Brian Wilson, co-founder and main songwriter of the Beach Boys during their glory years, is rightly considered by many to be a musical genius. Alongside the Beatles, Wilson mid-’60s showed that the rock-‘n’-roll form was capable of expressing sophisticated thoughts and emotions with a consistency never previously attempted, much less achieved. The Beach Boys album Pet Sounds, which Wilson put together pretty much as a solo album, using the rest of the band largely for vocals only, moved rock music into a whole new realm that other artists such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan took to new heights—which were then topped by others.

Wilson suffered a breakdown shortly after releasing Pet Sounds, however, falling into a downward spiral of drug abuse and indolence caused, it seems, by genetic brain chemistry problems, long-term emotional abuse by his father, being led astray by friends, and simple cowardice. He stalled on the groundbreaking follow-up to Pet Sounds, the unfinished SMiLE album (finally completed nearly four decades later, and brilliant), and retreated to his bedroom for several years, emerging only for the occasional brilliant song (such as one of the greatest Beach Boys songs of all, “This Whole World,” from Sunflower) or to produce with the band a few competent but spotty albums that indicated the brilliance was still there somewhere in his unhappy psyche.

Fortunately, as the belated completion of SMiLE indicates, there is a happy ending: after years of struggle (including some false hope as Wilson received dubious help from a doctor who exploited him financially and to garner fame for himself), Wilson slowly emerged from his cocoon in the late 1980s and began releasing albums again. Few were on the level of his greatest works of the past, but his first solo album, Brian Wilson, was close, and each had at least one brilliant song and sometimes several.

In fact, however, it sometimes takes a bit of doing to determine just how good the songwriting and arrangements are on his recent albums, because the lead vocals by Wilson suffer from raggedness caused by the years of drug, alcohol, and cigarette abuse. In addition, Brian never was the best singer in the band—brother Carl had that distinction, but he died several years ago of cancer evidently caused by cigarette smoking. Brian’s voice is homey and sincere, but it can’t express the wide range of emotions and thoughts his music demands, which is why Brian had Carl sing so many of Brian’s best Beach Boys songs.

The relative weakness of the lead vocals is the one thing that holds back his latest release, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, and prevents it from reaching greatness. It’s a very nice effort, however, and well worth listening to.

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is exactly what you’d think: Wilson does cover versions of songs by George and Ira Gershwin (bracketed by snippets from George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue). The arrangements are good and occasionally rather creative, though I wouldn’t say they exactly reimagine Gershwin. The main weakness, as noted earlier, is Wilson’s voice, which has always been rather thin. Thus the best songs are those that foreground inventive arrangements and place less pressure on Wilson to provide a strong vocal.

As with most of Wilson’s work after the first couple of years of the Beach Boys, piano, rather than guitar, is the main background instrument that tends to drive the songs. The arrangements recount the various phases of Wilson’s musical life, and in so doing the album is a reminder of what an innovative and creative musical mind Wilson has, just as the melodies show George Gershwin’s musical brilliance and the lyrics recall just how critical Ira Gershwin was to the team’s success. The song choices are pretty much the ones to be expected, no real surprises, but they’re all great songs.

Here’s a song-by-song breakdown:

Opening and closing—theme from Rhapsody in Blue done in Beach Boys-style vocal harmonies

“The Like in ‘I Love You'” is in Wilson’s late-phase ballad style, led by piano chords and his earnest vocal, with orchestral background.

“Summertime” is done in a slow, ’50s-style lounge-jazz sound with tense orchestral flourishes and eerie, wordless background vocals.

“Porgy” is likewise in a ’50s lounge-jazz style and includes the weird, old-fashioned device of singing a song designed for the opposite sex without changing the lyrics.

Peppy harmonica and jaunty Pet Sounds-era rhythm make the album’s instrumental version of “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin'” a welcome change of pace.

‘S Wonderful’ is done in a bossa nova style reminiscent of the mid-1960s fad for that sound, which Brian and the Beach Boys used brilliantly in tunes such as “Busy Doin’ Nothin’.” Unfortunately, it has a rather distinct cutesy elevator-music sound to it; not good.

“They Can’t Take That Away from Me” is given an upbeat arrangement in the style of the Beach Boys’ biggest hit-making years, the early to mid-60s. Excellent.

Then, unfortunately, “Love Is Here to Stay”—meh.

“I’ve Got a Crush on You” is done in the early-’60s doo-wop style, complete with staccato piano chords and background chorus, and the orchestral strings bring in a competing Phil Spector element. Very clever, very nice, and a smart nod to two of the greatest influences of Wilson’s style.

“I Got Rhythm” opens with an orchestral flourish from Rhapsody in Blue, but it quickly jumps into a rocking arrangement of the song, featuring nicely syncopated drumming and surf-music allusions in the background vocals and guitars. It’s done in vintage Beach Boys style and is good fun.

Harpsichords rhythm chords, wood block percussion, and French horn put Wilson’s arrangement of “Someone to Watch Over Me” firmly in the style of Pet Sounds. It actually works rather well, just as the song’s lyrics of yearning and insecurity would have fit nicely on that classic mid-’60s album.

“Nothing But Love” combines boogie-rock rhythm guitars, nearly continuous wordless background vocals, saxophone fills, and an upbeat pace reminiscent of later Beach Boys albums such as the underrated The Beach Boys Love You and The Beach Boys, and it includes a nice vocal and instrumental coda.

All in all, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin is a very enjoyable album. It doesn’t reach the heights of genius either Gershwin or Wilson sometimes achieved, but not much does. This will do.