ALBUM REVIEWS : The Benson Sound, Sans George

* * Norman Brown, “After the Storm,” MoJazz. If musical styles were copyrightable, George Benson could sue the shirt right off Brown’s back. The guitarist plays Benson-like, no-problem R&B-ish; tunes, and has all but Xeroxed Benson’s bold, bronze tone (including his employment of ringing octaves a la Wes Montgomery) and his flowing, no-bumps-on-these-edges lines. He even hums along on a few solos as Benson does. On a few numbers, such as the down-homeish “Trashman” and the airy “Acoustic Time,” Brown reveals some decidedly needed individuality.

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