Reviews (page 3 of 14)
Гарно але трохи нудно
so good. classic. big band big sounds. highlights are Come Rain or Come shine and Let the Good Times Roll
Very chill. Smooth.
Genial finde ich etwas hoch gegriffen, aber schon gut über weite Teile.
Nett.
Sure, it’s fine. Horns are mixed sooo loud on some songs, goddamn.
Mais um artista que cresci ouvindo falar mas nunca tinha parado pra ouvir.. A fama e o respeito que o Ray Charles tem não é a toa, Músico com M maiúsculo. Um discaço que faz parte daquela lista de discos que te levam a outra época, e que você consegue sentir a vibe de algo que você nem sequer viveu. É muito gratificante quando você consegue finalmente filtrar de verdade um gênero musical do qual tinha dificuldade em compreender.
345/1089 Aexander’s Ragtime Band is a BOP ooh this album is classy af, i’m feeling so zen and relaxed listening to it that was a really nice project, a little pleasantly surprised that i liked it this much tbf 74/100
altro album per cui mi aspettavo grandi cose, visto e considerato che Ray Charles è iconico. mi dispiace un po' ma più di tre stelle non posso proprio
i would definitely give this 3 stars. I do find it quite good and the beat is honestly quite vibey but not something I would listen to often.
yes!
Did my entire night time routine and fell asleep to the album. it was everything i wanted to listen to!
Third week into this. Let’s get jazzy and blue-y with it. I liked this. Obviously it’s iconic work that has stood the test of time and its influence is undeniable. BUT it did get a bit too repetitive for something titled ‘The Genius of Ray Charles’. —Poem— silhouettes of stripped back dark warmth and bright voids past-radio tones glimmering from the roofs to bright reflections bouncing off the busts on which they skewed scents caressing cheeks lightly pre- stains of the lips this invite is without close the answer is waiting at yours
RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’ LOWLIGHT: When Your Lover Has Gone
One of the greatest
Why they gotta put all the upbeat songs on side a and all the ballads on side b? They're both good, but mix it up.
I’d never listened to Ray Charles on purpose before. This was really good.
The kind of album I could slow dance to with a lover
One of the easiest and quickest 5s I’ve given. Thank God for an album I actually want to listen to!
they weren't lying about the band sound being big
Not my style
Peaceful as fuck
Сборник песен
Back to the 50s for this one! Let the good times roll started with a bombastic horn entrance which, unsurprisingly, I thought was awesome. It had to be you was alright. It was more of what I expected out of this album, but I was slightly disappointed after enjoying the first track so much. I felt like I could totally swing dance to Alexander’s Loblaw Band. Your lover has gone was actually quite a good listen. Deed I do was upbeat and funky. I liked the piano in just for a thrill. You won’t let me go was quite… boring. Don’t let the sun catch you… was also sort of boring but better. Come rain come shine was a pretty decent way to end things. Overall I didn’t hate this, just not my thing. I think Ray Charles was a very talented dude, and had a great impact on music, I just don’t love his stuff. 3/5 ⭐️ 172/1089
Obviously have heard of Ray Charles but never this album. Not my faveorite version of good times roll but the production is really good. Definitely dated. It had to be and Alexander’s ragtime kind of blended together. Really good background tracks. Not the most memorable lyrics. Two years of torture is cool. I like it more than I do most slow songs. Good song writing. Again nothing really special with when your lover has gone and deed I do. It’s good songwriting and production but all kind of similar. Another good slow song with just for a thrill. Love the strings. Really cool outro too. You won’t let me go is just a little too slow. Not enough cool production to make up for it. I do like the harmonies tho. Good songwriting again. Tell me you’ll wait for me is a banger. I love the piano. Great rhymes. Just a well made song. Don’t let the sun catch you is more of the same but in a good way. Dude can sing and write. I can’t believe how good the production is throughout. Cool production again on am I blue. Come rain or come chine is another banger. Great strings. Great (but subtle) piano. Great way to close out the album. Awesome outro to boot. Really good album. No outright bad songs, none even were just ok. Pleasant listen. 4/5 stars.
at the beginning it felt jolting with the louder instrumentals , but as it progressed and included piano i found myself enjoying each track more than the last.
Pretty decent, good to go back and hear some of these in original format. Overall a middling to good album
Un peu décevant, ça manque de subtilité et c’est un peu cliché, en terme de jazz vocal je préfère Nina Simone
Gives me good vibes from my childhood from the cartoons I used to watch.
Great old school music. Definitely feel transported to certain time
beautiful
Jazz
#36 An easy listen, but not something I generally seek out. The first half was all big-band, and stood out more than the latter half of similar sounding string-backed ballads. Alexander's Ragtime Band is my personal highlight.
I can’t think of anything wrong with this album at all. It doesn’t drag, no song overstays its welcome, the ballad half is surprisingly not boring at ALL (I say surprisingly because I’m not too big on 50s/60s ballads, I get bored after a while), because the musicality and lyricism are so good. They’re great on their own, as independent variables, but what is spectacular how they combine to give you that feeling of heartbreak - real heartbreak that makes you feel sad, pace around your room and think about where things went wrong. As for the earlier half, it sounds luxurious, and it sounds fun. Charles knows how to make everything sound grand; from loneliness, to love, to dancing at a ragtime gig, this album takes you through life in a Cadillac. If that makes sense?
A couple great songs and a lotta filler
What a great album. My grandfather listened to a lot of big band music, but I don't think I ever heard him listen to Ray Charles. Wish I could go back in time and share this with him. It's fabulous and I think he would have liked it. I will listen to this again, and often.
This was really sweet to listen to. Really easy music to wile away the afternoon.
There seems to be a trend of African American artists who take up orchestral or big band arrangements. I guess that was a way into society. I don't love some of the arrangements here as I am not totally onboard with the upper crustal regions of culture. What does come across here, is the voice. It saunters, meanders and strolls. It has a quality that forces you to listen. It is a great voice. I like Ray Charles' country album in spite of the arrangements and I feel a little less so here. That is probably more due to the growing up with more country than 50s rock and roots music. If this was just Ray and his piano, it would be an easy 4 and possibly a 5. Finally, I really let my personal choice touch this one and I will give it a 3. It would be okay if I was visiting business or lawyer friends who genuinely loved big band.
Know this one front to back. Love it all, from the sweeping big band tracks to the heart-rending ballads.
Great instrumentals. Lyrics were pleasant to listen to.
What a humble title.
3.5 stars
Legendary.
8.5/10
Another great Ray Charles album - more standards elevated. Favourite track: Deed I Do
Amazing collection of songs. My man has done it again.
Deuxième album de Ray Charles sur lequel je tombe. Il est très très jazz, mais aussi avec beaucoup de chant, ce qui est pas non plus ma facette préférée du jazz. Mais en vrai, c’est un album hyper énergique, hyper entraînant et Ray Charles est un chanteur hyper charismatique. Cet album me semble cependant aussi un peu plus proche des standards de son époque, là l’autre était plus gonflé dans son approche. Alors dit comme ça, on dirait que je suis mitigé, mais en vrai, je l’ai trouvé super cool et je me dis que vraiment, Ray Charles manque beaucoup à ma culture !
Unmistakably a genius
would pair well with a glass of whiskey
Have I listened to this album before No How familiar am I with this album Unfamiliar How do I feel about this artist? I like Ray Charles Pre-Listen Thoughts: Apparently this is more big band than his other stuff, but I don’t mind some big band so I’m sure I’ll like it Favorite track(s): Let the Good Times Roll Post-Listen Thoughts: Solid 4. Great stuff, nothing that I wanted to skip but nothing that makes me want to give it a 5 either.
I don't think we needed an album called The Genius of Ray Charles to prove that he was a genius, but here it is and he is.
