This release from the Ramsey Lewis archives is an intimate collection of the late and legendary pianist delivering a casual read of Beatles classics. What could have been an essential album becomes one mostly for true believers, as the recording quality has a bit of a distance in it that takes away from the personal touch of Mr. Lewis’ readings.
His patented church-bred touch is luminous on pieces like “Let It Be” and “The Long And Winding Road”, and he gives a fun and clever read to pieces like “Rocky Racoon”. His left hand is rich on “Hard Day’s Night” and he’s personal on “Hey Jude”, with a reflective warmth or “Here, There And Everywhere”. If the acoustics were better, this would be de rigueur; still, a faded photo of Rita Hayworth is better than none at all.