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Reviews
"Rich in melody and warm in tone amid a sparkling
hybrid of contemporary and old school arrangements. Very tasty
stuff!!" - Matt Wilkinson "Stereophile Weekly"
"After the Rush should be Rushed out After
immediately" - Miami Herald.
"Aaron Benson will no doubt be splendidly cruising down his own lane in
the crowded Freeway of guitar and After the Rush is his ticket to
ride" – Mike Stead, Guitarin’
On a picture perfect day this is the type of music l like to
hear. Stylistically cruisy, melodically catchy, groovingly groovy and with chops
to spare showcasing a guitar that plays svelte lines with just the right amount
of solo abandonment and an identifiable touch. I would recommend this C.D to
anyone, actually it’s 2 C.D’s. The other being an obvious tribute to some
supreme soul stars and others. Five Stars xxxxx
Victor Norton – Abstract Logix
What a great concept, Grooves (and) Melody
on the same C.D. Who would have thought? This is some happening stuff!
Artistopia
Talented Guitarist/Composer Aaron Benson has
served up a melodic feast with his C.D After The Rush, a well crafted batch of
mostly self-penned tunes that rather than challenge the listener with self
indulgence, the songs imbue an ambience which is both luxurious and organic.
While not short of keenly executed hot guitar licks and the mandatory radio
friendly material it is the feeling of warmth emanating from the C.D player that
makes this musical journey so satisfying. Other reviews have this disc
referred to as a Smooth Jazzers dream and l can understand why, however, this
could be a tad limiting as there is so much more on offer here than slinky
grooves and restrained playing. In fact, the spirit of the C.D has a decidedly
Urban R’n’B grit complemented with the sheen of quality production. A brief
snapshot song by song would be –
Café L’amour -
The quiet before the Storm
Slo Notion – Slow and sexy
Uptown Avenue – Funk without the junk
When Heart Are Singing – The melody lingers on
Practice What you Preach – Barry White is now
playing guitar in the afterlife
Your Soulful Whisper – l would love to hear this
songs melody on saxophone
Havana Moonlight – The dance of the night
The Chase is On – Killer contemporary groove tune
My love is your love – Tropical rendezvous
Indigo Cruise – Very bluesy but with a smooth groove
and a bit of an edge in parts
Way Past Midnight – A jazz mood piece.
My version of this C.D comes with a bonus solo guitar disc
with the aptly titled description Soulo for it’s inclusion of a reworked soul
songs. A nice addition to a highly commendable album.
Mark Cortese -
Jazzreview
Australia may be on the other side of the planet but Aaron
Benson’s double C.D “After The Rush is destined for the world stage. The
influences are there and sometimes ominous, but never at the expense of
overshadowing this wonderful guitarists own sound. With nods to many including
Lee Ritenour, Carlos Santana, Norman Brown and that well known Benson among
others, this artist never loses sight of the inherent value of a cool tune, most
of which are his own.
The C.D starts off with ‘Café L’amour’ which is a very
alluring melody leading into the main theme of ‘Uptown Avenue’ a light funk tune
with a smooth as silk groove. The next track ‘Slo Notion’ can only be described
as a slow burning vibe paying homage to Urban/R’n’B stylings. The melody of
‘When Hearts are Singing is to die for, followed by a very slick take on Barry
Whites ‘Practice What you Preach’. The rest of the disc follows a variety of
moods including the hauntingly beautiful ‘A Soulful Whisper’ and the C.D closer
‘Way Past Midnight’ is pure late night, wine in hand Soulful Jazz.
Disc two included as a bonus contains some of the greatest
songs by Stevie Wonder, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Randy Crawford, Donny Hathaway
and Bensons own tunes arranged for Solo guitar.
All in all a great effort and a must have for fans of
contemporary guitar and Smoothjazz with fire. David Golstein - Ejazz News
This stylish two-disc set by Australian guitarist and
composer Aaron Benson has some real high spots. I like the catchy bass riff on
Café L’amour/Uptown Avenue. Benson gets a lovely semi-acoustic sound. l
also like the upbeat and optimistic When Hearts are Singing with it’s
pleasant percussion sounds.
There’s a sexy mood on Your Soulful Whisper. That
woody semi-acoustic tone is lovely, l enjoy the drummers light touch and some
very tasteful synth work. One of my favourite songs is Havana Moonlight,
which has a touch of Santana with that laidback overdriven guitar sound. Santana
fans will know what l mean – sexy, dreamy latin loveliness. Like 9 of the 10
songs on disc one, it’s an original Benson composition.
It’s blues all the way on Way Past Midnight, with a
lovely piano and organ supporting that sweet guitar melody. Is the bass electric
or acoustic – is it even bass at all? Who cares – the sound is great.