Some big band songs followed by ballads. Ray Charles has a really great voice but I didn't like the strings it was a bit too much for my taste. Favorite Songs: Let the Good Time Roll
Not my cup of tea, but it was actually ok.
Grand and confessional. Highlights: It had to be you, don’t let the sun catch you crying
He is a legend so when this website randomly picked this album I knew I was in for a treat. Very solid album🙏🙏
Mooi, maar niet zo onderscheidend. Laat vooral zien dat zn stem mooi genoeg is om zich staande te houden in een big band, zonder de rest van zn muzikaliteit
Such a talent, maybe one of the greatest singers of all time. The production is a little much at times - but that is more a product of the era.
Yes! Ray Charles WAS a genius. Yeah. My stepfather LOVED Ray Charles. Hard to separate growing up listening to him from my evaluation of this album in particular. My husband was not impressed. But he’s not rating these, I am. 4 Boolean: True - some people were just sheltered and had musically empty childhoods
This is the stuff. One of the greatest ever. Could and did listen to this all day. Would highly recommend watching the movie about him. Pretty sure this album came around Georgia on My Mind, when he switched from his first label. Generational voice, timeless sound, a vibe through and through. Need to get him on vinyl too. Only point of criticism I have is that each song is maybe a bit too similar — they’re all very similar in arrangement and tempo with different lyrics. Even still, I love this kind of music.
sublime. classy and cozy. I'm playing fallout with mods. 5.
enjoyed this
I really wanted this album to score higher but two things held it back. 1.) The overall production is poor, leading to crackles and garbled, maxed out distortion on the high end. 2.) The first half of The Genius of Ray Charles consists of big band songs with accompanying brass. I'm not against big band, but you're here for Ray Charles and he's lost in the loudness (see previous complaint). You can't even hear his piano during this segment. Thankfully this is rectified in a lower-key second half that allows the real genius to shine.
Completely justified album name
druga połowa albumu >> pierwsza
Genius is right
Didn’t like it very much but good job Ray
Idk, I kind of would have liked this album more if it had been all ballads, which is never something I'd have expected to say about anything
Struggling to work out who would be upset by this.
So smooth. Not really done much Ray Charles, but it's enjoyable. perhaps a tad too easy, But that was the style of the time I guess. It certainly earns its spot on the list, but for me personally it's just a 3.
Insanely skilled and so full of energy but it's just not the right energy for me. Jazz isn't my forte so this was uninteresting to me, apologies. 2/5
Very relaxing, I liked it
could listen to this for hours
there’s a sense of safety felt when listening to music. you almost just allow yourself to be swept away
Very nice
Not really my thing
Ray Charles my GOAT
For some reason, I thought this would be slower and soulful and this was rock and roll and soulful.
It's fine. Not a fan of vocal jazz. But this is pretty good
Ok, but not my favourite Ray Charles, seems somewhat stilted at times.
Couple of hits, not a bad album, pretty average overall.
Classic
It’s good but pretty non-eventful and not a lot of the tracks stood out, with the exception of ‘Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying’ and ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’. Also, there wasn’t much meaning or cohesiveness to the songs it was sort of like “oh here’s this one, and then, oh here’s that one”, it wasn’t much to grasp onto to say the least. I’m pretty confused why this is on a list of ‘1001 albums to listen to before you die’. Obviously Ray Charles is a legend, he was a 50s musician and is still lionised today with 10 million Spotify monthly listeners which is EXTREMELY impressive if you just take a moment to consider that. Nonetheless, I think it wouldn’t be a remote loss to anyone to have not listened to this album before their death and I don’t mean to sound like a dick, I’m just being honest, I think there are much better choices you could pick.
Album title is pretty accurate
Amazing
Lo ame, taste like christmas
I never really listened to more of this 50’s swing / big band side of Ray Charles as much as the faster rhythm and blues (he was introduced to me in the Blues Brothers). Interesting listen.
Good!
Muito bom! Vivo e radiante.
Beautiful songs, and the man is an amazing performer. But overall, there wasn't anything groundbreaking in here for me
Ray's voice does not go with big band sounds. Album probably made to attempt commercial success.
Very cool album, has a big band swing thing going on side 1 and a more blues/ballad orchestral groove on side 2. I prefer a more upbeat Ray but fans will like this one. It is a cool listen but I don't see myself replaying this a lot, I would just stream the songs I really liked.
Jazz e Soul de qualidade excepcional. Um álbum muito rico nos instrumentos e vocais. QoA Adonis New.
He has a surprising number of albums with "genius" in the title. Seems a little pretentious, but it's really not. This album was great. I definitely prefer his old stuff (young voice) to the newer. Definitely worth a listen or two.
Ray Charles is an exceptional talent. So fun listening to this pre Beatles stuff and contextualizing what they achieved against this style. While the vocals and piano is clearly impressive - I’m not coming back to this over and over and over again like I am to post Beatles sounds.
Solid album. Starts off with some big band American standards and resolves to American standard ballads on the second half. Probably a 3.5 because some of the stuff is only ok. Several very good songs though - enough to bump to 4 instead of 3.
He’s just incapable of making bad music I just can’t imagine the kinda person that doesn’t like this guy; it’s just a fundamentally solid album that basically doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s got an iconic voice that just makes your day better, great instrumentation, and most importantly just so much energy and soul behind every song. Not a whole lot of 50s albums on this list but the ones that made it on really stood the test of time; it’s just got such a nostalgic sound to it even though I’ve never heard this album before I don’t think it’s quite as good as Modern Sounds in Country, but I have zero complaints about this one. It doesn’t really have a a real standout like I Can’t Stop Loving You, though it has nothing I would consider remotely bad. I think the lack of real high end songs prevents me from raising this to a 5, but this is just a damn solid album all the way through, and I’m genuinely sad we’ve already exhausted all his albums on the list
Classic music uhhhhhh yeah i think if i had this on ata. dinner party id seem pretty classy
Exceptional album, Ray Charles lays it all out there. In an era where everything a black artist recorded was considered a "race record," Ray recorded this one and it had massive crossover appeal. In fact, this one was such a hit that the name "Genius" was attached to several other of his projects... The Genius Hits The Road Genius Loves Company The Genius After Hours The Genius Sings The Blues Genius + Soul = Jazz Solid stuff, including some classics. The added horns change the sound completely, making it bigger and fatter. Using Quincy Jones as an arranger can do that. Ray Charles would record over 50 studio albums and several complications. Prolific. Probably not his best, but so significant.
This album is just okay. It doesn't sound bad in any way, but I didn't feel anything for this album.
The Genius Of Ray Charles is certainly a really good album. It doesn't have a single mention of country music in its title so that means I can't sue the people who worked on this album for deception and false advertising. Jokes aside, I really enjoyed a lot of the music on offer here. They all have that nice orchestral sound that i would come to expect from Ray Charles as well as a lot of his contemporaries from the time. I also enjoyed Charles' vocals and songwriting as they fit the album very well. The album also went on at the perfect length too. I think that this is a great jazz album and i would put it above his later album on this list.
Good and fun, but surpassed by others over time.
Tam White & the Dexters introduced my to Ray Charles in the dark sweaty Preservation Hall, Edinburgh. Good times indeed but sadly the rolling did stop in the end. Tam’s version is on 😢 Anyway…back to Ray Charles. I prefer the first half by a country mile. His voice and piano are great.
1959. The album showcased Charles' breakout from rhythm and blues and onto a broader musical stage (more of a swing-pop style).
Really great album. Loved the hits and some of his covers. Very glad I got to listen to it.
בהתחלה חשבתי mid ואז הגיע החצי השני של האלבום ובפרט don't let the sun catch you crying שגרם לי לדמוע קלות
Late night lonely bar vibes. This would keep me ordering another whisky on the rocks.
