George Benson - Original Album Series (2009)

This particular Original Album Classics release contains five albums issued by George Benson through the Warner Bros. label: Breezin' (1976), Weekend in L.A. (1977), Give Me the Night (1980), Tenderly (1989), and Big Boss Band (1990). This is a rather arbitrary assortment; Benson made several other significant albums during the span covered here, and the stylistic differences between the earliest and latest sets are stark. The package is compact. Each disc is inside a cardboard sleeve that replicates the front and back of the original release, and the outer sleeve is simple and functional. Typically sold at roughly the same cost as two or three full-price discs, it's a quick and thrifty way to snap up a sizeable portion of Benson's post-CTI catalog. ~ Andy Kellman