Despite being beautifully arranged and instrumentally diverse, Porgy and Bess just seems like less grandiose, less spanish-esque, less exciting version of Sketches of Spain. It's gorgeous arrangements don't always save it however; the album can get pretty monotnous and boring, sometimes outrageously dull. Porgy and Bess seems like the down syndrome brother of Sketches of Spain, but it's not all bad. Songs like "Prayer" and "Gone" are riveting, and the album is solid enough (again, despite sometimes sinking into boringville) to earn a low 3.5.