It is really not my type of music, but i think it is good enough
Very good album. Very easy to listen to.
Flawed human? Perhaps. Musical genius? Most definitely. A great listen.
He is a genius.
This is nice, Ray is a legend, brass is a bit splashy after a while, which took the shine off it for me.
1.) Very jazzy opening. ooh, nice vibe - giving Alastor music? - very nice accent on him. Very loud trumpets/background music. It reminds me of the Michael Jackson movie. 2.) More calm opening than #1. Oh, nice scratch on the voice. I don't really know how to feel about this. 3.) Smooth transition, very upbeat! I think this might be my favorite. 4.) Trumpet bursts like fireworks at the start. Mostly instrumental ngl. 5.) Soft opening, love it! 6.) Short but emotional, pretty good. 7.) Soft as well, calm smooth voice too! 8.) It's giving Chinese restaurant background music, but in a good way that makes me hungry. 9.) It started suspenseful but it's very sweet when the vocals come in. A very Disney feel to it. 10.) Beautiful start, almost angelic. Oh wow, the violins are so beautiful in this song. 11.) Same-ish start as #10, vocals are a bit more soft. This one is way more emotional, which definitely gave it bonus points. 12.) Jazzy sad entrance, almost nostalgic. His voice never fails to have that scratchy, aged feel, and combined with the angelic voices in the background makes for an amazing vocal synchronization.
Damn, Ray Charles, who hurt you? Digging the back-to-back blues albums. This version of "Am I Blue?" is good, but I think my favorite will always be the original, performed by Batman.
Ray Charles is one of those artists I've heard of a lot without having really heard much of their music. This album was pretty good, but I didn't find myself blown away by it. Perhaps I need to listen to it again sometime, but for now I'm rating it off my first impression.
круто!
Positive
Wasnt in mood for r&b
I guess it was 959, but this had much more of a big band sound than I was anticipating. But I actually love that about it. It also previews elements of jazz and blues, the building blocks of rock and roll and what was to come. This is a great album to relax to, and there is something very soothing about Ray Charles's voice. I can see myself going back to this again.
6 - good not great. Ray was never my fav
Rays a cool singer, great voice - this album was decent without being outstanding
Great listen, although the big band stuff can get a little much after a while
Very good if you like jazz I’m not the biggest jazz fan so 6/10 but if you like jazz then like 8 or 9/10
I really liked some songs on first listen ! “When your lover has gone” , “Just for a thrill” and” Am i blue” were my favorites.
Not crazy at all about the arrangements, but it's Ray freakin' Charles.
Man it’s just too boring
Classic Ray
Хороший запис. Сподобалося досить багато пісень. Є дуже класні аранжування (наприклад, Квінсі на першій пісні дуже класно видав). Друга половина мені трохи менше сподобалося, бо занадто пішла в балади і майже мінорність. Я б на платівочці цей альбом іноді вмикав би точно.
Ой важко мені сприймати музику Рея Чарльза більш ніж щось фоново-архаічне. Втім пару пісень додав собі у плейлист.
Wonderful
Solid album from Ray Charles. With the sounds of Hank Crawford and the band, its a fantastic view of the mid 50's blues with a big band.
Big band songs. I have not heard these before.
My 2nd Ray Charles album. I liked it more than the other, another man with a great voice.
Timeless voice - love the big band feel
Ray Charles making Ray Charles stuff
This one didn't quite grab me at first compared to other jazz/soul albums from this period that we've had - the very loud mastering on the brass didn't help. Over its runtime, though, it really grew on me, to the point that my rating had increased from 7/10 to fully 9/10 by the time I was done!
Preferred the first half to the second, but not bad overall
I honestly had higher expectations! Somehow even with all its big horn sections, the album fell a bit flat for me. Standout: Alexander's Ragtime Band
Wow, I did not expect to like this! I thought it would be kind of samey and old fashioned, but I actually was vibing a lot. I thought it was extremely cohesive and ended in a nice climax.
ray charles is such a genius, it was 38 minutes of pure big band fun and charm, every player on this album putting 110% into making it a delight for the ears. plus his vocals are just so iconic
How good is Ray Charles and his incredible band? There are not many people at his time (or now) that could make something of this wonder. Such a great soul and jazz album that uses the big band in the best ways. No wonder he is a Genius!
Come Rain or Come Shine
5 de 5 Pieza fundamental que consolidó a Ray Charles como el gran pionero del soul. El disco destaca por fusionar a la perfección el jazz vocal, el blues y el pop orquestal, dividido en 2 secciones donde, Lado A tiene un sonido de Big Band y el Ldo B donde figuran las baladas, propiciando una atmósfera más íntima y nocturna. La voz está llena de energía emocional, a la par de su perfecta ejecución en el piano.
Simply fantastic all the way through.
Classics
The Genius of Ray Charles is the length of this album. Not too long, not too short. Apart from that, it got kind of boring.
Great listen. I enjoy some classic Big Band Jazz. I liked Am I Blue. 4/5
Liked the back half of the album more than the front
Very nice - didn't really get out of 3rd gear for me though. 3.5 stars.
This feels like Ray in his prime. He was on there playing them keys like the virtuoso he is. It's crazy he has this full big band and he never gets lost in the sauce. The lyrics really blew me away too. Highlights: When Your Lover Has Gone, Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
Ray Charles is a genius. The arrangements didn't really do much for me, but he did. His playing is so fun and his charmisma shines through. It's enought to make this a great listen.
Gran blues, me gusta. Muy movido por momentos, super chill por otros. Sería un disco que me compraría sin dudas. 8/10
langweilig
Not my favourite of Charles's work. In general, I just don't the slower stuff of this genre (see: 'Just For A Thrill'). Don't get me wrong: he does a much better job of this tempo than the vaunted crooners of this age (the Rat Pack can stuff it) but whenever I hear that ponderous brushed beat on the kit and that plodding, plunking at the bass, I get myself ready for boredom. Makes a good tune for a slow dance at a wedding, though. Thank goodness for the piano interlude or I'd need to be taken to the hospital in a coma. Otherwise, it's Ray Charles. It's pretty solid. Ought to be a 4 but there's much better work of his. This is apparently considered his "breakout" from rhythm & blues but I'd say it's more like his watering-down for mainstream (white) audiences of 1959 -- it's worse. But I guess if Pat Boone is going to make bank on enshittified versions of Black music, Ray Charles has every right to try to do a better job of it. Anyway, it's 60% Ray Charles and 40% country club-palatable boredom. 3/5
So many good classic songs I didn't realise were Ray Charles - made me feel smooth and suave and fun!
Awesome.
A bit too slow for me.
This one kinda flipped back and forth between being some great, Falloutcore-esque music, and more bluesy stuff that I'm not crazy for. So overall, just kinda middling for me, but still a good album.
En ollut aiemmin kuunnellut Ray Charlesia, vaikkakin olen joskus vuosia sitten katsonut miehestä kertovan elämäkertaelokuvan. Ihan kelvollinen levy on kyseessä. Viime aikoina on ollut vähän väsymystä tämän projektin kanssa, mutta eiköhän tämä tästä iloksi käänny.
Good Album. Distinct Style. Not really my cup of tea however..
