Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

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Fri Jul 16 2021

4

When I was much younger, I remember encountering an album entitled "The Shape of Punk to Come" by Refused and thinking, "Boy, they sure think a lot of themselves. That might be the ballsiest album title I've ever heard." Well, it turns out Ray Charles beat them to it. A black man in '62 claiming he's got the key to modern Country & Western was all balls. He backs it up with this album, though. It's real damn good. It's clearly country but also clearly not. The combination of styles coupled with his clear appreciation for the source material make it really hard to deny how damn good the album is. I mean, I don't even like country and I'm digging this record. I can see why it has been hailed as not just a great album but for breaking down racial walls in the music industry.

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Mon Apr 19 2021

4

Damn awesome execution of this idea. Ray Charles voice is timeless, and though some of the strings and background vocals are a bit overdone, the blues approach to country/western is very cool.

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Thu Feb 17 2022

5

The incredible thing about this album is the fact that you cannot tell that these songs were originally country songs. I'm not sure if it's intended, but this album is a testament to the fact that genre is something to be transcended. People often define their musical tastes by genre, and this album subverts that assumption completely. As someone who enjoys country music, jazz, and R&B, this album is a celebration of music period. This album is very deserving of the praise it gets.

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Sun Nov 07 2021

5

10/10 Ray Charles is the GOAT it had such a fun, warm sound hearing those songs bring such a calming but happy atmosphere

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Thu Jun 10 2021

4

We get these songs produced so slickly, with such stereotypically grand string and horn arrangements, that the connection to the titular country and western music is subtle. I enjoyed the sharing of vocal duties at points. If it weren't for the title and historical context, I wouldn't have picked up on the source of the material until You Are My Sunshine. Charles's voice is the standout stylistic feature as he blends perfectly with the production and delivers the lyrics comfortably.

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Sat May 22 2021

5

So much orchestra. More of this in the world please

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Mon May 24 2021

5

The upbeat songs make me want to dance, and the slower ones have such an old school Disney vibe between the strings and the choir. Really into this. And the cultural importance of the album truly solidified the 5 for me

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Wed Sep 01 2021

5

I love stuff like this. Always been a big fan of the singers of the 50s and 60s. Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. This might just be another 5 for me. It gets a little samey, especially in terms of lyrics, after the 1 hour-mark, but the thing is that it's good music so it doesen't really matter.

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Mon Nov 28 2022

5

Landmark album. It's country, but it's not. It's Soul/Big Band, but it's not. He took White music and made it Black, it's like reverse Elvis. Love it.

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Sun Aug 15 2021

4

This is one of those albums on this list where my rating gets influenced by reading more about the album and its history, but even that didn't really change how I felt. Incredibly groundbreaking with a huge variety of genres that shine through in songs. Love the background singers/choruses, especially when they introduce the song with its title, often at the start of the song. Got a little longwinded and repetitive, enough to make this not quite a 5, but the spotify version has more songs than the original album, so not too many points off. Even with the repetitiveness, I rarely got bored Saved: Bye Bye Love, You Don’t Know Me, I Can't Stop Loving You; Oh, Lonesome Me*

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Sun Nov 14 2021

4

Good album, a little slow. Love Rays voice always

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Mon Nov 15 2021

4

Don't enjoy the string and choral arrangements, but his voice and piano and stunning.

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Thu Aug 26 2021

3

I get the premise of the album and appreciate its importance to the genre. It's also always a pleasure to listen to Ray Charles. That said, this album is very much of another time and some listeners will find it drags, especially in the middle. The best part about the album is Charles himself. His vocals are perfect as is his piano playing. Unfortunately, the big band horn and string arrangements and old backup vocals feel more than a little dated. I enjoyed the back end of the album best, like from "It Makes No Difference Now" to the end. "Careless Love" and "You Win Again" are flawless and "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a classic. Fave songs: You Win Again, Careless Love, You Don't Know Me

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Sat Mar 05 2022

3

03/04/2022 He's an icon for a reason. A bit repetitive towards the end, but that's not a mark on his talent, just the songs in general.

