Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 05/06/2003
Apparently, old
rock singers who have exhausted their commercial appeal and have sung all the
pop and
soul standards have but one place to turn -- the American popular songbook.
Linda Ronstadt pioneered this move in the '80s,
Rod Stewart picked it up at the turn of the century, and, now no longer at
Virgin,
Boz Scaggs picks up the torch with 2003's
But Beautiful, a ten-track trawl through
standards like
"What's New?," "How Long Has This Been Going On?," and
"Sophisticated Lady." It should be no surprise that
Scaggs is not deliberately following
Stewart's footsteps -- in his liner notes, he says his old friend
Jimmy Pierre initiated the project years ago with a list of songs he thought
Boz should sing, and then pianist/arranger
Paul Nagel later encouraged him to begin this project -- but it can't help but feel that way, given the number of old rockers turning to the music their parents loved.
Scaggs, thankfully, doesn't take the lush, orchestrated route, choosing to record with a small quartet featuring
Nagel, saxophonist
Eric Crystal, bassist
John Shifflett, and drummer
Jason Lewis. They have a nice, late-night feel -- nothing adventurous, but well-done -- and
Scaggs is appropriately laid-back, which doesn't necessarily mean that he's well-suited for this material. His off-hand phrasing sometimes is too casual and he delivers the tunes predictably, never finding a way to make these much-heard songs sound fresh. That doesn't mean this sounds bad, because it doesn't; it's an entirely pleasant listen. But even longtime
Boz Scaggs fans may not find a reason to spin this more than once.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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