Genius is not an exaggeration. 4.5/5
yea this kinda bluesy jazz isnt for me. but still a good eye opening album
I like it, but it doesn’t stick with me as much as Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Likes: It Had To Be You; Alexander’s Ragtime Band; Am I Blue; Come Rain or Shine
What I admire about Ray Charles is that he knows what he’s doing musically. He knows how to layer the horns together, his songwriting is simple and yet from the heart. But as I listen to big band music like this from this same era of music, I can’t help but be questioning constantly, “I’ve listened to this somewhere, haven’t I?” It’s as if the structure of the songs he makes have the same as many of that time period. Though I recognize the beauty and timeless nature of this album, I don’t think this is something I’d revisit any time soon or in the distant future. Overall Score: Strong 5
solid jazz album very relaxing and cool
4.0
I enjoyed it. Not my favorite ray but still good
This was good stuff. I really like Ray’s energy. It’s so far removed from today that it feels almost vintage at this point and I love me some vintage.
4 good stuff
Rly beautiful gosh. Listened to it on a train to Aachen. Come rain or come shine was playing and it was literally perfectly sunny and cloudy (like it was about to rain as well).
It's perfect, from start to finish. Masterfully played and arranged with a big band orchestra. The songs themselves are great fun. A great jazz/blues/soul album
Is dit dan het oudste album op de lijst? Wel echt een klassieker om mee te openen. Heb een hoop hiervan ook op vinyl, maar ben wel benieuwd hoe een 'echt' Ray Charles album nou loopt. En ja dit is een lekker album, Ray heeft een geweldige stem en de muziek klinkt gewoon echt goed. Maar het is ook echt achtergrond muziek voor mij. Het lukt mij gewoon niet echt om de volle aandacht er bij te houden, het gaat toch al snel als veel van hetzelfde klinken. Is het goed? Ja. Is dit een album wat ik perse in mn vinyl collectie ga willen hebben? Nee. Ik ben eigenlijk meer dan tevreden met een best of collectie zoals ik nu heb. Ik denk dat ik gewoon niet de grootste fan ben van de Big Band sound zoals die zo aanwezig is op dit album. Prima, weet ik dat ook weer, nog steeds een meer dan prima album om even aan te hebben want hij duurt ook niet zo lang. FAVO: Let the good times roll, When your lover has gone
I enjoyed this. A very energetic and power album. It’s not something I’d usually sit and listen to, more something that is usually in the background. But glad I listened as I have always been interested in listening to Ray Charles.
This was alright but it's just not my thing. Felt fairly impassive to it on the whole
Really enjoy music like this, so it's a soft spot for me. Enjoyed this album, was a fun listen. Would definitely listen to it again.
Very nice listen. Definitely want to listen a few more times to understand the genius. Very good for a drive I feel like. Lower rating on first listen but this one feels like it will grow as I do with it.
This is a great album. It has a timeless quality to it that I love. My Only criticism is that it is bit "big bandy"
has a timeless charm to it...makes me feel classier than i actually am. Not necessarily something i would seek out, but enjoyable
Genius indeed
Me gusta, re de música de fondo de película
Incredible voice, charming music. Perfectly happy to have listened to it, doesn't necessarily distinguish itself from other Ray Charles I've heard, but that's a minor knock.
Not bad to listen to, sounded a bit too much like Christmas music
3/5
Ray Charles lives up to the gaudy title with some beautiful big brass 50s stuff that my Fallout-loving self can absolutely appreciate. So full of charm and talent and life.
great album, completely different from anything I normally listen to
The songs aren’t as strong as on his other recordings, but the raw talent and passion push through. Ray is great, and this is a good starting point.
Very jazzy. It combines soul with big band music and orchestra-backed ballads. It is a really good album and is one of Ray Charles' greatest works. Definitely for jazz people. Amazing album.
good albumn
I enjoyed this, but I can't say it's the best that I've heard of the genre or the best that I've heard from Ray Charles himself
Not a huge fan of this one. Still jazz
Good stuff, big bands big horns big blues big rhythm. Ray Charles really knew how to do it. Let The Good Times Roll is such a great opener. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Let The Good Times Roll
Big band big fun, I can't remember the last time i wanted to chuck a Ray Charles album on, so i am glad this came up. It was jazzy and lovely and i will definitely listen again. Best Track: It had to be you
This is a great album. Charles' version of Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying is the standout for me and is just fantastic, but the whole album is excellent.
Too jazzy
An album for all seasons, can just as easily sit next to a fire with a cup of hot chocolate as you could sip lemonade in a hammock. I guess beverages are the common denominator, but in any case it's a great listen. It's hard to tell which songs are standards like had to be you, vs which just have that similar nostalgic feel to them even hearing the first time, which in my opinion is a good thing. 4.5 rounded down bc Ray Charles has so many other songs I love not on this album.
One of the greats doing it all - ballads, swing, country, you name it.
Hvordan er det her nogensinde en OK titel til en plade, jeg KAN ikke forstå det..... Jeg er ikke god til at lytte til sådan noget her, man kan jo nok sige alt muligt om for tiden og sådan noget men hvad ved jeg om det, 2.5, det er fint nok. Skud ud til "Was I gay, 'till today"
Oh great, more swing Foden vipper og alt det der, men det er som om det faktisk også fungerer bedst, når jeg ikke tænker over, hvad det er, jeg lytter til. Altså, når det forbliver i baggrunden. 2.0
Ray Charles is great, but it's hard for me to get into the big band stuff. I did like Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'.
It is very noticeable that the album format did not fully work for 50s artists, despite being genius, as Ray (no pun intended). Great songs, but it gets a bit boring after four songs or so.
Started really strong and catchy and ended with softer songs, still caught my ear throughout.
ay me he aburrido un poco, está así muy película disney en los 90s
Good old big band music.
pretty smooth big band stuff, this was an easy listen. though wouldn't say i was really impressed by any of it
A fine artist. Not a great album.
I like the swing band style and he does it well.
It's Ray Charles, what else is to say. Great album, not all the hits but pretty nice songs.
Seria melhor se tivesse em outro momento
What a great album. Ray's voice is at its best. The big band and orchestra are perfect. Feel so blessed that I got to see Brother Ray.
It's great but not something I would ever choose to listen to. Basically nice background music. Definately should have at least one album of Ray Charles work on this list. However there are two, which I have not heard yet.
Play those horns loud! Between listening to a band leader friend's views and my mum's friend's experience with Ray Charles' exacting practices, it's interesting to think about the discipline that goes into such a tight sound.
Great! I wish we could give .5's because it's a solid 4.5.
Impossible to dislike.
I really loved the big band aspect of this album and enjoyed Ray Charles' voice.
It's hard to go wrong with Ray Charles
What kind of sub genre do you prefer with your Ray Charles music?? Blues or Jazz?? This question is very relevant in determining which Ray Charles album you’ll prefer to listen to on the site. This is my second of 2 Ray Charles albums I’ve heard for this project, following the more Blues themed “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”. By contrast, “The Genius of Ray Charles” is much more Jazz themed. That being said, both albums are unmistakably Soul music first, and still 100% the type of Ray Charles music you’d expect in both cases. While this one is much shorter and tighter than Modern Sounds, I’m a bigger fan of Blues than I am Jazz, and nothing really hooked me on this one. Everything is great on this album, I want to make that abundantly clear, but nothing blows me away. It’s also basically the same tempo for nearly 40 minutes. It works well, and the songs don’t end up sounding samey, but you really do get the point very quickly. If you love it, you’ll really love it. If not, it’s just kind of ok. I love and respect Ray Charles, especially his voice. You listen to him for the voice, and the voice alone. Everything else is a bonus. That being said, the “everything else” in question just isn’t really my thing. It’s fine, but nothing special that would make me want to personally come back to it. Emphasis on personally. If my metric for an album was based only on singing, this is a 5. If it was based on what I believe a professional review would be, it’s a 4.5. On my own personal enjoyment, which is what I’m using in reality, it’s a high 3. I really love the boisterous, paradey sounding intro song “Let the Good Times Roll” the most out of the other songs. Reason being is that it was uplifting, fun, and memorable. It’s like something you’d hear playing in the streets for Mardi Gras or during a victory celebration for your local sports team. The other songs, while still undeniably great, aren’t going to be stuck in my head as much. A little too light for my personal enjoyment, and surprisingly a bit of a downer feeling in general. I don’t know if the album was made this way intentionally, but the first half is much more Jazzy and uplifting, while the second half is much slower and less interesting in my opinion. I much prefer the first half to the second half. Oh well, that’s a pair of 3 star reviews for the great Ray Charles. An undeniable goat of a singer, but not one I’d actively seek out to listen to personally. Still, this was an awesome weekend album and I’m glad I was able to check it out to see what this legend is capable of.
