John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “I Want to Hold Your Hand” opens the album as a solid rendition full of warmth and intrigue. On “Danny Boy” and “Tenderly,” however, Benson fully displays his one-man band skills, and his solo guitar more than suffices. Other highlights include a fun version of the 1958 pop standard “Tequila” and the deft combination of piano, guitar, and Benson’s soulful vocals on “Since I Fell for You.” Known to be innovative and daring, the virtuoso doesn’t disappoint this time around with his bona fide jazz spin on pop classics.
Throughout his career, Benson has maintained a standard of musicianship reached by few of his peers. His longevity can be attributed to that standard. But that standard certainly owes its just due to his fearless style of creativity and organic determination to make good music. After all, as he flatly stated himself, “There are only two kinds of music, good and bad. There are a lot of things in between, but they’re eventually going to fall on one side or the other of that equation.”
Well said. And as for Guitar Man, it deserves a unanimous “well done.”
–jeremy tate 
