There are bound to be those who will simply refuse to give Kenny G's 2006 release, I'm in the Mood for Love, half a chance, and it's a crying shame.
Returning to a purely instrumental approach following At Last...The Duets Album (which featured a great cameo by Chaka Khan), I'm in the Mood for Love is admittedly a lot like Kenny G's other albums.
Like At Last..., this is yet another album's worth of standards, ranging from torch songs to "Yesterday." And like every other album Kenny G has made, it's pop-oriented and ultra-smooth.
But the overall feel of this release is a little brassier and a smidgen more big band than usual, and it adds up to some sparkling moments.
The title track, "I'm in the Mood for Love," two-steps along with ease, warmth, and genuine emotion, and it's a real treat to hear Walter Afanasieff on piano.
"The Way You Look Tonight" is refreshingly genteel, and there's something gratifying in hearing Kenny G belt out "Fly Me to the Moon." Naturally, there are a few underwhelming moments on the album.
Kenny G's squealing improvisation on "Love Theme from 'Romeo and Juliet'" is a little over the top, and a few of the arrangements are forgettable, if not a tad silly (the chimes on "If," for example).
But when a slinky-sweet number like "It Had to Be You" comes rolling around, you forget all about it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | You're BeautifulJames Blunt, Amanda Ghost, Sacha Skarbek | Kenny G | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | The Way We WereAlan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch | Kenny G | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | YesterdayJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney | Kenny G | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | I'm in the Mood for LoveDorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh | Kenny G | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | If | Kenny G | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | The Way You Look TonightDorothy Fields, Jerome Kern | Kenny G | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | If I Ain't Got YouAlicia Keys | Kenny G | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | It Had to Be YouIsham Jones, Gus Kahn | Kenny G | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | The Shadow of Your SmileJohnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster | Kenny G | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Fly Me to the Moon/You Make Me Feel So YoungMack Gordon, Bart Howard, Josef Myrow | Kenny G | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | As Time Goes By | Kenny G | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | You Raise Me UpBrendan Graham, Rolf Løvland | Kenny G | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Love Theme From (Romeo Juliet) | Kenny G | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 47 mins | 109 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Afanasieff | Arranger, Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Producer, Programming |
| 2 | Lyndie Benson | Photography |
| 3 | Chuck Berghofer | Bass |
| 4 | Alan Bergman | Composer |
| 5 | Marilyn Bergman | Composer |
| 6 | Gregg Bissonette | Drums |
| 7 | James Blunt | Composer |
| 8 | Brian Bromberg | Bass, Bass Instrument, Guest Artist, Main Personnel |
| 9 | Dennis Budimir | Guitar |
| 10 | Jorge Calandrelli | Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements |
| 11 | David Channing | Digital Editing, Engineer, Programming |
| 12 | Vinnie Colaiuta | Drums, Main Personnel |
| 13 | Clive Davis | Audio Production, Producer |
| 14 | Rich Davis | Production Coordination |
| 15 | Peter Erskine | Drums, Guest Artist, Main Personnel |
| 16 | Dorothy Fields | Composer |
| 17 | Kenny G | Audio Production, Main Personnel, Primary Artist, Producer, Saxophone |
| 18 | Pete Ganbarg | A&R |
| 19 | Humberto Gatica | Engineer, Mixing |
| 20 | Amanda Ghost | Composer |
| 21 | Mack Gordon | Composer |
| 22 | Tyler Gordon | Assistant Engineer |
| 23 | Brendan Graham | Composer |
| 24 | Mick Guzauski | Mixing |
| 25 | Marvin Hamlisch | Composer |
| 26 | Jeri Heiden | Art Direction, Design |
| 27 | Bart Howard | Composer |
| 28 | Isham Jones | Composer |
| 29 | Gus Kahn | Composer |
| 30 | Jerome Kern | Composer |
| 31 | Alicia Keys | Composer |
| 32 | John Lennon | Composer |
| 33 | Rolf Løvland | Composer |
| 34 | Sheryl Lowe | Make-Up |
| 35 | Johnny Mandel | Composer |
| 36 | Paul McCartney | Composer |
| 37 | Jimmy McHugh | Composer |
| 38 | Vlado Meller | Mastering |
| 39 | Josef Myrow | Composer |
| 40 | Glen Nakasako | Art Direction, Design |
| 41 | Cristián Robles | Mixing Assistant |
| 42 | William Ross | Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements |
| 43 | Nino Rota | Composer |
| 44 | Tawgs Salter | Digital Editing, Programming |
| 45 | Mark Santangelo | Assistant |
| 46 | Steve Shepherd | Engineer |
| 47 | Sacha Skarbek | Composer |
| 48 | Ramón Stagnaro | Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Main Personnel |
| 49 | David Stone | Guitar (Bass), Main Personnel |
| 50 | David R. Stone | Bass |
| 51 | Emerson Swinford | Guitar |
| 52 | Randy Waldman | Conductor, Horn Arrangements, Orchestral Arrangements |
| 53 | Paul Francis Webster | Composer |
| 54 | Gina Zimmitti | Orchestra Contractor |
| 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). |