Throughout the 1990s, Kenny G was the whipping boy of the jazz world -- the instrumentalist who hardcore jazz improvisers loved to bash when the subject of smooth jazz came up.
Kenny G's huge following responded that the attacks were silly and misguided because the saxman was the first to admit that he was primarily a pop instrumentalist and wasn't pretending to be anything else.
True, it was silly for jazz artists to judge Kenny by hard bop standards when hard bop (or even soul-jazz or fusion) was a long way from what he was going for.
And Breathless isn't bad because it's a pop album or because it's commercial; it's bad because of its complete lack of soul, substance or creativity.
There's nothing even remotely tasteful about interchangeable tunes like "Sentimental," "Forever In Love" and "End of the Night," all of which are about as bloodless and schlocky as it gets.
Always sounding like he's on automatic pilot, Kenny takes no risks whatsoever and sees to it that one song is as shamelessly contrived as the next.
Even the presence of the great R&B crooner Aaron Neville on "Even If My Heart Would Break" can't save this one-dimensional release.
Whether you're into pop or jazz, Breathless is unlistenable.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Joy of LifeKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 2 | Forever in LoveKenny Gorelick | Kenny G | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | In the RainKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | SentimentalWalter Afanasieff, George Bassman, Kenny G, Ned Washington | Kenny G | Play | 06:38 | 15 MB | 40 MB |
| 5 | By the Time This Night Is OverMichael Bolton, Andy Goldmark, Diane Warren | Kenny G | Play | 04:48 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 6 | End of the NightJohn Densmore, Kenny G, Robby Krieger | Kenny G | Play | 05:25 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | AloneKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | MorningWalter Afanasieff, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | Even If My Heart Would BreakFranne Golde, Adrian Gurvitz | Kenny G, Aaron Neville | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | Sister RoseWalter Afanasieff, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 06:16 | 14 MB | 32 MB |
| 11 | A Year AgoKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | HomelandChris Dedrick, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 13 | The Wedding SongWalter Afanasieff, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 14 | Pick Up The Pieces | Kenny G | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 15 | Natural Ride | Kenny G | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 74 mins | 171 MB | |||||
| 74 mins | 442 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Afanasieff | Arranger, Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Bass |
| 2 | George Bassman | Composer |
| 3 | Kevin Becka | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 4 | Michael Bolton | Composer |
| 5 | Alex Brown | Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Peabo Bryson | Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 7 | Dana Jon Chappelle | Engineer |
| 8 | Gary Cirimelli | Programming |
| 9 | Paulinho Da Costa | Percussion |
| 10 | Lynn Davis | Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Chris Dedrick | Composer |
| 12 | John Densmore | Composer |
| 13 | David Foster | Producer |
| 14 | Kenny G | Composer, Drum Programming, Multi Instruments, Primary Artist, Producer, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor) |
| 15 | Humberto Gatica | Engineer |
| 16 | Jim Gilstrap | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | David Gleeson | Engineer |
| 18 | Franne Golde | Composer |
| 19 | Andy Goldmark | Composer |
| 20 | Kenny Gorelick | Composer |
| 21 | Portia Griffin | Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Adrian Gurvitz | Composer |
| 23 | Mick Guzauski | Mixing |
| 24 | Pat Hawk | Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Phillip Ingram | Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Vail Johnson | Guitar (Bass) |
| 27 | Vann Johnson | Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Ren Klyce | Programming, Sampling |
| 29 | Robby Krieger | Composer |
| 30 | Manny Lacarrubba | Engineer |
| 31 | Marlon McClain | Composer |
| 32 | Susan Mendola | Design |
| 33 | Aaron Neville | Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 34 | Dean Parks | Guitar |
| 35 | John Richards | Engineer |
| 36 | John "J.R." Robinson | Drums |
| 37 | Matthew Rolston | Photography |
| 38 | William Ross | Conductor, String Arrangements |
| 39 | Eric Rudd | Assistant Orchestra Engineer |
| 40 | Roger Sause | Composer |
| 41 | Dan Shea | Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming |
| 42 | Steve Sheppard | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 43 | Rose Stone | Vocals (Background) |
| 44 | Michael Thompson | Guitar |
| 45 | Diane Warren | Composer |
| 46 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| 47 | Fred White | Vocals (Background) |
| 48 | Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |