On the surface. George Benson's career has followed the pattern established by Nat "King" Cole and Ray Charles: many duespaying years as an instrumentalist, then the big payoff with the emphasis on vocals. There are significant differences, however, because Benson has been singing since his preteens, long before either his minifame as a serious jazz musician or his current pop stardom as a singer guitarist. And, more important, while Cole and Charles were and are thoroughly original artists, Benson remains a polished follower.

While his vocals on this live double album again reflect a debt to Charles and to Stevie Wonder. Benson more often sounds like an unknown soldier in that nondescript legion of black crooners who once or twice came up with a hit (like Tommy Edwards with "It's All in the Game," covered here) and were then forgotten. Anonymous carbon-copy arrangements and tepid Jorge Dalto acoustic piano inhibit "Game," "Down Here on the Ground" and "Lady Blue," but "On Broadway" works better with its meaner groove, guitar scat section and a model percussion duet from Harvey Mason and Ralph MacDonald. Nothing, however, is as obviously geared toward the charts as "The Greatest Love of All" (a black "My Way" with enough hooks for three songs), which finds Benson confidently and enthusiastically belting at a melodramatic peak.

Early Benson fans won't find much satisfaction in the six instrumentals. With session masters like MacDonald, Mason and rhythm guitarist Phil Upchurch on board, this band clearly knows how to play, but a little of that extended "What's Going On" vamp feeling, heard on almost every cut, soon becomes a lot. True, Benson recites a number of stunning guitar licks that occasionally overwhelm through sheer quantity ("Windsong"), but his playing too often sounds disconnected. "We as Love," the one song on which he relaxes and tells a musical story, finds many of the Roxy's audience engaged in conversations of their own. (RS 261)

BOB BLUMENTHAL