Kenny Rogers - The Journey
Kenny Rogers: The Journeyis a solid and engaging account of Rogers' lengthy career in music, certain to teach any viewer something they didn't know about the many chapters in the superstar's life as an artist. A documentary,The Journeyis a mix of concert footage (most of it archival) and interviews with Rogers, as well as numerous insights from key people in his history of making hit records. The overall message is that Rogers has been a class act from the very beginning, certain of his work ethic as well as his talent and ability to choose the right collaborators. High points include Rogers' reunion with the Bobby Doyle Three, the jazz-vocal group he joined right out of high school, and a smooth duet with Willie Nelson on Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" (a performance in which Rogers resurrects his old skills playing upright bass). There's a lot of discussion about Rogers' instincts for finding great duet partners of the female variety: Dottie West, Kim Carnes, Dolly Parton, and even Sheena Easton (who, apparently, didn't get along with Rogers too well). Various insights about the early stages of Rogers' musical evolution are very interesting, especially his comments about the pop-folk group the New Christy Minstrels proving too restricting, giving rise to Rogers' soft-rock band the First Edition, followed by a solo career he feared would become "too country" with his smash hit, "Lucille." Also a lot of fun: Lionel Richie's self-effacing account of producing Rogers' successful attempt at a country-R&B; crossover, "Lady."--Tom Keogh