George Benson, Walking To New Orleans. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

You might get to The Big Easy quicker if you took the train from Pittsburgh and took a long leisurely cross country route seeing the sights along the way, nestling in the appetite of music that made the country reflect on its love, its loss and its swing; you could do that journey and be grateful but sometimes Walking To New Orleans from wherever you happen to be at the time is more enjoyable, educational and understanding if seen from the view point of the grace of striding with purpose towards your ultimate goal.

The point of the Crescent City is to have fun, to let the worry disappear and soak up the music for which it is famous, and whilst the bustling metropolis has had its fair share of misfortune in recent times, the swing and the sound still play eternally, hard-wearing, sauntering with confidence and one that lives for its fans; it is that moment of reflection of what has been and what will always naturally occur that a legend such as George Benson will return to the studio stage once more and tackle the worlds of Fats Domino and Chuck Berry with grace and huge possibility.

A double-barrelled reference to two of the all-time greats, the early Post-War heroes of the 1950s that endured and garnered appreciation on both sides of the Atlantic don’t just stand out as stars of the genre, they are the founding fathers into which few were chosen to lead, pioneers in crowd entertainment and across songs such as Nadine, Ain’t That A Shame, I Hear You Knockin’, Memphis Tennessee, Blue Monday and Walkin’ To New Orleans, George Benson rams home the importance of the two gentlemen in question, whilst displaying throughout that their music is still vital, full of vigour and timing of expression, and one that is covered with the same panache and style that you would expect of Mr. Benson’s character and musical stature.

Whilst it may six years since George Benson last released a studio album, time never decrees a master should be anything other than perfection and Walking To New Orleans is a powerful reminder of just what George Benson means to the genre; an appreciation of two extraordinary musicians by one remarkable human being.

Sometimes you have to walk to the Big Easy to see grasp the enormity of what lays before you, and how you can add to the city’s pull and beauty.

George Benson releases Walking To New Orleans via Provogue/Mascot Label Group on April 26th.

Ian D. Hall