Absolute Benson

2000 studio album by George Benson

Absolute Benson

Studio album by

George Benson

Released

May 23, 2000

Genre

Smooth jazz
Latin jazz

Length

48:36

Label

GRP
Verve

Producer

Tommy LiPuma
"Little" Louie Vega
Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez

George Benson chronology

Standing Together
(1998)

Absolute Benson
(2000)

Irreplaceable
(2003)

Absolute Benson is an enhanced studio album by American jazz musician George Benson. It was released by GRP and Verve Records on May 23, 2000 in the United States. Taking a tip from 1999's pop-man-of-the-year Carlos Santana, Benson goes Latin on this release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

AllMusic editor William Ruhlmann that Absolute Benson "is another in a series of consistently excellent CDs that characterize it [...] If it is difficult to crossover from jazz to pop, crossing back can be just as treacherous. Benson's oldest fans, who later became his detractors, still may not be satisfied with his current approach, but it has deservedly won him a secure place in contemporary jazz."^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Ghetto"	Al Eaton, Donny Hathaway Leroy Hutson Todd Shaw	4:56
2.	"El Barrio"	George Benson Kenny Gonzalez Louie Vega	3:34
3.	"Jazzenco"	Marc Antoine	5:48
4.	"Deeper Than You Think"	Joe Sample	5:55
5.	"One on One"	Joe Sample	7:05
6.	"Hipping the Hop"	Joe Sample	3:57
7.	"Lately"	Marvin Sease Stevie Wonder	4:22
8.	"Come Back Baby"	Ray Charles Aretha Franklin	5:59
9.	"Medicine Man"	George Benson Joe Sample	7:00

Personnel and credits

Musicians

George Benson – guitar (1-9), vocals (1, 2, 8)
Joe Sample – Hammond B3 organ (1, 2), Wurlitzer electric piano (1, 2), synthesizers (1, 2), acoustic piano (3-9), synthesizer arrangements
Ricky Peterson – Hammond B3 organ (8), synthesizers (8), synthesizer arrangements
Carlos Henríquez – bass (1, 2)
Christian McBride – bass (3-9)
Vidal Davis – drums (1, 2)
Steve Gadd – drums (3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
Cindy Blackman – drums (6, 9)
Luisito Quintero – percussion (1, 2)
Luis Conte – congas, percussion and timbales
Arif Mardin – string arrangements (7)
Claudia Acuña – backing vocals (1, 2)
Roy Ayers – backing vocals (1)
Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (1, 2)
La India – backing vocals (1, 2)
Richard Shade – backing vocals (1)

Production

Producers – Tommy LiPuma (Tracks 1, 3-9); "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez (Track 2).
Recording Engineers – Steven Barkan and Jon Fausty (Tracks 1 & 2); Al Schmitt (Tracks 3-9).
Assistant Engineers – Koji Egawa; Kayo Teramoto (Tracks 1 & 2); Mark Fraunfelder, Alan Moon and Aya Takemura (Tracks 3-9).
Overdubs on Tracks 3-9 recorded by Bill Schnee and Tommy Tucker, assisted by Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt.
Strings on Track 7 recorded by James Farber
Mixing – Steven Barkan (Tracks 1 & 2); Bill Schnee (Tracks 3-9).
Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
Art Direction – Hollis King
Photography – Jeffrey Scales and Kwaku Alston
Graphic Design – Isabelle Wong

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)^[2]	77
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)^[3]	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[4]	24
US Billboard 200^[5]	125

References

^ ^a ^b Allmusic review
^ "George Benson | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ "George Benson Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ "George Benson Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
^ "George Benson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2022.