Despite some commercial tendencies, this 1970 LP (not yet reissued on CD) is better than it looks. Pianist
Ray Bryant uplifts such pop material as "Let It Be," "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "Hey Jude," and "Spinning Wheel." Four selections find
Bryant's trio (with electric bassist
Chuck Rainey and drummer
Jimmy Johnson) augmented by either horns (on "Let It Be") or by strings effectively arranged by
Eumir Deodata. The colorful results are not essential but are less dated than one might think. ~ Scott Yanow