AMG Review of Best of George Benson [Warner Bros.]

Richard S. Ginell
All Music Guide

Warner Bros.' second George Benson compilation, unlike Collection, only draws from the label's own catalog, so by definition, it's a less representative sampler. And even then, it does not give a thorough overview of Benson's 17-year tenure at Warner Bros. Understandably for a best-of album, it concentrates on such hot-selling Benson vocal hits as "This Masquerade," "Give Me the Night," "Turn Your Love Around," and "On Broadway." Yet there is not so much as a single instrumental, nor anything from Benson's last five Warners albums, the last three of which (Tenderly, Big Boss Band, Love Remembers) contain a good deal of his best mature work, if not any hits. So, in other words, this collection serves those who are interested in George Benson the chart-maker, and it's a fine collection for that audience.