Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Kenny G (saxophone); Daryl Hall, LeAnn Rimes, Richard Marx, Yolanda Adams, Gladys Knight, Barbra Streisand, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan (vocals); Mike Landau (electric guitar); David Sanborn (saxophone); Arturo Sandoval (trumpet); Walter Afanasieff (piano, programming); David Benoit, Burt Bacharach (piano); Greg Phillinganes (Fender Rhodes piano); Nathan East (bass instrument); Abe Laboriel, Jr., Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Emanuel Kiriakou (programming); Dorian Holley, Tracy Nelson, Barbara Wilson, Conesha Monet, Namiah Wilson, Mabvuto Carpenter (background vocals); Earth, Wind & Fire. | | Smooth jazz icon saxophonist Kenny G delivers his first all-guest-star album with At Last...The Duets Album. Featuring a coterie of big-name artists from the pop music world, including Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach, LeAnn Rimes, and others, At Last essentially maximizes the vocal crossover aesthetic prominent on many of G's prior albums. The formula largely works, coming off as a breezy, laid-back concert with G adding soft asides to his guest's vocal performances. To these ends, Brian McKnight reinvigorates "Careless Whisper" with a quiet storm intensity; Chaka Khan actually betters Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," suffusing it with an infectious gospel/soul vibe; and Earth, Wind & Fire pull a "no brainer" on OutKast's "The Way You Move." Add to this a fairly organic production style that mixes in lush orchestral arrangements, funky organs, and real percussion as well as artists who seem to really enjoy themselves, and you've got one of Kenny G's most pleasing efforts...At Last. ~ Matt Collar | | AT LAST...THE DUETS ALBUM is something of a departure in terms of what one might expect from a Kenny G album. The mellow saxophonist came to fame as a purveyor of soothing instrumental jazz/pop, but AT LAST marks his collaboration with a bevy of superstar vocalists. The singers that join the man formerly known as Gorelick come from all musical walks; Brian McKnight adds his contemporary R&B touch to the 1980s Wham! hit "Careless Whisper," country/pop siren LeAnn Rimes kicks the album off with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," and, over the course of the record, everyone from Earth, Wind & Fire to Barbra Streisand turns up. There are a couple of instrumental duets here as well, though, featuring such esteemed musicians as Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and pop legend Burt Bacharach, making DUETS a well-rounded endeavor. |
Producer: Walter Afanasieff; Clive Davis; Barbra Streisand; Jay Landers |
Musical Guests | | Barbra Streisand | | Chaka Khan | | Richard Marx | | Yolanda Adams | | Brian McKnight | | Gladys Knight | | Daryl Hall | | Earth, Wind & Fire | | Burt Bacharach | | LeAnn Rimes | | Arturo Sandoval | | David Sanborn | | David Benoit |
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