Disc two is cleverly sub-titled Soulo and that’s what you
get, a dreamy collection of original compositions and standards played on solo
guitar. Stevie Wonders Lately and Randy Crawfords Almaz are two
standards that soul and jazz fans will instantly recognize.
All in all, it’s a very relaxing set and l find myself
coming back to it often when l’m tired of banging tunes on FM radio.
Chris Mann – Smoothvibes.
"We are so impressed with your excellent double C.D we have immediately
added several tracks to our playlist – your style of play fits our format
like a glove. –Terence Gaynon, Network Program Director Australian
Smooth Jazz Network.
Featured Artist "Jazz Across The World Program"
"My favourite music is from musicians who know how to use their
technique with the right balance of flash and restraint. Aaron Benson and
his C.D "After the Rush is a shining example of this". Drew Abelard.
"Chillout music at its best" Tony Panteno – Echo Fm.
"l’m talking one very cool C.D here! Treading firmly in the Smooth
Groove/Nu Jazz idiom with just enough spice to crossover into Urban
territory. The track Havana Moonlight is a knockout top down, breeze thru
the hair, summer is here Vibe!! – Clevland Sayle, KHWRCruisetime 96.3
"Sensational groovin’ guitar" – Lawrence Wakefield, All about Jazz.
"The sound of Benson’s guitar is one of elegant excitement"-Musicbreak
Magazine.
"An exceptionally melodic guitarist with a clear and articulate guitar
tone that also happens to ooze soul" – Australian Music Online.
"After the Rush has the kind of ambience that can be listened to
for it’s musical worth or enjoyed for the sensual moods it creates"-
Alison Grayson, NowTimes.
"It’s rare that someone comes along and totally blows me away. Aaron
Benson’s C.D After the Rush breaks the spell. Beautiful vibrant
sounding guitar, songs that are tuneful, the grooves are right on the
money, the solos compliment his melodies perfectly and very importantly
for me, the C.D hasn’t fallen victim to over-production. Nice and Classy
effort –Jay T, Smooth Jazz Forum.
AARON BENSON – After the Rush
If ever there was an imaginative and cool
wave of instrumental guitar music sweeping through your city it would have
to be the beautifully crafted two-CD set After the Rush by Aaron
Benson.
Hailing from Australia, Benson’s musical style is
polished and captivating. As humble as the man is about the obvious
technical mastery of his instrument, the fluid notes sliding from the
fretboard on his new CD virtually caress the ears of the listener.
"It's really a composite of my favourite styles of
music," reflects Benson. "Slinky melodic R'n'B grooves, Jazz, Soul, Latin
with some bluesy inflections to add a unique feel to the songs. "
While attuned to avoiding effects or gimmicks, the guitar lines are
natural, clear and pristine. A real credit to the man for it is rare to
hear an instrument without all the accruements and studio wizardry that so
many musicians rely on to achieve a sound nowadays. This approach has
certainly paid off for the C.D glows with as much fire as anything you’re
likely to hear while retaining a spark that lends itself to many hours of
repeated listening.
Benson has included a second bonus disc with this release. I asked him
about the motivation behind it,
"The bonus solo guitar disc is something people have been asking me to do
for years and really is more straight ahead guitar that
demonstrates another (more traditional) side of my playing and also it’s
an added incentive for people to get some Bonus material without extra
cost"
According to Benson the C.D’s title After the Rush
sums up his latest set of recordings perfectly.
"There's a lot of evidence to support the theory
that bombastic music and sounds contribute negatively to people’s stress
levels. While we don't want to put anyone to sleep.. it's cool to put on a
disc that creates an ambience when we're trying to wind down after work
or trying to create some atmosphere at a get-together while having a
contemporary sound with some musical substance behind it," he says.
Prolific songwriting and an ear for melody are his obvious strong
points, and the regular radio airplay of a number of his tracks such as
Havana Moonlight is no surprise. However Benson is mindful of
including some popular standards in his repertoire. "Barry White’s
Practice What You Preach, which is a song l thought would make a great
guitar piece the first time l heard it sits right in with my originals.
The rest of the covers are on the bonus disc and it was fun to pick some
favourite songs and work them into solo guitar arrangements for those
moments when you really just want to sit right back" says Benson.
The sounds on After the Rush are smooth and lively. Aaron
Benson’s musical integrity is way up there with the best of them. His love
affair with the sound of Jazz-Soul guitar in a contemporary setting brings
forth sounds which pour out of the stereo speakers like the sonic
equivalent of a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day.
>Review by Paul Norris. NMP(Norris Media Productions)
Check back Soon - More reviews on their way……
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