George Benson - In Flight (1977) Part 1 (Full Album)

Track List: 1-3 1. George Benson - Nature Boy (0:00) 2. George Benson - The Wind And I (5:59) 3. George Benson - The World Is A Ghetto (11:03) Part 1.    • George Benson - In Flight (1977) Part 1 (F...   Part 2.    • George Benson - In Flight (1977) Part 2 (F...   In Flight Review by Richard S. Ginell: In the wake of "This Masquerade," the balance of power shifted for the first time toward George Benson's suddenly marketable voice; four of the six tracks on In Flight are vocals. By this time, Benson was tailoring his tenor toward soulful pitch-bending à la Stevie Wonder on tunes as diverse as "Nature Boy" and "The World Is a Ghetto," and the unison scatting with the guitar that caught fire with the public on Masquerade is now pulled out whenever possible. Benson's backing band from Breezin', still set in its funk mode, is intact, and Claus Ogerman again contributes gentle orchestral cushions. The two instrumentals, particularly Donny Hathaway's "Valdez in the Country," prove that Benson remained a brilliantly inventive melodist on guitar, in full possession of his powers. Yet there is every indication here that Benson was set upon becoming primarily a pop star. Personnel: George Benson – lead guitar, vocals Jorge Dalto – clavinet, acoustic piano Ronnie Foster – electric piano, Minimoog Phil Upchurch – rhythm guitar, bass (5, 6) Stanley Banks – bass guitar (1-4) Harvey Mason – drums Ralph MacDonald – percussion Claus Ogerman – orchestra arrangements and conductor Production: Producer – Tommy LiPuma Assistant Producer – Noel Newbolt Recorded and Mixed by Al Schmitt at Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA). Assistant Engineer – Don Henderson Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA). Art Direction and Design – Mike Doud Photography – Antonin Kratochvil and Ken Veeder Lettering – Michael Manoogian Management – Ken Fritz and Dennis Turner