WILLIE NELSON Live With Friends

Original released on CD Lost Highway B000045302

(EU 2003, June 24)

For his 70th birthday gala, Willie Nelson decided to celebrate by inviting a cast of musical stars to join him in duets on a televised concert. In keeping with Nelson's eclecticism, only a few of the famous participants are country artists (Shania Twain, Toby Keith, and old pal Ray Price). How much is added to his classic "Crazy" by guests Diana Krall and Elvis Costello (then-hot celebrity couple of the moment) is an open question; what's really important is the well-deserved recognition Nelson receives from the musical world's biggest names. If you're a hardcore Willie fan, you've probably already got a couple of earlier live versions of, for example, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," but part of "Live and Kickin'"s purpose is to expose fans of Nelson's duet partners to the magic they've been missing out on for many decades. In that, it's a success. (John Bush in AllMusic)

The Great RAY CHARLES

Original released on LP Atlantic 1259

(US, August 1957)

This set is rather unusual, for it is strictly instrumental, allowing Ray Charles a rare opportunity to be a jazz-oriented pianist. Two selections are with a trio (bassist Oscar Pettiford joins Charles on "Black Coffee"), while the other six are with a septet taken from his big band of the period. Key among the sidemen are David Newman (soloing on both tenor and alto) and trumpeter Joseph Bridgewater; highlights include Quincy Jones' "The Ray," "My Melancholy Baby," "Doodlin'," and "Undecided." Ray Charles should have recorded in this setting more often in his later years. (Scott Yanow in AllMusic)

RAY CHARLES: "Rhythm & Blues"

Original released on LP Atlantic 8006

(US, 1957)

His first album contains a lot of hit singles from the previous years. At the piano he accompanies himself and plays short, bluesy solos and interludes. He's supported by brass, double bass and drums. His Jewish producer Jerry Wexler was a former journalist who invented the term rhythm 'n' blues to replace Billboard's "race music". Ray Charles' style would lead to the emergence of Southern soul in the next few years. "Sinner's Prayer" is a twelve bar blues, but many songs deviate from this basic schedule and contain chromatic progressions. Some of the songs have gospel elements like female backing vocals and religious content. The lyrics of "Losing Hand" are metaphorical for unrequited love, but they also evoke the atmosphere of smokey bars and illegal gambling joints in Southern cities. The A-side contains sorrowful songs about heartbreak with a midtempo swing, e.g. the deeply emotional "Drown in My Own Tears", which uses the typical double dominant chord. The B-side has a much happier mood, starting with the excited love song "Hallelujah I Love Her So". It's an uptempo swing with a touch of gospel and a sax solo. The next songs are jump blues, a style with jazzy brass that comes close to rock 'n' roll. "I Got a Woman" is his 1955 hit in this style. (in RateYourMusic)

RAY & BETTY Together

Original released on LP ABC Paramount 385

(US, September 1961)

This pairing of two totally idiosyncratic vocalists acquired legendary status over the decades in which it had been out of print. But the proof is in the listening, and frankly it doesn't represent either artist's best work. There is certainly a powerful, often sexy rapport between the two - Charles in his sweet balladeering mode, Carter with her uniquely keening, drifting high register - and they definitely create sparks in the justly famous rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." The main problem is in Marty Paich's string/choir arrangements, which too often cross the line into treacle, whereas his charts for big band are far more listenable. Moreover, Charles' sweetness can get a bit cloying, too, although some of the old grit emerges on "Takes Two to Tango." [This CD edition adds the great, rare B-side to the "Unchain My Heart" single, "But on the Other Hand Baby," and two excellent if unrelated album cuts, "I Never See Maggie Alone" (1964) and "I Like to Hear It Sometime" (1966).] (Richard Ginell in AllMusic)

The Genius Of RAY CHARLES

Original released on LP Atlantic R1 1312

(US, November 1959)

Some players from Ray Charles' big band are joined by many ringers from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands for the first half of this program, featuring Charles belting out six songs arranged by Quincy Jones. "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Deed I Do" are highlights, and there are solos by tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and (on "Two Years of Torture") tenor Paul Gonsalves. The remaining six numbers are ballads, with Charles backed by a string orchestra arranged by Ralph Burns (including "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"). Charles' voice is heard throughout in peak form, giving soul to even the veteran standards. (Scott Yanow in AllMusic)

RAY CHARLES: EP "I Can't Stop Loving You"

