by
Brian Wilson
- Record Label: Walt Disney
- Release Date: Aug 17, 2010
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On Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, easy-listening Brian shows up more than weirdo Wilson.
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The Beach Boys mastermind's dip into the world of George & Ira Gershwin is a love's labor that makes plenty of sense and opens up at least a few of the tunes to illuminating interpretations.
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The imaginative artwork, of a black and white keyboard splintering into different colours, emphasises the feel-good factor of this winning collection of songs and arrangements done with great style.
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It's the rare, grin-inducing Wilson indulgence that doesn't involve some drug-inspired nonsense about enchanted transistor radios. The entirety of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin reeks of a newfound arrogance that lifts this Beach Boys aficionado's spirits.
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Wilson is clearly energized, and it's delightful to hear one virtuoso finally meet up with another.
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Nearly everything else here is loving, sincere, and worthy of hearing by fans of the Beach Boys or Broadway.
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This album finds Wilson clearly invigorated by material he feels an affinity with; thankfully, he's not so precious that he can't flood it with sea salt, sunshine and all the qualities that make his music individual.
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You can't help but ask: Is Brian Wilson the baby-boomer George Gershwin? Or was Gershwin the first Beach Boy?
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With varying degrees of success he turns the melodies into post-Beach Boys pop with stacked harmonies performed in a barbershop tradition that erases vocal individuality for the sake of a creamy harmonic blend.
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The results rarely shed new light on either composer, but they make for a pleasant-enough marriage.
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Wilson may be most famous for his own good-time rock-and-roll hits, but in underselling the Gershwins he's neglected his own very sophisticated and currently under-utilized capabilities.
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Q MagazineIt won't dethrone his great works, but there's heart in abundance. [Nove. 2010, p. 117]
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MojoDespite a few bright spots--a Beach boys-style makeover of I Got Rhythm and a swooning I Loves You Porgy--the album falls short of either artist's legacy. [Sep 2010, p.93]
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Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin isn't quite the triumph one would have hoped, with a few awkward missteps and some vocal performances that don't honor the past as much as they make it seem like an awfully long time ago.
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UncutThere are moments where the strings and backing vocals lurch into sickly sweet. But at least half of this album successfully unites two of America's greatest songwriters. [Oct 2010, p.109]
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It's a joy to hear him in such audibly great spirits, even if his most cognizant album effort in decades isn't some kind of miraculous knockout
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The result of the flawless playing and polished production, however, is ultimately a too-perfect sound, lacking drama and grit. With his darkest years behind him, Wilson seems willing to use only the brightest colours in the paintbox.
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Overall this is a testament to Wilson's endless creativity.
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Hearing Gershwin done in the style of Wilson's groundbreaking works is pleasant enough, but the middle-of-the-road veneer of this prestige project is the stuff of PBS pledge gifts.
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Gershwin and Wilson are among the 20th century's greatest writers of popular music; no one wishing to learn more about either should start here.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 6
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Mixed: 0 out of 6
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Negative: 1 out of 6
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Apr 13, 2018
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Oct 31, 2010
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Oct 4, 2010