The 1980 George Benson album “Give Me The Night” could be raved about almost any of the ten titles. No wonder, since there was a very special summit meeting in the Californian Kendun Recorder and Cherokee Studios …
George Benson at his best. Producer Quincy Jones as always ingenious; the musicians – through the bank first cream. And the songwriters around Rod Temperton also belonged to the absolute crème de la crème. Nothing could go wrong during these sessions – and you can still hear that today. Apart from the hit title song, the other songs remained pure album tracks, top-class but not really popular: Jazz-funk-instrumentals like “Off Broadway”, cuddly hangover material á la “Midnight Love Affair” and “Turn Out The Lamplight”; Latin-inspired titles like “Moody’s Mood” and “Dinorah, Dinorah” and: the mysterious “Star Of A Story (X)” with great jazz chords. Absolutely ingenious: the choir arrangement and the complicated and feathery groove, instigated by bassist Abraham Laboriel and drummer John Robinson. Rod Temperton has also masterfully written the album, along with four other songs. 1980 was his time. This is another reason why “Give Me The Night” is a pearl in George Benson’s album catalogue.