Original released on EP Continental QB 150
(SOUTH AFRICA, 1962)

Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music

Original released on LP ABC-Paramount ABCS-410

(US, April 1962)

Less modern for its country-R&B blend (Elvis Presley and company did it in 1955) and lushly produced C&W tone (the Nashville sound cropped up in the late '50s) than for its place as a high-profile crossover hit, "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" fit right in with Ray Charles' expansive musical ways while on the Atlantic label in the '50s. In need of even more room to explore, Charles signed with ABC Paramount and eventually took full advantage of his contract's "full artistic freedom clause" with this collection of revamped country classics. Covering a period from 1939 to the early '60s, the 12 tracks here touch on old-timey fare (Floyd Tillman's "It Makes No Difference to Me Now"), honky tonk (three Hank Williams songs), and early countrypolitan (Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You"). Along with a Top Ten go at Eddy Arnold's "You Don't Know Me," the Gibson cover helped the album remain at the top of the pop charts for nearly three months and brought Charles international fame. Above a mix of swinging big band charts by Gerald Wilson and strings and choir backdrops from Marty Paich, Charles' intones the sleepy-blue nuances of country crooners while still giving the songs a needed kick with his gospel outbursts. No pedal steel or fiddles here, just a fine store of inimitable interpretations. (Stephen Cook in AllMusic) 

Original released on LP ABC-Paramount ABCS-435

(US, October 1962)

Having struck the mother lode with Vol. 1 of this genre-busting concept, "Brother Ray," producer Sid Feller, and ABC-Paramount went for another helping and put it out immediately. The idea was basically the same - raid the then-plentiful coffers of Nashville for songs and turn them into Ray Charles material with either a big band or a carpet of strings and choir. This time, though, instead of a random mix of backgrounds, the big band tracks - again arranged by Gerald Wilson in New York - went on side one, and the strings/choir numbers - again arranged by Marty Paich in Hollywood - were placed on side two. Saleswise, it couldn't miss, but, more importantly, Vol. 2 defied the curse of the sequel and was just as much of an artistic triumph as its predecessor, if not as immediately startling. Charles' transfiguration of "You Are My Sunshine" sets the tone, and, as before, there's a good quota of Don Gibson material; "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" becomes a fast gospel rouser and "Oh Lonesome Me" a frantic big band number. Paich lays on the '50s and early-'60s Muzak with an almost gleeful, over-the-top commercial slickness that with an ordinary artist would have been embarrassing. But the miracle is that Charles' hurt, tortured, soulfully twisting voice transforms the backgrounds as well as the material; you believe what he's singing. It appealed across the board, from the teenage singles-buying crowd to adult consumers of easy listening albums and Charles' core black audience - and even those who cried "sellout" probably took some secret guilty pleasures from these recordings. While Charles didn't get a number one chartbuster à la "I Can't Stop Loving You" out of this package, "Sunshine" got up to number seven, and "Take These Chains From My Heart," with its Shearing-like piano solo and big string chart, made it to number eight - which wasn't shabby at all. (Richard Ginell in AllMusic)

WALLPAPER: "Hit The Road, Jack"

RAY DAY

One of these days give yourself a special gift - a "Ray Day". First go to a cinema near you see why Jamie Foxx won the Oscar in the beginning of the week: he is so perfect that you quickly forget that there's an actor in there - you really think that Ray Charles himself is showing you how was his life. And the whole movie is great, one of those you cannot miss for anything in the world. After, believe me, you will feel an uncontrolable desire: to run to the next record shop and buy the Original Soundtrack Album CD. You'll find there 17 of the best ones, directly remasterized from the original masters. What a sound! I bet you never heard Ray Charles before with this magnificent sound!

And if you still have some money left you can end your "Ray Day" in beauty: look for a DVD called "Ray Charles Live At Montreux 1997". This was his third and final appearence at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and although he always plays as though his life depends on it, you could not have asked for a more inspired perfomance. The set covers some standards, including "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Busted" and "Georgia On My Mind". The most impressive performance on the set, though, is "Angelina", from his 1996 album called "Strong Love Affair". Where the original suffered from over-production and an attempt to incorporate pre-programmed rhythm tracks, this version starts as a solo, and becomes one of the most haunting songs you could hope to hear. The Raelettes, as always, come on for the final third and they are on great form. When "What'd I Say" introduces the finale, the tension is finally lifted and you get the Charles-Raelettes interplay that you have been waiting for.