At Last...The Duets Album  (Audio CD) 
by Kenny G

The genius of At Last...The Duets Album is in its matchups and cross-pollinations. If producer Walter Afanasieff weren't already a much sought after music man--check out his arrangements here if his talents are unfamiliar--he might have built a brilliant career as a modern-day cupid. These are covers with a what-if factor (what if Brian McKnight covers Wham!? What if Richard Marx covered Elton John?) you don't want to miss: LeAnn Rimes wraps Bryan Adams' anthem-y "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" in rainy-day heartache; Yolanda Adams reaches for the stars in a rendition of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" as inspiring as the original; Barbra Streisand waltzes through "The Music That Makes Me Dance" like the years since her heyday haven't mattered; and Earth, Wind & Fire dig the depth out of Raphael Saadiq's "The Way You Move." This, of course, is to say nothing of the sensuality brought to these collaborations by the goldilocked sax man himself. As with all Kenny G projects, the music is smoother than a frappuccino and oddly suited to a soap opera living room set; its swirls, swells, and crescendos seem meant to fall on bejeweled ears in pretty, carefully appointed spaces only. All-instrumental tracks like "Don't Know Why" with David Benoit and "Pick Up the Pieces" with David Sanborn have a fun look-at-me-sharing-the-spotlight quality, but in the end Chaka Khan puts across her point most convincingly: She, not Christina Aguilera, should have sung "Beautiful" to begin with. -Tammy La Gorce