ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, NOV. 16, 1984
By Steve Newton
“Night Song” is the only cut on Earl Klugh’s new album that was written by the man himself, but his interpretive acoustic guitarwork on such well-known romantic gems as “The Look of Love”, “The Shadow of Your Smile”, and “Nature Boy” shows that he can make nearly any song his very own.
A less funky and upbeat LP than last year’s Low Ride (which was all Klugh compositions), Nightsongs finds him in a much more intimate mood, feeling out the beautiful melodies of yesterday’s love song and three orchestrated movie themes. Klugh puts his personal touch on the themes from Picnic, The Outsiders, and The Pawnbroker.
Klugh is joined by such notable session aides as bassist Ron Carter and harmonicist Toots Thielemans (Billy Joel’s “Leave A Tender Moment Alone”) on a couple of tracks.
For lush orchestration, smooth guitar, and unforgettable melodies, Nightsongs is hard to eat. There’s even a version of Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin'”.