In the late 1990s, jazz purists continued to hope that {|George Benson|} would return to the type of instrumental hard bop he had embraced in the 1960s. But the singer/guitarist still chose to concentrate on commercial music, some of which wasn't wit... Read more

In the late 1990s, jazz purists continued to hope that {|George Benson|} would return to the type of instrumental hard bop he had embraced in the 1960s. But the singer/guitarist still chose to concentrate on commercial music, some of which wasn't without its pleasures. Although not the gem {|Benson|} was still quite capable of delivering, {|Standing Together|} is a fairly decent commercial effort that focuses mainly on sleek R&B/pop but contains a few likable pop-jazz numbers. Groove-oriented instrumentals ranging from the dusky {|C-Smooth|} to the salsa-flavored {|Poquito Spanish, Poquito Funk|} may have been recorded with so-called smooth jazz programmers in mind, but they still have some integrity. Meanwhile, sleek urban contemporary tunes like {|All I Know,|} {|Back to Love|} and the title song should please R&B enthusiasts who know {|Benson|} mainly for such 1980s hits as {|Turn Your Love Around,|} {|Inside Love|} and {|Give Me the Night.|} Enjoyable but not essential, this is a CD that {|Benson|}'s more devoted fans will want. [{|Standing Together|} is also available in an import release.] ~ Alex Henderson Less