Pure class. Top song: Deed I Do. vibe: Rainy weather, Jazz Band, Warmth.
He is a genius
Crisp, melodic.
Did not expect no lyrics. I’m a mild enjoyer of jazz but got bored with a full album. Good quality music that is not entirely my cup of tea.
I mean cmon it’s Ray Charles
Ray is always great though this isn't my favorite album of his
Learned a lot from this one, plus Sue loved the big band
what a pleasant way to spend 35 minutes or so
Toying between a 3 and a 4. As big band goes it was pretty good, but not my genre I think
It is fine, didn't blow me away.
Upon reflection, I got my Ray Charles and my Charles Wright mixed up. Amateur hour.
There is something so nostalgic about ray charles and the sound of his music/voice that I cannot explain. I enjoyed the album thru and thru.
Aujourd'hui, on va parler d'un disque qui porte bien son nom, The Genius of Ray Charles. Rien que le titre, ça pose le bonhomme, car il faut quand même avoir une sacrée paire de baloches pour sortir un album en s'autoproclamant « Le Génie ». Imagine un type aujourd'hui qui fait ça, il se fait dézinguer sur les réseaux en deux minutes. Mais là, on parle de Ray, et Ray, il ne demande pas la permission. Il pose son cul sur le tabouret, il plaque trois accords, et il te ferme ta gueule. Cet album, c'est le moment où Ray Charles décide qu'il est trop grand pour une seule étiquette. Il veut tout, le jazz, la soul, le blues, et même les violons qui font chialer les ménagères. Et le pire, c'est qu'il y arrive. C'est énervant, non ? L'album est divisé en deux, comme un cerveau bien équilibré. La face A, c'est le côté « Big Band » qui te rentre dedans avec Quincy Jones aux arrangements. A ce moment, le mec n'était pas encore le producteur de Michael Jackson, il était juste un génie en devenir qui savait faire sonner une section de cuivres comme un peloton d'exécution. Ça swingue, ça transpire, c'est d'une puissance absolue. Quand les trompettes démarrent sur « Let The Good Times Roll », tu as juste envie de renverser ton café et de danser sur la table. C'est précis, c'est sec, c'est du travail d'orfèvre. Et puis, il y a la face B et là, on change d'ambiance. On éteint les projecteurs, on allume une clope (virtuelle, hein), et on sort les cordes. C'est Ralph Burns qui gère cette partie, et on est dans le pur style « crooner ». « Trop sucré », « trop hollywoodien », diront les pisse-froid. Mais écoutez bien la voix de Ray, elle ne triche jamais. Même au milieu d'une forêt de violons, sa voix reste ancrée dans la boue du blues. C'est ça, la magie du type. Il peut chanter n'importe quoi, ça sonne comme une confession. Cet album, c'est le disque parfait pour comprendre l'ADN de la musique américaine moderne. Ray a pris le sacré (le gospel) et le profane (le blues) et il les a fait baiser dans une ruelle sombre. Le résultat, c'est la soul. Et sur cet album, il pousse le concept encore plus loin en y ajoutant le prestige du jazz orchestral. C'est une démonstration de force. Je vais pas vous faire le détail morceau par morceau, on n'est pas là pour faire un inventaire à la Prévert. Mais prenez « Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' ». Si vous ne ressentez rien à l'écoute de ce truc, allez consulter. Sérieusement, c'est d'une tristesse magnifique, porté par une interprétation qui frise l'indécence. Ray ne chante pas la chanson, il la vit. On sent chaque goutte de pluie, chaque regret. Alors oui, c'est écrit « The Genius » sur la pochette. Et c'est pas du marketing de bas étage, c'est juste un constat clinique. Ray Charles est capable de passer de l'euphorie la plus totale à la mélancolie la plus crasse en l'espace d'un changement de face. Il maîtrise les cuivres comme un général d'armée et les cordes comme un poète maudit. Et son piano... bordel, son piano. C'est l'extension de ses doigts. Il n'a pas besoin de faire des démonstrations techniques de dix minutes. Chaque note est à sa place. C'est l'économie au service de l'émotion. Alors pourquoi "seulement" 4 et pas 5 ? Peut-être parce que la face B est parfois un peu trop « sage » pour mon côté irrévérencieux. J'aime quand ça gratte, quand ça bouscule et ici, c'est tellement parfait que ça en devient presque intimidant. Ce n'est pas un disque de révolte, c'est un disque d'affirmation. Ray dit au monde : « Voilà qui je suis, et je vous emmerde si vous trouvez ça trop ambitieux ». Dans la liste des 1001 albums, celui-ci est une pierre angulaire. Sans lui, pas de soul moderne, pas de pop orchestrale telle qu'on la connaît. Ray a ouvert des portes que personne n'avait même osé regarder. Il a abattu les cloisons entre les genres avec une élégance rare. Et il l'a fait avec un sourire en coin, derrière ses lunettes noires. C'est ça, la classe. Alors, si vous voulez vous faire une culture, posez-vous sur cet album de 1959. Écoutez la dynamique, écoutez les silences, écoutez la voix de ce mec qui a tout compris avant tout le monde. C'est brillant, c'est parfois un peu pompeux, mais c'est toujours sincère. Et la sincérité, dans ce milieu de requins, c'est ce qu'il y a de plus rare. Pour résumer : La face A vous botte le cul. La face B vous caresse la joue. Et au milieu, il y a Ray, le génie absolu, qui rigole. C'est un disque qui impose le respect. C'est de la musique, de la vraie, faite par un mec qui n'avait rien à prouver mais qui a tout donné. Note : 4 / 5. Parce que le génie, ça ne se discute pas, ça s'écoute. Et cet album est la preuve irréfutable que le titre n'était pas usurpé.
I recognize the objective quality of this record, and I see what makes it so beloved, but it’s just not my style of music. Clearly a huge inspiration on multiple other generations of music though!
Good but I can't see myself listening to it. The start would be awesome live, and then end would be nice in the background. The vocals sound good but aren't saying anything special, but the big band stuff makes up for it with its excitement.
Ray Charles top, este disco normal
Crisp
I imagine this is the chosen album for many overpriced warm-lighting vinyl cafe's in KL. But it was quite nice.
- Great voice and piano playing, some nice strings on the second half, too. - Starts and ends strong with a few good songs, but the rest is generic jazzy heavy handed big band filler that's just a lot of brass doing the typical punctuation thing (which doesn't keep my attention). - Honestly, most of these songs feel like someone else (Sinatra?) could have sung them because they're so by-the-books. - Lyrically, it's all super boring surface-level love songs (from a serial cheater, lol).
Ray Charles with an orchestra. Nice enoughm
Great!
I felt incredibly bored.
like ya it was good, but after watching his movie i don't like the guy and that over took my opinion on this album
solid. really liked the saxophone!
Yep feels like the 50s
I absolutely adore ray Charles's voice but the instrumentals are not it. there are more misses (like when your lover has gone) than good songs. I do prefer his other work.
A wonderful musician with epic tunes and an epic voice.
Notes
I mean, the title pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? The guy was a genius. Solidifying his place in the great American songbook, with some of the greatest songs of the 20th century backed by incredible vocals and piano playing. Easy 5/5
Heerlijk album, iconisch
Love it
Love it.
