Early reviews of Brian Wilson's Gershwin album

I'm excited to hear this one.

Los Angeles Times
:
Next is a four-song medley from “Porgy & Bess,” through which Wilson colorfully weds instruments rarely combined by the classic pop singers who usually take on this stuff: twangy electric guitars next to atmospheric vibraphones, bass harmonica, banjo, trombone and baritone sax along with those tapestry-like vocal harmonies of his.

...The most radical re-invention may be “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” This ode to a classy and civil romantic farewell, once a sublime breakfast-table duet between Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, in Wilson’s hands becomes a musical joy ride down PCH with the top down, all sunny enthusiasm for the gifts given and received in this relationship.

New York Magazine:

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, may be the summer’s most stunning mash-up, a marriage of two of popular music’s most influential and well-loved composers—New York sophistication meets SoCal rapture—that casts both in a new light. Tackling everything from standards (“It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “Someone to Watch Over Me”) to little-known rarities, Wilson has created gorgeous and unexpected arrangements that strip away decades of familiarity. “They’re unlike anything I’ve heard before,” says Adam Gershwin, George and Ira’s great-nephew, who helps manage George’s estate. “But I would expect nothing less from Brian.”

1 comment:

  1. The album is awesome. Never, ever expected anything this good.

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