Kenny G had a hits collection in 1997, spanning 17 songs and perfectly capturing the time when the smooth jazz saxophonist was one of the most reliable hitmakers in mainstream pop.
Released in 2003, Ultimate Kenny G covers more territory, including two previously unreleased tracks (one being a cover of "My Heart Will Go On"), which does not necessarily mean that it's a superior collection, particularly because the albums he released since 1997 didn't quite qualify as big hits or as his best material.
This gives the album a slightly stronger MOR bent -- which, of course, is remarkable, since Kenny G has always traveled in the middle of the road, but the emphasis on covers ("The Girl from Ipanema," "What a Wonderful World," "The Look of Love," "The Wedding Song") emphasizes this strain in his music; plus, the newer numbers are slicker and more polished than before.
This is a small matter, since most of the collection is given over to his biggest songs, but it is enough to recommend Greatest Hits over this collection, even if this will likely satisfy the needs of most casual listeners.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EverlastingKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | What a Wonderful WorldGeorge Douglas, Bob Thiele, George David Weiss | Kenny G, Louis Armstrong | Play | 02:18 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | The Look of LoveBurt Bacharach, Hal David | Kenny G | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | One More TimeKaryn Rochelle | Kenny G, Chanté Moore | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Theme from Dying YoungJ. N. Howard, James Newton Howard | Kenny G | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Forever in LoveKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | We've Saved the Best for LastPaul Gordon, Dennis Matkosky, Lou Pardini | Kenny G | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | SongbirdKenny G | Kenny G | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Jasmine FlowerTraditional | Kenny G | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | The Girl from IpanemaNorman Gimbel, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes | Kenny G, Bebel Gilberto | Play | 04:00 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | By the Time This Night Is OverMichael Bolton, Andy Goldmark, Diane Warren | Kenny G, Peabo Bryson | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | The Champion's ThemeWalter Afanasieff, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Don't Make Me Wait for LoveWalter Afanasieff, Preston Glass, Narada Michael Walden | Kenny G | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | The Wedding SongWalter Afanasieff, Kenny G | Kenny G | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Havana (New Edit) | Kenny G | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | The Moment (Radio Edit) | Kenny G | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from "Titanic") | Kenny G | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | Brazil (Radio Edit) | Kenny G | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 74 mins | 171 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Afanasieff | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Producer, Programming |
| 2 | Louis Armstrong | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Burt Bacharach | Composer |
| 4 | Michael Bolton | Composer |
| 5 | Peabo Bryson | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 6 | Peter Bunetta | Producer |
| 7 | Rick Chudacoff | Producer |
| 8 | Tom Coyne | Mastering |
| 9 | Hal David | Composer |
| 10 | Vinícius de Moraes | Composer |
| 11 | George Douglas | Composer |
| 12 | Kenny G | Arranger, Composer, Executive Producer, Primary Artist, Producer, Sax (Soprano) |
| 13 | Humberto Gatica | Mixing |
| 14 | Bebel Gilberto | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 15 | Norman Gimbel | Composer |
| 16 | Preston Glass | Composer, Producer |
| 17 | Andy Goldmark | Composer |
| 18 | Paul Gordon | Composer |
| 19 | James Horner | Composer |
| 20 | J. N. Howard | Composer |
| 21 | James Newton Howard | Composer |
| 22 | Will Jennings | Composer |
| 23 | Antônio Carlos Jobim | Composer |
| 24 | Dennis Matkosky | Composer |
| 25 | Chanté Moore | Guest Artist, Primary Artist |
| 26 | Joe-Mama Nitzberg | Creative Director |
| 27 | Lou Pardini | Composer |
| 28 | L.A. Reid | Executive Producer |
| 29 | Smokey Robinson | Vocals |
| 30 | Karyn Rochelle | Composer |
| 31 | Michael Schroffel | Assistant Engineer |
| 32 | Steve Shepherd | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 33 | Bob Thiele | Composer |
| 34 | Traditional | Composer |
| 35 | Narada Michael Walden | Composer |
| 36 | Courtney Walter | Art Direction, Design |
| 37 | Diane Warren | Composer |
| 38 | George David Weiss | Composer |
| 39 | Lenny Williams | Vocals |
| 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). |