GEORGE BENSON
Irreplaceable

GRP

George Benson has been on a pop singer’s roll since he recorded his version of “This Masquerade” in 1976. Since then he’s turned out many pop-soul hits (“Give Me the Night,” “On Broadway”) and his role as a jazz guitarist has taken a back seat. That’s fine, but Benson’s latest CD, which attempts to bring some pop/hip-hop production to the usual soul formula, is just not up to par. Benson sings on most of the tracks , but isn’t terribly exciting. His guitar work just isn’t featured enough to make this a worthwhile Benson guitar disc, either. Not until the fourth track, “Take You Out,” do we get to hear a number featuring Benson’s guitar playing rather than his singing. And while it’s a smooth, inoffensive workout, it adds nothing new to Benson’s oeuvre.

Meanwhile, on the vocal numbers, much of the lyrical content is clichéd. The title track is the worst kind of pap heard all too often on what passes for R&B radio these days. Benson the guitarist is impossible to pick out of the lush mix on a number like this. His vocal work is smooth and carries a slick studio polish, but it just doesn’t ever take off. About halfway through the track I realized that it reminded me of a boy band track. I would be very surprised if that it was Benson intended, but there is no question that he tries to keep his sound current. “Cell Phone” is another number with a lyrical conceit that just doesn’t work—‘can a cell phone reach to heaven?’ the lyric asks, and it’s difficult to take seriously.

Much of the credit or blame for the sound of Irreplaceable must go to producer and songwriter Joshua P. Thompson. Thompson crafted the overall sound of the CD and co-wrote seven of the album’s ten tracks. He also plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and does drum programming on various tracks. Thompson has written or produced such top contemporary R&B hits as Luther Vandross’ “Heaven Can Wait,” Alicia Keys’ “Girlfriend,” and Olivia’s “Bizounce.” If you are particularly smitten with Thompson’s work or are really enamored of the contemporary R&B sound, then Irreplaceable may well be an album you’ll enjoy, whether you are a Benson fan or not. But that’s part of the problem: when a name as well-known as George Benson’s is on the album, he shouldn’t seem like a mere contributor to its overall sound.

Benson seems to have realized that something was amiss. This album was originally slated for release in October 2003, but that date slipped to February 2004. Again it was pushed back, only receiving its release on June 8, 2004. In February Benson’s label, GRP, indicated that the guitarist had decided to rework the album to include more of the instrumental jazz that has been such a large part of his sound. That was a good instinct, as the numbers that feature more guitar work (“Arizona Sunrise,” “Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise”) are easily among the album’s best. “Six Play,” another Thompson song that was supposed to be the title track of the CD, is also pretty good overall, with Benson providing some nice guitar accents and delivering a vocal that is more impassioned than on most of the other tracks.

Still, some of Benson’s listeners may not make it to these tracks, as the final playlist is frontloaded with some of the weaker, more contemporary R&B radio-friendly songs. In the final analysis, I can offer these guidelines: If your reason for purchasing Irreplaceable is to hear George Benson play guitar, forget it. If you like Benson’s usual combination of jazz-influenced guitar work and smooth vocals, then you will like much of this album, even if some of it doesn’t appeal to you. If you want to hear the contemporary sounds that Benson is incorporating into his style, then Irreplaceable is for you.