The Essential Kenny G

AMG Review of The Essential Kenny G

Rob Theakston
All Music Guide

With a series of greatest-hits collections being issued and repackaged over the past few years, this installment of the Essential series puts them all to shame by collecting not one, but two discs' worth of the jazz saxophonist's career. It's far more inclusive and thorough than most collections, as it spans everything right from the beginning up to his latest endeavor, a collaboration with R&B legends Earth, Wind & Fire for their cover of OutKast's genius "The Way You Move." There's also a strong inclusion of holiday favorites and cover songs that are evenly spread throughout, but they give the disc's sequencing an erratic feel at times. This is, quite simply, all the Kenny G one could ever possibly need or want; compact enough to satisfy casual listeners, and broad enough to satisfy the legions of fans that flock to the man.