The birth of soul, the early days of an indispensible career with countless highlights. Everything's good, nothing's skippable, you'll not hear me say a bad word agin it. That said, I'm a heretic here and I prefer Sinatra's version of Come Rain or Come Shine from two years later.
Well done big band jazz pop music.
Great
I think Ray Charles is overrated! But that doesn’t mean he’s still not worthy of praise. This album I prefer to a lot of his others but it’s never too memorable to me.
i was pretty pumped to finally sit down and listen to some ray charles but i was kinda surprised to hear all this swing and big band. i always thought ray charles was primarily an r&b guy and i can hear a little of that in here but... idk. i feel like i'm not really experiencing the genius of ray charles here. it's not like, bad, but as i've said previously big band and swing aren't really genres im into so much. i liked the back half more when the brass ensemble finally calmed down but i still had trouble getting into it. it doesn't help that the recording quality seems pretty awful even for the late 50s, it sounds like ray's mic is constantly peaking. the performances are great i'm sure but, it's hard to appreciate when it's being obliterated like this..... after listening to this i got curious as to whether i'd been tricked somehow so i flicked through his previous album, "what'd i say", and yeah that seems a lot more like what i'd expected, and i enjoyed it a lot more than this. baffled as to why the folks behind this book chose this album over his r&b stuff. hopefully the other album he has on this list is better.
Ray decides to mess around and pretend he's Duke Ellington. A genius, no doubt.
Wow, what a great Ray Charles album. Excellent music to kick back with.
This started out really strong and I was expecting to love it, but it lost me pretty quickly. He's a good singer and the arrangements are good too, but it's one of those that feels important yet dated. Too heavy on the love ballads rather than the jazz.
Bold album name
It’s Ray Charles. I think I’m always bummed that these albums are cover albums. It’s fine.
nie lubie jazzu, z wlasnej woli bym tego nie wlaczyla nie chcialo mi sie brnac troche
yeah decent, kinda forgot it was on, which isnt a bad thing, but also not a good thing
jazz is not my thing it seems
big band jazz olden covers happy elevator music. not lifechanging
I actually liked this more than I thought. I thought it would be a repetition of the upbeat songs but it was very diverse for different moods. There were songs that were upbeat eccentric sounding instruments, that would switch to a song with mellowed out, smooth-cool like instruments.
Nice
The band is tight. Ray is smooth. A great collection of jazzy standards that I can imagine my Nan would have loved. 3.5/5
6/10- I love the passion Ray has. I like that it used to be cool to really care. This would be an album I would have on at a dinner party or an open house style thing. It’s sounds like an elevated version of what most albums from this time period sound like.
It's a nice listen and Ray Charles is extremely talented. I wouldn't go back and listen to it very often though. 6/10
Blir overrasket hver gang jeg hører Ray Charles hvor mye jeg liker det, men så hører jeg aldri på han igjen.
En todelt plater med swing på første halvdel og ballader på andre. Likte godt swingen, balladene ble litt kjedelige. Men ei ok plate som vrikker seg mellom 3 og 4. Lander på en sterk treer.
Andre skiva med Ray Charles. E bare ikke for mæ rett og slett.
Svingende storbandmusikk som virker helt standard etter mine ører. Blir litt mer inderlig på de siste låtene, men det fenger ikke helt. Kommer ikke til å vende tilbake til denne.
Too nice I’m broken
A solid album. Curious as to why this one made the list, where it seems like Ray Charles has so many albums.
This is very different from the Ray Charles I thought I knew. I dig the big band backing him. It's a good album but not something that really hit for me. 3.5 stars.
it's a nice album. it's all covers tho. i suppose modern sounds was too, but i preferred that album. the flow is weird - would prefer big band and ballads mixed throughout.
Background noise but like really good background noise
I like Ray. This was a nice collection of songs, though there are several I like more. 2.9/5.
Not my favourite Ray style!
Had a great time. Love the two halves.
4/5
I hadn't heard most of these recordings. Gotta love the rizz.
7/10 - Great to have in the background, you know what you're getting with Ray Charles
Classics, added a few to my 'cooking' playlist
Fav song: Let the Good Times Roll
Ok
So good
Album #72, Ray Charles, The Genius of Ray Charles, ⭐⭐ I kind of feel bad for this review because I know he’s a bit of a legend, but I just can’t lie, this album did nothing for me. It came and went through my speakers and it didn’t touch me or make me feel anything at all. I’m just not that big into big band stuff. The big smacking horns on some of these tracks were actually giving me a headache. I appreciate that the arrangements are varied and complex and some of the chord progressions are quite nice, but I just find the sound to be a little bit obnoxious at times. As for Ray Charles, his voice is phenomenal, but every song is kind of the same. Not necessarily musically, but they’re all about the same thing, being in love with someone who either loves you or doesn’t love you back. That’s 90% of the album. Now! That is also 90% of popular music as well, but I just got bored with this. I don’t really have much more to say than that. I liked the quieter tunes, songs like “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying”, “When Your Lover Is Gone”. “Two Years of Torture” would probably be my favourite, it leans more into blues. Any Ray Charles fans out there, help me with this. I’d love an album that’s more stripped back. Just his voice and a simpler arrangement. These big band backings just don’t do it for me. It just is what it is, and I’m sorry if that offends anyone, but it’s two stars all day for me and I don’t really have any desire to give it another go.
Ich glaube, das ist mein ältestes Album hier. Der Blues von Ray Charles ist aber zeitlos. Unterstützt von einer Big Band, viele Balladen. Angenehm zu hören. 3/5
10/10 see why he's a goat
Two days of back-to-back Ray Charles! Same catchy, trademark style as always.
I love Ray Charles' voice, stellar album!