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Tue Mar 28 2023

3

Pretty pleasant overall. Good thing to have in my catalog. Standouts: Bye Bye Love, Worried Mind, I Can't Stop Loving You, Oh, Lonesome Me

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Sat Oct 15 2022

1

All very lovely, but I feel quite sick - I'm only 52, not 95 - this is not my bag baby

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Sat May 15 2021

5

One of the best albums of all time. Period.

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Sat Jun 12 2021

5

genius, pure & Simple

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Wed Jun 02 2021

5

Iconic and nothing less.

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Sun May 23 2021

5

Very nice

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Mon Sep 27 2021

5

Beautiful songs, beautiful voice, beautiful arrangements!

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Wed Oct 06 2021

5

Pretty great. Didn't get a chance to listen to all of it, but will definitely go back.

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Tue Oct 26 2021

5

One of the great cross genre records

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Tue Nov 09 2021

5

love Ray Charles!

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Thu Nov 25 2021

5

So, so good.

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Mon Dec 27 2021

5

GOAT

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Sun Jan 30 2022

5

Wow! What can I say?! It’s Ray Charles! Music doesn’t get any better than this! An absolute gem!

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Thu Feb 17 2022

5

So so soulful yet precise. True synthesis of great American art forms.

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Sat Mar 05 2022

5

Great album, with great sounds and incredible balades

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Fri Mar 11 2022

5

Delicious

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Wed Apr 27 2022

5

I just knew I was going to like a guy when it he played this album on vinyl the first time I went over to his house. Sigh, Ray Charles makes everything good, better.

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Tue May 31 2022

5

man i just love a ray charles album, this was really nice

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Wed Jun 01 2022

5

Ray Charles is his own genre. He saw no barriers.

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Mon Jun 06 2022

5

Ray Charles 18th overall album featuring country, folk and western music standards reworked in popular song forms - R&B, pop and jazz. This album got lots of airplay on both R&B and country music stations. Ray said he didn't see a lot of difference in blues and country music. Given a lot artistic freedom the idea came to do this album which is absolutely incredible. His A&R man, Ray Feller went through 250 country songs to pick from. The songs are mostly love and heartbreak ballads as you would expect. The backing music are strings, horns, Ray's piano and voice and great backing vocals. Every song on this album is worth listening to. He creates an extremely unique style. I would like to go back and compare the original country version to Ray's. Two standout tracks are both near the end. What a great vocal delivery on "Careless Love." His voice just soars with the strings in the background. "I Can't Stop Loving You" is a classic example to the point that there really isn't much difference between blues and country. This song fits both...just great backing vocals and probably my favorite Ray Charles song. This was an historically important album crossing racial borders in a very racially-charged time. A timeless performance and album.

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Sat Jun 25 2022

5

By some quirk, yesterday Ray Charles album was followed by another Ray Charles album today - and I wasn’t disappointed. More beautiful arrangements, singing and playing; evocative of a certain era; charming, delightful and satisfying. These are recordings of the highest quality from a wonderfully talented artist.

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Mon Jul 25 2022

5

Not much to say, no faults, all of his genius encapsulated.

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Mon Aug 08 2022

5

Brilliance

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Thu Aug 18 2022

5

Classic Oldies

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Fri Aug 19 2022

5

Many Classics, Is That Careless Love An Interpolation Of Silent Night?

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Mon Aug 22 2022

5

I'm stunned that the average review isn't higher. Maybe it's a recency bias. This album is exactly why the "1001 albums" project exists. This is a groundbreaking and culturally significant album, that also happens to be pretty darn good. Is it my favorite Ray Charles album? No. Did it have more impact on the course of American and World music than any other Ray Charles album ... and really most any album? Absolutely.

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Wed Aug 31 2022

5

Big fan of 60s era of music. Ray Charles does some good stuff.

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Thu Sep 08 2022

5

Album number 6 I have on vinyl! I can’t begin to express how much I love this album. It was incredibly revolutionary and progressive for the time, it tore down barriers, and it’s probably Ray’s best or second best album. Holy shit it’s such a joy to listen to. While some of the songs aren’t as perfect as “Bye Bye Love”, “You Don’t Know Me”, or “You Win Again”, I enjoy listening to every single one of them. No filler or bloat whatsoever. If you don’t like this album, I don’t even know what to say to you. I should note that I’m only writing about Volume 1 here, but Volume 2 is equally perfect (if not better).

