New Albums
from
GEORGE BENSON
& NATALIE COLE
GEORGE BENSON’s Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King
Cole
After four years of touring and developing "An Unforgettable
Tribute to Nat King Cole," the legendary George Benson makes his most
inspired album: Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole. The recording is one
of the most meaningful of Benson's career and is a testament to the spirit of
Cole's timeless body of work. Benson's heartfelt renditions of some of Cole's
greatest songs with Nelson Riddle arrangements and the 42-piece Henry Mancini
Institute Orchestra are complemented by duets with Tony Award winner Idina
Menzel and rising star Judith Hill, along with a special collaboration with
multi-GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. As a dream
project for Benson, this album is a love letter to Cole and a tribute in
gratitude for his deep musical inspiration.
It also demonstrates how uniquely suited Benson is to recreate and
interpret these timeless treasures. Highlights on the album include an
adaptation of Nelson Riddle’s arrangement of “Just One of Those Things,” with a
signature Benson vocal/guitar scat solo, and Benson’s reading of the original
chart of “Nature Boy,” which he previously interpreted and made and a pop hit
in the late 70’s. The album also
contains stunning duets with Idina Menzel on “When I Fall In Love,” and Judith
Hill on “Too Young,” as well the incomparable trumpet work of Wynton Marsalis
on a fresh new arrangement of “Unforgettable.” The album begins with a rare
recording of “Little Georgie Benson” (age 8) singing “Mona Lisa” which stemmed
from a singing contest Benson won and the award was the opportunity to record a
song at a recording studio. Benson began singing Nat King Cole songs as a child
in Pittsburgh and this recording not only shows his incredible range and
musicality at the time but also the depth of admiration Benson has had for Cole
from such a young age.
En Español by NATALIE COLE
Yes--or
in this case, sí-Natalie Cole's first album in Spanish includes a duet with
her late father. And like "Unforgettable," the song that won a Grammy
Award in 1992 and foreshadowed today's holographic performance trend, the
black-tie rumba "Acercate Mas" ("Come Closer to Me") will
pluck at heartstrings and transport fans of Nat "King" Cole-in this
case to '50s Havana, where he learned to sound out the lyrics for Cole Español,
the first of his three Spanish recordings. “Natalie Cole en Español” features
some of the same numbers covered on those historic albums, and other romantic
evergreens familiar to international audiences. Andrea Bocelli joins Cole on
"Besame Mucho." Produced by Latin hitmaker Rudy Perez, the set also
includes contemporary classics: Juan Luis Guerra's enduring '90s hit
"Bachata Rosa"-featuring the superstar Dominican artist-and "Oye
Como Va."
GEORGE
BENSON’s "INSPIRATION" and
NATALIE
COLE’s "EN ESPAÑOL" are now available in CDs at Astroplus, Odyssey Music & Video and Fully
Booked or online via iTunes or Smart Music! http://music.smart.com.ph/
| For more information
about this release, visit www.facebook.com/mcamusic.ccj
No comments:
Post a Comment