8/10 Muy buen album, me encantó, música relajante y suave pero que no aburre
Love the movie, “Ray” but I’ve never heard his music frfr. This was an extremely beautiful album that seamlessly transitioned from one song to the next. His beautiful voice paired with the medley of instruments made this something special. 10/10
Actual Rating: 3.5/5
Album #73: The Genius of Ray Charles Genre (W): Swingin’ pop, traditional pop, rhythm and blues Singles: Let the Good Times Roll, Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' I have listened to this album before. Thoughts?: I like a lot of the arrangements for the songs and Charles’ vocals. However, the volume, while great for some songs, is too loud for others, which creates an ear piercing listening experience. Favorite songs: Let the Good Times Roll, It Had to Be You, Alexander’s Ragtime Band, ‘Deed I Do, You Won’t Let Me Go, Tell Me You’ll Wait For Me, Am I Blue, Come Rain or Come Shine
This is the album to put on after a long day at work
En gammel legende som jeg har til gode å sjekke ut. Vocal jazz. Romantisk og melankolsk. Stort sett en snorkefest, noe som ikke overrasker med tanke på utgivelsesår, men langt fra elendig. Top 3: Just for a Thrill, Let The Good Times Roll, Come Rain or Come Shine
1001 Albums Vol. 0036: The Genius Of Ray Charles ============================================================ Introduction: ...Woah...it felt like I kinda wasn't in my own body for a second there. I don't know...it was like I could see through my eyes, hear through my ears, but not talk through my mouth. It was kinda like some...unknown wise being took control of me for a second there when I first saw Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden on that album cover....Yeah, I felt a lot wiser too. Almost as if I had knowledge of the whole universe on the brink of my mind that was just a flick away from truly focusing into my brain....yeah...all of that sounds about right...maybe it's a sign of some kind. It was just so extraterrestrial yet human at the same time a-and...I feel as if I'm getting a message from...the beyond that's telling me that...I was high...Yeah, most likely explanation for that. AND NO, DEA! I already said I don't have any illegal substances and never have. It was probably second-hand from my neighbors since they think that doing it is "the coolest shit in the world man." Yeah, so like I said before DEA, don't even try it!...Yeah...that's probably what happened. No God would want to possess my body...but maybe...no! Alright, enough, focus! Where are we now? Well...holy shit...is Elvis skinny again...and is that woman wearing a pillbox hat? And do I hear the Louvin Brothers infamously annoying voices??? Are we...seriously back here again??? Aren't there only supposed to be like twenty albums from this decade or something??? Why is the generator bringing us back here so often?...Oh well...I mean, I generally expect most of these from the 50s era to be pretty weak anyway so let's just see what we got here this time I guess...hopefully something other than Folk or Country-based Folk...Oh well...this is interesting. Ray Charles huh? Can't say I've heard of him before. Let's just get a few facts about him and his album here.......OH...well this is certainly going to be an interesting one. I'm pretty sure this is the first artist that we have come across on this list that I can confidently say...or at least confidently restate from what I see online...actually invented a whole new genre of music. Not "helped make it mainstream" or "shifted the entire scene of it." No. Like, Ray Charles is the FATHER of an entire genre of music. And it's one of the bigger genres of music too....I'll give your brain like...however long it takes to process these words and dots to guess............................................Or you processed the words and then took like a whole minute to decide because you're a cheater who's no fun. But I mean like...fair though. What the hell am I going to do to stop you through indirect text on a screen that I don't even know anyone is ever going to read? Though oddly enough quite a few people have read my At Fillmore East of all that I've written and 17 different people have decided to give it a like. I mean like...out of all the albums I've written about so far...that's the one that I'm most known for on this site???? Some of my others have gotten like one or two likes but...At Fillmore East, Seriously?...Okay, seriously though, I do genuinely appreciate all the random people who actually read even a little bit of what I write on this site. I do genuinely love the discovery of music and writing these in a way that I am both proud of and a way that I would consider to be...well...myself and my personality through text can get genuinely kinda exhausting at times. Like, seriously, thank you, thank literally anyone who stops by to read just a second of these. It does mean something to me..............Alright. Anyway, now, with that said...Soul music was invented by Ray Charles!!! Yay! Did you get it right??? Well...I'll never know because there's no way for you to tell me! Yay to that too! Alright, but anyway, yeah. Ray Charles invented Soul music, a genre of music that really kinda is one of the bigger and more recognized genres today. I'm not going to get into the specifics of what Soul music is here as I'm sure we all have at least a basic idea of how it sounds. Just know that Ray Charles is the father of Soul, alright? Good. Now, before THIS specific album, The Genius Of Ray Charles, Mr. Charles was...well...a pretty big name...but his name wasn't anywhere near as big as it was after he released this album. Yeah, so basically, Ray Charles pioneered the most basic form of Soul music in the mid-50s and then this album essentially served as the breakthrough of both his name and of Soul music into the mainstream. Why? Well, this was Charles's first album to mix the genre he had already established with many of the huge mainstream genres of the time. Basically, this album is considered important because it is what essentially brought Soul to the mainstream via combining the genre with already mainstream genres. Yeah...so...we're not going to be listening to the first Soul album ever made...but rather the one that brought the genre to mainstream. Which...really is kinda weird because I would consider an album that invented an entirely new genre of music to be more important than one that gave it mainstream attention but...I digress I guess. But...now comes the question. As stated above, Ray Charles made a distinct shift in his sound with this album from the more obscure and "pure" form of Soul into one that intentionally was made to sound much more appealing to a wider audience. Was this change any good? Or is this album going to seem like more of a desperate attempt to introduce a genre of music an artist established to a wider audience? Was this change really deserved at all, or should Ray Charles either have stuck with his original sound or evolved it in a different direction? Well...as I almost always say, let's just go ahead and see. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: Let The Good Times Roll: 8/10 Track 2: It Had To Be You: 7/10 Track 3: Alexander's Ragtime Band: 7/10 Track 4: Two Years Of Torture: 6/10 Track 5: When Your Lover Has Gone: 6/10 Track 6: Deed I Do: 7/10 Track 7: Just For A Thrill: 7/10 Track 8: You Won't Let Me Go: 5/10 Track 9: Tell Me You'll Wait For Me: 6/10 Track 10: Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin': 7/10 Track 11: Am I Blue: 7/10 Track 12: Come Rain Or Come Shine: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: Yes, no, maybe to put it bluntly....What? What am I talking about? Oh. I was answering the three questions I proposed above in a very direct and blunt way. You're welcome. I probably cut down a very long and unnecessary tangent for you to read there by being blunt. I saved you some time and expect you to repay the price by getting this review to the number 1 spot for this particular album! Let's go guys, we got this! All you have to do is smash that like...no, thumbs up button! It helps out a ton and is completely free!...This album wasn't free back when it was released though. (Stupid way to transition, I know. Let me do what I want!) It apparently cost $3.98 for the mono version according to Rather Rare Records. Which...you know...is literally less than the price of some Thank You cards nowadays but....Anyway, yeah, the album. Um, well, I guess I'll go ahead and start with the first side of the album and only the first side for now seeing as the two sides of this album use completely different musical styles. I'll get into Side B later but I thought I might as well describe both sides separately seeing as they're very distinct from one another. Alright, so, Side A of the album. First we'll dive into its music....And...well...Mr. Charles decided to go Big Band here. You know, the kinda music that utilizes a lot of blaring Jazz instruments. The genre that I know more as a distorted mess since I love The Caretaker than what the genre actually is...yeah...that genre. It's a genre that I didn't have nearly any experience with before this album, yet I found it decently pleasant throughout. You have all of what I would imagine to be the essentials in terms of Big Band music here: huge horn crescendos, some sly and jazzy buildup, backdropped percusion that can take the foreground in crescendos, and purely ecstatic energy radiating from the various instrumentation. Yeah, I think that's a pretty accurate description of Big Band for ya. You also And...well...that honestly is kinda all there is to say about the music here. I mean, Ray Charles is playing a piano on some tracks too, but we'll get to that in a minute because I want to pair that with something else I have to say. Anyway, the album, while sounding musically pretty decent throughout, really doesn't do all too much to change up what I just described above across the entirety of the A Side. You can listen to Let The Good Time Roll and you'd have already listened to about what 80% of the other tracks on the A Side have to offer. I mean...uh...there's like...a different percussion instrument used in Alexander's Ragtime Band. It sounds kinda like wood is being hit. And uh...When Your Lover Has Gone sounds kinda soft compared to the other tracks? But yeah, that's about all the variety you're going to get in terms of music. And I know that this was Ray Charles's first time writing Big Ba-...or wait...no....Okay, I did not see this coming in a million years. Quincy Jones, a producer we've seen before on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, wrote and conducted the Big Band segments across the A Side of this album...? Really? Look, I know the 50s were a completely different time for