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Breathless
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List Price: $13.98
Our Price: $9.97
Your Save: $ 4.01 ( 29% )
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Manufacturer: Arista
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0078221864626
Label: Arista
Manufacturer: Arista
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Arista
Release Date: 1992-11-17
Studio: Arista
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Editorial Reviews:
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Like its predecessors, Kenny G's latest album, Breathless, is a collection of tuneful, easy-listening instrumentals baited with a couple of pop-soul vocal numbers. This album is built on Kenny G's most obvious strengths: his knack for writing hummable pop hooks and his ability to play those radio-friendly melodies in a breathy, fluid style that invites the listener to lie back and relax. When it comes to background music that's slightly catchier and peppier than most new age music, Kenny G is a master of his genre. The titles of Kenny G's instrumentals on are a good clue to his approach: "Sentimental," "The Joy of Life," "Forever in Love" and "The Wedding Song." Sentimental, in the sense of simplifying life to a set of comfortable feelings, is a good adjective for Kenny G's music, for even his wordless instrumentals push the listener's warm glow buttons while ignoring anything more complicated. The saxophonist himself programmed many of the drum, bass and keyboard parts on Breathless, contributing to the sense that everything's running on autopilot. --Jeffrey Himes
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: oh no... Kenny G... what does a saxophonist think??
Comment: Since I am a serious saxophonist, I have written numerous reviews for saxophone recordings ranging from 1 Star to 5 Stars. Each review I have written are for recordings made by serious professional saxophonists, some simply performers looking to make that next recording, and others who are professors of the instrument at a major university. I stopped playing the saxophone for two years in pursuit of something new. After two years, I started wondering "what if I stayed with the instrument?" I decided to get back on the horse that threw me, and have not regretted it. In fact, I can go so far to say that I am more serious about the instrument than I ever have been. But what do I think of Kenny G? Well, here is my answer.
It is hard to write a positive review of Kenny G since the majority of professionals would likely roll their eyes at me. It is also difficult to write a negative review about him since there isn't much I can say about him that is negative. Kenny G is first and fore-most a great pop musician. His bad reputation comes from the common misconception that he is a "jazz" musician, which comes from the even bigger misconception that the saxophone is a "jazz instrument." Granted, the saxophone started to become used heavily in the earlier big bands because of the sound in produced (a cross between woodwinds and brass instruments) in its earlier years. But the instrument has evolved over time to be a fore-runner in the classical and pop genre. More often, bands are including the saxophone as a heavy addition to their sound (see Dave Matthews Band and Huey Lewis and the News). Kenny G is not, and never will be a jazz musician, he is a pop musician...
Critics often criticism Kenny G for being too plain and simple. The problem is that ALL pop music of today's standards is now written using the simplest song structures and chord progressions. The day Brittney Spears is studied in college level classes is the day Slayer makes a Holiday Album (and I would love to see that). Kenny G uses those simple song structures to make an easy listening album that doesn't deal with the hassle of writing lyrics. His strength is in his ability to write memorable melodies over a harmonious background. The fact that he uses a saxophone is not something that should be criticized. He also was not likely the first person to produce popular music of this style, he is just the best one doing it now. Others who produce pop albums tend to over emphasize their ability to play jazz or improvise such as Dave Koz or David Sanborn. Kenny G eliminates the technical, and focuses more on the melody, producing music that can just be enjoyed withoutthe hassle of over analyzation.
Key tracks on "Breathless" include "Sentimental," "Forever in Love," and "By The Time This Night Is Over" with Peabo Bryson. Aaron Neville also makes an appearance on this recording, emphasising the easy listening flavor produced.
Pushing aside complicated technical passages often heard in popular music saxophone recordings, and instead focusing on the melody, Kenny G can be considered a master of his artform. This artform is not playing the saxophone at it would appear to be since he does play the saxophone. His artform is rather being a song writer. For those reasons, I enjoy him as a writer more than an instrumentalist. Granted, his sound is relaxing, but it is what he puts on the page, and records that give him his niche.
Customer Rating:
Summary: It's Kenny G, What Else?
Comment: There's pretty much a reason to hate this guy. Good lord, this guy sucks. It's not just the fact that this guy's albums are incredibly outdated, way too polished and overproduced, and boring, it feels like disposable pop music, and you'd be pretty much right.
I'll admit that Kenny G has potential to show a display of emotion at spots, but it's ruined by the awful production, his awful tone, and the fact that the lines he plays would sound great if he didn't make his tone so bluntly happy, and not ear shattering and annoying. His music just seems to calculating in it's attempt to please. I'm pretty sure that he wasn't trying to do that, but in my eyes, it just sounds awful, destined to pack the pop syndrome, catchy but without ANYTHING behind it. It's the same kind of thing that makes Brittany Spears garbage, the fact that it just doesn't feel like real music. That's why I hate Kenny G's music. I have no problem with the man himself, but really, this ______ is the absolute nadir.
This album is very annoying. The ballads are so dang fluffy and so calculating in their attempts to please. The cheesy New Wave styles, just listen to the INSTRUMENTATION! This is the absolute _________ i've ever heard. The upbeat parts have drum machines, sounding like a cheesy new wave record played in a club of spandex wearing hair rock musicians with haircuts similar to a flock of seagulls. I can't explain all of the horrible stuff this guy has to put in the background of his annoying whaling.
John Zorn smokes this guy any day of the week. Get him if you want a good modern saxophone player who doesn't sacrifice anything.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Vanilla Ice of Jazz
Comment: Every genre of music is guaranteed to have its bad apples. When it comes to jazz (or should I say "smooth jazz"), the bad apple in this genre is Kenny Gorelick.
Here's the problem with this album: it's way too dull. Not just dull, but it's so derivative and uninspired that it's just better off not played. The soprano sax he plays sounds out of tune and wails way too much. The pace barely ever picks up, it just never goes into anything exciting at all. Now that I come to think of it, why is it even given the label "jazz"? Playing a saxophone doesn't mean that you're a jazz musician. "Breathless" lacks the soul, passion, basically anything that makes up the genre.
I cannot recommend this at all, maybe unless you enjoy a bit of sadism. Just walk on by the copies rotting in the bargain bins and try something like A Love Supreme instead.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Breathless
Comment: I purchased this CD to replace a ruined Cassette of the same title. I looked hither and yon for a copy of this CD, finally found it a Amazon. I was pleased at the quick service and availabilty of other Kenny G music! A big fan of this particular item, I recommend it and Amazon to all my friends.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Kenny GEE - Breathless
Comment: He is so great and the quick response to my order was great. CD is wonderful.
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