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Wed Sep 14 2022

5

Wow. What a once in a generation talent. The way he rewrote/reworked/restyled these standards was so good, quite often amazing..

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Tue Sep 27 2022

5

I enjoyed every minute of this album. Split between jazzy big band arrangements for most of the quicker tempo songs and orchestral arrangements for the ballads the album swings effortlessly from one to the other. Underpinning it all is Charles' soulful singing that elevates each song and makes these country classics his own. It's not my go to genre especially the string arranged compositions, but tht did not get in the way of my enjoyment of the album. An album that should be heard by anyone that loves music. 5 stars.

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Sat Oct 08 2022

5

He's such a natural musician. Even though some of the elements are overdone when listened with today's ear, it does not detract from the greatness of this album.

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Tue Oct 18 2022

5

Hey this ray guy is pretty good

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Tue Oct 18 2022

5

Albumi ei hyppelehdi ja tunnelmaa ylläpidetään HYVIN. Tuntuu ettei olisi kotona kun tätä kuuntelee. Vaarana on että kuuntelee liian kovalla koska dynamiikkaa LÖYTYY, sopii toki taustallekkin hiljasemmalla soitettavaksi... Mustat miehet tulivat tutummaksi albumin avulla,, en ole nähnyt livenä... kuullu nyt.... en voi kyllä vielä sanoa,,,,, uskon kun näen...... tai tulee auringonpimennys.. heheh... sillon kaikki mustiksi muuttupi.. valkohipiäinenkin.... meikäläinen,,,,kin,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, heh

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Mon Oct 24 2022

5

Now this is real music

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Tue Nov 01 2022

5

amazing. 5/5

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Wed Nov 16 2022

5

This was really good! I don't think I would have been able to tell that these were covers of country songs if it wasn't right there in the title, and while they may sound a bit dated for 1960s standards, I have a massive soft spot for a good big band. Favourite: Don't Tell Me Your Troubles

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Thu Nov 17 2022

5

GOATED

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Thu Nov 17 2022

5

Ray Charles. He does what he wants. And it's always brilliant.

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Fri Nov 25 2022

5

Amazing love it

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Thu Dec 01 2022

5

Classic. No notes.

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Sat Dec 03 2022

5

During the recording of this album, Ray Charles became one of the few black artists in the early rock era to gain complete creative control of their music. He puts that control to phenomenal use here, interpreting folk and country standards with a blistering R&B flair.

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Mon Dec 19 2022

5

Ok

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Tue Jan 24 2023

5

Sonzao, já de entrada

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Mon Feb 20 2023

5

Ray!!!

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Thu Feb 23 2023

5

I've liked Ray for many years but never listened to this one for some crazy reason - maybe I was put off by the title, not thinking that it was still going to be classic fantastic Ray.

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Fri Feb 24 2023

5

Jazzy, well-articulated, easy going tunes. Ray Charles nailed it. Lush orchestration and classic tunes. A great collection to be made aware of

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Tue Feb 28 2023

5

This album has so many things going for it: - The concept: country/folk/western songs reworked into pop/soul/jazz is genius, in my opinion. And the execution is great. - The instrumentation: the orchestra! The piano! Beautiful arrangements. - The voice: his voice makes the whole thing work. My only complaint is that it’s a little on the long side to listen as a whole. Doesn’t detract from the actual music though.

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Tue Mar 21 2023

5

Great old school style jazzy vibe

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Tue Mar 21 2023

5

Забавная вещь: узнал о нем после фильма Рэй и очень проникся артистом. Я представляю насколько круто вживую смотреть на его выступления и у меня мурашки идут сразу.