music and all, but I mean...you would really think that a legend like Quincy Jones of all people would be able to write something better than...this....Like I said, the Big Band is not bad at all across individual songs, but the exact same sound, exact same energetic tempos, and exact same sounding crescendos can pretty tiring pretty quickly. And Quincy Jones of all people? Wow. I would have expected better from him. I may have to move him down from legend to just...medium rare status after hearing his contribution to this album. So, yeah, basically to sum it up, the musical aspects of the A Side of this album are pretty alright across individual songs, but can get somewhat tiring to listen to on an album level. It's a problem that we've seen plenty of times on here before, and one I'm sure we'll see many, many times again. So, with the musical aspect of the A Side mostly established, let's move onto the lyrics pretty quickly....The lyrics are pretty decent at best. They're pretty typical lyrics you would see from the 50's in which you can kinda grasp the entire premise of the song from like the first or second line and then the song just keeps building and expanding around that premise for the rest of its runtime. They're nothing really all that special either in terms of the topics they cover, something that I would probably dislike immensely nowadays but works perfectly fine with the 50s. Let The Good Times Roll is about...well...letting the good times roll, Alexander's Ragtime Band is about coming out to see...well...Alexander's Ragtime Band...same joke but I don't care, and Two Years Of Torture is about not getting over a breakup in two years time. They're simple, extremely dated, yet only get a pass since they were written in the 50s. Now, with that said, despite being written in the 50s, there is something that I still can't really give a pass to here. That being the fact that there are some tracks on the album, especially in the first half, where the lyrics and music actively clash with each other over what they want to accomplish. I've actually already described an instance of this above. Two Years Of Torture tells the tale of someone who has been heartbroken about a breakup for two whole years, yet the Big Band never stops to sympathize with this imaginary person and just keeps on rolling with the crescendos anyway...or more specifically Quincy Jones never stopped to sympathize since he wrote those segments for the album. Alright. Medium rare down to just well-done. You'll only earn your legend badge back after Thriller. Got it Quincy? Good. Now sit, you don't get to stand with the legends like David Byrne or Robert Smith as of right now. Good boy....alright, so Quincy Jones aside, yeah, there are some moments where the lyrics and music are at war with each other. This is more apparent on the first side of the album than on the second, but it is a recurring issue across the record nonetheless. Regardless, the lyrics still remain pretty consistently decent across the entire record. But holy shit, the same thing can absolutely not be said about the production. Quincy!!! Oh wait, nevermind, you didn't produce this album. Alright, side back down, you're not out of the doghouse yet and probably won't be for a very long time. So anyway, yeah, the production on this album is a complete mixed bag. It's pretty well-done and soulful on the B Side but the A Side is a completely different story. You remember all of those crescendos I described earlier? Yeah well, while they are pretty energetic and all, they also sound...well...abysmal at times. And this doesn't necessarily just apply to just the crescendos either, there are plenty of calmer moments too where the Big Band sound just terribly produced. You remember how I mentioned Ray Charles's piano playing earlier? Yeah, that's finally coming back into play here after like 1,000 words later. Well, while he doesn't play piano on every song on the A Side, it's actually kinda hard to tell Ray Charles is even playing piano on a few of the A Side tracks at all because of how loud the Big Band is. Like, it drowns pretty much everything else out at times and sounds very unbalanced compared to just about everything else in the studio. And yes, this was the 50s but like...that's not an excuse either. I know for a fact that Miles Davis was able to perfectly balance the sound of his trumpet with all the rest of his instrumentation in his 50s albums, so why couldn't Ray Charles do the same? Look, this record is going to get a ton of leniency from me just because of the time at which it was released, but this is something that absolutely does not get a pass in any universe. Hell, I'd say even the Louvin Brothers did a better job at producing Tragic Songs Of Life than Ray Charles did here. And that's really saying something because if you didn't know...well...Tragic Songs Of Life is...certainly something. It's just...the production could have been a lot better, okay? Alright, now with all of that out of the way, let's finally move onto the B Side and discuss a few things there. So first things first, music. What did Mr. Charles do differently here from the A Side? Well, this side of the album leans much more into the soulful melodies that Ray Charles was already known for while having a bit of a 50s pop edge to them. You have much more slow and melodic ballads, an entire backing chorus, and a greater focus on Ray Charles's piano which is great cause I know the piano was mad it wasn't getting any attention on the A Side. And honestly, this style works a lot better for the album than the Big Band style of the A Side did. The songs about tragedy and heartbreak continue here, so the more laid back and emotional style of music works really well here in unison with the lyrics. The production is also just way, way better as well. You can clearly tell that whoever produced this album was clearly more experienced with producing relaxed and slow melodies than huge ones. Also, I haven't mentioned it yet, but Ray Charles's style of singing works really well here as well. And I'm talking about on both the A and B Sides. He manages to make his voice have a more energetic and raspy tone to it throughout the A Side to match the tone of the music all while retaining the distinctive soulful style of his voice he was already known for. And, of course, since the B Side is much more soulful, he sounds great on that side too. He tones his voice down a bit to a more relaxed and emotional state which works really well with the material on this side of the album. His voice is honestly one of the only consistently good things across the entire album, which while sounding like an insult, is an actual genuine compliment from me seeing as we've come across some pretty terrible singers on this list before....Microshift...what? Who said that? Ah, it was probably the wind. The wind really has been hating on that album a lot lately. I think it said something about it when I was listening to Bayou County too but I can't quite remember...Eh...it must be in the same boat as everyone else that Microshift really does not deserve to be on this website. Now that I'm thinking about it though, I really do need to go back sometime and edit some of my track ratings for the albums I've already reviewed. Because looking back, Negative Space absolutely does not deserve a 10/10 at all. Like holy shit I seriously do not know what I was thinking then or where I was at mentally to praise that song that much...But uh...where were we? Oh right, Ray Charles is still in the room with us. Uh, he's giving me what kinda looks like an angry glare now....Oh...okay, I'm sorry Mr. Charles. This review is about you and not about an album 50 years in the future...I'm sorry. So um...right, the B Side. Well, the B Side does kinda suffer from the same problem that the A Side does in terms of consistency. You remember what that problem is? I know this has been a pretty long review so you may not. Well, if you don't, the B Side, while featuring enjoyable tracks, suffers from its music feeling a bit TOO consistent across its entire runtime. Like with the A Side, pretty much everything I described above regarding the music is really all that the B Side has to offer. So like with the A Side, I found myself feeling kinda ready for the album to be over when I was getting close to being done with the B Side. Again, no song is really bad here by any means, but it does get to a point where the simplicity of it: lyrics, melodies, predictability, really starts to test your endurance rather than be an enjoyable experience to listen to. Really, one of the best moments in the entire album is when you reach the shift from the Big Band sound to the more soulful sound. I mean, it really shouldn't be, but the shift in style really just feels like a breath of fresh air...though the walls start closing in and the air becomes filled with fumes again by the end of the B Side anyway. Eh, maybe I'm just being a bit too critical here since this album is pushing the 75 year mark...Jesus fucking Christ...but I don't know. I'm not and never have been huge into the 1950s, so I really have no idea how anyone would "properly" rate an album from an age when the album was so much simpler. Are all of my criticisms here actually considered good things by everyone on the face of the Earth? Maybe. I don't know, but I'm probably going to get to know quicker than I want to since the generator seems to love to keep hauling me back to this era. But...um...yeah, that's about all I have to say about this album. It's certainly an album, that's for sure. Oh...Ray Charles is glaring at me from the corner of the room again. Um...well...let me rephrase. It's a "good" album. You did more right than you did wrong on here, Ray Charles. You brought your soulful voice and Soul as a whole to a wider audience as well, so who couldn't love you for that?...Okay...he seems to have calmed down. Well...you're dismissed now, Ray Charles. You have permission to hang out with uh...well...you can hang out with uh...I don't know. You can hang out backstage with Anthony Kiedis or maybe...Jack White if you wanted to. You certainly aren't going in the doghouse like Quincy Jones is, but you're certainly not allowed to hang out with Thom Yorke or Robert Smith either. Uh...yeah, you look good right about there between Afrika Bambaataa and Tim Buckley. Smile everyone! ============================================================ The Genius Of Ray Charles: 6/10 Song Average: 6.8/10
Did you know the somewhat obscure Beck song Deadweight borrows a phrase from this album? You do now.
Really enjoyed the string arrangements, but the rest of the album did not draw me in too much.
This was good! I wouldn't listen again, because this isn't the type of music I keep in rotation, but I appreciate it for what it is.