDGE TO HAVANA'
Various artists
(Pyramid Records)
ss "Bridge to Havana" is a compilation of songs written and recorded in Havana in 1999 by an eclectic group of Cuban and American artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffett and Buena Vista Social Club's Omara Portuondo. Unfortunately, some tracks resort to a fairly generic Latin sound, relying on a humbled percussion section, lots of guitar strumming and innocuous lyrics.
Rhymes like "Come so far from Tennessee / to meet my Cuban family" and sentiments like "love transcends geography" from "Que Importa" are sincere, but too plainly stated. And mentions of the Spice Girls and Public Enemy as good listening dates the album.
Beautiful voices are the album's greatest asset. It's a treat to hear Gladys Knight again, Montell Jordan croons superbly and the husky, smoldering-fire that is Joan Osborne's voice, backed by stellar horns and a more confident rhythm section, make "Just to Be Alone With You" a standout track.
'TO TULSA AND BACK'
J.J. Cale
(Sanctuary)
sss For more than three decades, J.J. Cale has been working variations on his signature sound -- one that's built on a languid groove drawn from blues, rock, country and jazz -- and has produced such tunes as "Cocaine" and "After Midnight."
There's nothing quite so memorable on his new album, but in his return to his hometown of Tulsa, Okla., Cale does get more mileage out of the formula.
The music is more seductive than somnolent, and its fresh sheen doesn't diminish the down-home quality.
With his deadpan vocal delivery, however, he's better on such pithy numbers as "My Gal" and "These Blues" than on his attempts at social commentary.
'BRAIN'
Hiromi
(Telarc)
sss 1/2 "Brain" shows pianist Hiromi to be a diabolical dynamo whose playing exudes great verve, though it can grow maniacal and mathematical.
Born Hiromi Uehara in Japan, she is in her mid-20s, was trained at Boston's Berklee College of Music, and rose under the tutelage of Ahmad Jamal, who produced her first CD, last year's "Another Mind." "Brain's" opening "Kung-Fu World Champion" is an amazing amalgam of her abilities. Funky and festive, the madcap mishmash spirals faster and faster until it freaks out. "Wind Song" is more mellow, though still wacky and confounding of expectations.
Her solos flow like water and demonstrate classical chops harnessed to a fierce energy. The title track's many facets range from a gentle, tuneful passage to a merry-go-round on growth hormones. Bassist Tony Grey, drummer Martin Valihora, and bassist Anthony Jackson provide simpatico backing for the Hiromi tsunami.