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Fri Mar 24 2023

5

I mean what more do you really want out of life

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Mon Mar 27 2023

5

Classic Ray Charles

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Wed Apr 05 2023

5

Here’s why I was going to give it a 4: I’m hoping that there is a more soul/r&b Ray Charles album on here, because while that would likely get a 5 from me, this doesn’t quite get there. There are some excellent moments, but it’s a little too schmaltzy for me. The more raw and wild Ray Charles is probably in my top 5 singers of all time (the scream on Someday almost gets there) He’s certainly able to make many of these songs his own which should count for something, I just wish he made them better than they were before. Here’s why I decided it deserved a 5: I will end by saying that I totally understand why this is on here, and think it’s one of the most important albums we’ve heard so far. In something I’m calling a “reverse Elvis”, Ray Charles shows how similar country, jazz, rock, and r&b could be and thus serves as a powerful symbol of the melting pot of American music (the cover of Your Cheating Heart, with the jazzy and bluesy piano solo proves my point). This music could only be made in a country like this.

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Wed Apr 05 2023

5

The ultimate crossover. An R&B star releasing a country album at a time of racial tensions in the south. The connection between the two genre - always there - became apparent to all. And, we are all better for it. A stone-cold classic.

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Sun May 14 2023

5

Stellar record. The production, arrangements, and soulfully virtuosic musicianship that made Charles a legend shines through here.

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Mon May 22 2023

5

Bye Bye Love is my favorite song from the album!

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Sat Jun 10 2023

5

Ray Charles is a legend, and these performances and recordings are excellent. This was an incredible album to pull on a lazy drizzly Friday morning. Excellent all around.

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Fri Jul 07 2023

5

WOW! I’ve heard a few of these songs and they are truly classics… but did realize what an incredible experience listening to both volumes of this lovely release would be. Just a total pleasure from beginning to end. Made my day!

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Fri Jul 07 2023

5

A wonderful way to spend an evening.

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Fri Jul 07 2023

5

I was familiar with many of these tracks from a best of Ray Charles collection that I have listened to many times. There were also many new tunes for me. I really liked them all!

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Fri Jul 07 2023

5

I always love listening to the unique take different singers have on familiar songs. Ray Charles makes you forget there were other versions. This was marvelous.

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Tue Jul 18 2023

5

Que capo Ray por favor, te mete unos countrys con una banda de soul. Me gustaría escuchar algo así (Malosetti no estuvo a la altura) de folklore argentino hecho soul.

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Thu Jul 20 2023

5

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but this type of thing is right up my alley. I'm not sure I'd listen again, but I really liked it. I usually reserve my 5s for stuff I know I'll listen to again, but I can't fathom giving this any less than a perfect score.

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Mon Jul 24 2023

5

Massively influential, perfectly executed. You Don’t Know Me is one of my all time favorites.

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Wed Aug 02 2023

5

everything he touched grooved so hard, and a lot of the production on his albums sounds so crisp for the time

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Thu Aug 03 2023

5

amaaaazing!

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Fri Aug 04 2023

5

Incredible?? Thank goodness for the art of music, as it gives us amazing records like this. I'm very unfamiliar with country music so most of this was new to me, but each song sounded right at home with Ray Charles' voice and his backing band. So much soul and good vibes, whether it was a ballad or an upbeat track. It's also not as dated as some of its contemporaries, mainly because of how clean and well-produced it is. Crazy good stuff, made even better by its cultural impact. He transcended genres and broke racial barriers during a very rocky time in history. Talk about hitting two birds with one solid record. I can't even name a standout. Every song was a standout. Imagine that!

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Sat Aug 26 2023

5

Romantic, sexy music for grownups. A great let's get back together album. So many people saying it's too long, you're listening to Vol 1 & 2! The original album is 40 minutes long and ends with Hey, Good Lookin'...

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Sat Sep 02 2023

5

Chill AF. Can't stop listening.

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Wed Sep 06 2023

5

Good

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Sun Sep 24 2023

5

Ray Charles- enough said. Classic.

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Thu May 13 2021

4

I knew who Ray Charles was of course, but I don't think I knew what to expect of his music. It's much jazzier (and less country than the title lead me to believe). Love the snazzy horn section.

