George Benson: I Got A Woman And Some Blues

This odd hodgepodge of funk jazz and R&B / pop was recorded by guitarist / vocalist George Benson for A&M / CTI Records around 1970. It first appeared on vinyl in 1984—long after most anyone cared about Benson's music—and has finally just made it onto CD. There's no personnel listed, but it's worth betting that Idris Muhammad is manning the drums (sounds like flautist Hubert Laws and organist Dr. Lonnie Smith make brief appearances too). Benson's guitar, of course, sounds terrific. And his vocals, for those that like his singing, really are quite engaging (especially on the pretty ballad "Out of the Blue").

But this listener favors the funk: his groovilicious take on Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" (Benson scats and mumbles throughout this one) and the surprisingly Blue Note grooves of Benson's two originals, "Bluesadelic" and "Durham's Turn." The remainder of the material finds Benson fairly successfully aiming for the Jackie Wilson / Sam Cooke audience, with little, if anything, to offer jazz listeners. Some of the music is surely worth hearing. But with a running time of just under a half hour, it's hardly worth the twelve bucks you'll have to pay.

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