Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
To put it mildly, Brian Wilson has had his ups and downs. However, the musical genius has always been resting inside of him. He steered the Beach Boys into surf-pop and then into a world of rich harmony and exuberant songwriting, complex beyond its years. He finally got to complete the legendarily unfinished *Smile* in 2004 and now he explores the rich melodies of George Gershwin. He even received the blessing from the Gershwin estate to complete two songs — “The Like In I Love You” and “Nothing But Love.” A full orchestra, arranged by Wilson and Paul Von Mertens, never overtakes the proceedings, adding color and light to Wilson’s expert vocals, sometimes multi-tracked (“Rhapsody In Blue”) for greater depth and complexity. “I Got Rhythm” is the most natural to Wilson’s rock ‘n’ roll past, but he takes impressive passes at “Summertime” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” There’s a smoothness here that’s often lacking in Wilson’s own tumultuous life and compositions. This project was obviously a labor of love for him and the joy in his voice is palpable.
File under oddities that kind of work: George and Ira Gershwin and Brian Wilson all have their places in the ranks of great American songwriters, but the urbane sophistication of the former and the sun-dazed lushness of the latter don’t seem like a natural fit. Yet Wilson, who cites George Gershwin as one of his…
Check out our album review of Artist's Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin on Rolling Stone.com.
During his five decades of music-making, Brian Wilson has added countless songs to the canon of great American pop music, but he hasn't recorded many by other composers.
The entirety of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin reeks of a newfound arrogance that lifts this Beach Boys aficionado’s spirits.
In the more than a decade since Wilson’s career rose majestically from the ashes of a deep catatonic funk, he’s been helped along in his journey by...
The stylistic links between Gershwin and Brian Wilson are there in theory, but that doesn't make this horrible, ersatz album a remotely good idea, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>