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Mon Jun 14 2021

4

Qué disco tan más a gusto. De inicio no tenía idea de que fueran puros covers, e incluso de las rolas que identifiqué, llegué a pensar que era al revés y la versión de Ray era la original. De cualquier manera, me encantan los arreglos que hizo Ray en casi todas las canciones y quizá ya luego con más tiempo me gustaría escuchar las originales y comparar. Por otro lado, la parte que no me encanta son los arreglos de voces exageradamente melosos en algunas de las canciones.

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Mon Jun 14 2021

4

No sé si lo hizo a propósito pero hay una rola movida y una calmada intercaladas en todo el disco. Que se le puede reprochar a este señor? Darse el lujo de hacer un doble de covers y reinventarnos

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Tue Jun 29 2021

4

That was well good

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Mon Jun 14 2021

4

3.5 | Es muy posible que le pierda mucho a poder apreciar este disco debido a que casi todos son estándares principalmente de country que yo realmente no conozco (solo conocía bien Hey Good Looking). Pareciera más que fue un disco que es importante porque fue lo que le dio a Ray Charles el éxito masivo con la gente blanca tal como ya lo tenía con la gente negra (lo cual es más impresionante cuando recordamos que en ese momento seguimos enfrascados a mitad de lucha de derechos civiles en EE.UU.). Musicalmente el disco es muy bueno, bajando un poco el ritmo de lo que estaba acostumbrado casi todo el disco es de baladas, apenas con una canción con un sonido medio big band; a pesar de esto el disco no se siente cansado y la voz, el sentimiento y los arreglos son impecables. El disco obviamente es importante, las canciones muy bien hechas a pesar de que quizá soy más partidario de ese Ray Charles un poco más movido y mas... "comercial?" En algun momento decía Ray Charles que el blues y el country eran muy similares en su honestidad y en ser llanos de lenguaje y quizá hacer un disco de este tipo es un gran ejemplo de cuánta razón tenía.

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Mon May 24 2021

4

Christmas style strings. Beautiful instruments all around. And a voice that strikes so deeply. Not super substantial, but beautiful and easy to listen to.

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Thu Jul 15 2021

4

Ciezko o bardziej trafny tytul albumu, nie ma co wiecej pisac, bo wszystko co nalezy wiedziec o tej plycie jest juz zawarte na okladce

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Thu Apr 15 2021

4

Good music, great voice. The music does sound extremely old though and not all of it has aged particularly well. I enjoyed the "big sound" more swingy and soul-heavy tracks a lot more than the softer lounge-y or balladesque tracks. I won't actively listen to it again, but a good one-time experience.

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Tue Apr 06 2021

4

Short review well I wouldn’t normally chose a country and western album but Ray Charles at heart has a strong sense of being an R&B star. He is renowned for both his work in jazz and soul too so this album was a shot in the dark and the hybrid musical mastermind created a country record - but this was a success by every meaning of the word. I wouldn’t rush to listen again but you must respect this talent.

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Tue Apr 06 2021

4

Can see why it was called Modern Sounds, the big band feel, makes it bright, sharp and punchy. None of these tracks sound like Country and Western songs, so I'm assuming they are standards/classics in C&W which makes Charles reinterpretation of them so striking, he's placing a big band aesthetic over them, making them feel new and impactful. Charles has great phrasing, he can stretch and hold a note so well. Not many words in some of the lyrics, but he lets them float over the music. He also hold and bend notes so well, to fit to fill the phrasing and tempo of each song. More a fan of the uptempo numbers, but the slower ones show off the versatility of Ray’s voice/tone.

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Sat Apr 24 2021

4

THIS IS ABBA - REVIVAL

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Sat May 08 2021

4

Feels like some good old album, a banger for people that enjoy this genre. Not my style but I can appreciate the quality

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Sun Jun 27 2021

4

Yum.

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Thu May 06 2021

4

Incredibly enjoyable. I'd listened to some Ray Charles before, but the album is sonically very enjoyable - almost every song utilises backing singers in a really pleasing way!

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Wed May 19 2021

4

Really like this! Ray sounds great with a big band behind him. Great arrangements on some classic songs

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Wed Jun 23 2021

4

He's a genius. I love him. Great arrangements on some country songs. (8/10) Favourite Tracks: Careless Love, I Can't Stop Loving You, You Are My Sunshine

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