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Good-hearted old soul music for sure, but one that is more preserved than personal. Though the arrangements can border on schmaltzy often, Charles's crystalline charisma as musical translator shines through.
No wonder so many artist like Ray Charles moved on.Apparently Atlantic didn't know about STEREO recording until way late in the game.If you like a very flat sound, no problem. Problem with many of these recordings is they don't tell you if its STEREO or MONO recordings.After purchasing many MONO recordings on Amazon, I no longer buy anything originally recorded prior to 1970. Remasted means nothing, but a good sales ploy.Some of the recordings at companies like Stax or Atlantic are MONO up until 1970.
Bonus tracks were added on this great compilation. On the very best list of 1962 and 1960's albums, Ray Charles'"Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" has to be on a top and prominent place on that distinguished list. If they would've added that song to this fabulous album, it would've been an unprecedented collector's item and best seller. Perhaps the only missing Ray Charles musical jewel in this great musical compilation is "Georgia On My Mind". The main jewels of that royal crown are "I Can't Stop Loving You" definitely the top hit song of 1962, played and played not only for that entire year but subsequently. The others top hits in that album were "Born to Lose" originally the flip side on the former 45 rpm single version and "You Don't Know Me".
Thanks to Ray, bridges were built, friendships were cemented, and genres were combined in a way that benefitted music lovers around the world. My sister bought it, and I was a senior in high school and wore it out. "You Don't Know Me" and "Born to Lose" and "Worried Mind" and "You Win Again" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" brought black and white artists and songwriters and fans a lot closer to the mainstream market. Although "backing vocals" and "orchestral accompaniment" are terms that have largely disappeared from the labels of Top Forty singles, they work on this album better than on most from the era.
Mr. I had not heard this album in about 40 years until I bought the CD version last week. Rock and Roll was still young in '62, and the "Nashville Sound" was just getting off the ground. Charles knew good lyrics when he heard them, and he didn't think the message of a song had to be confined to the style in which it was originally composed.
Not every track here is a masterpiece, but about half of them bear up to repeated play, even continuous play, quite well. It is good to have an old friend back in my home. Back in 1961, when much of the country still considered rhythm and blues artists to be makers of "race records" and even more of the nation thought that "country music" could only be created by Southern whites, Ray took a bunch of the best songs he could find from country artists, added an orchestra, a backing vocal group, and his "soul" sensibilities and produced this record. I already knew most of the tunes because I was a country fan, albeit living in New Jersey.
A fine recording. Can anyone say anything negative about Ray Charles. Not me either.
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