Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

So much orchestra. More of this in the world please

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

Good album, a little slow. Love Rays voice always

Ray can cook along, but this one is more my dad’s speed. There are others in his catalog that I will play before this one makes the rounds.

I think this is the music that plays in heaven. This gets a little repetitive, especially in the middle - but it’s great music and I have no complaints. Best songs: You are my sunshine You don’t know me Careless love Worst songs: Just a little lovin

Wow this one starts off with a kick. Woke me up and got me going! Ray Charles’ take on these Country & Western classics is vibrant, luxuriant and warm. This is life affirming stuff.

This is a Christmas time album for sure. No shame playing this that time of year. Well that was lovely. Really enjoyed how the simplistic themes without coming across as campy or insincere

Ray!!!

Very solid cover album, was surprised by how many country songs sounded great with soul / r&b styling. Only complaint was that it was long, could have used some trimming. 8/10 Favorite songs were: 10. Careless Love 14. No Letter Today 19. Take These Chains From My Heart

Cool to hear another version of "Bye Bye Love" after listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water. "I Love You So Much It Hurts" has beautiful backing vocals and instrumentation. I can picture people boogieing in black and white to "Hey Good Lookin'". Ray's vocals are silky-smooth throughout the whole album. The jazz instrumentation is on point and the strings are a nice touch, this album definitely has a very grand presentation. This isn't really the type of music that I'd seek out but I can't knock it, good stuff.

To be completely honest, I am still struggling to figure out where the country or western was on this album. Maybe I am stupid or maybe country music’s sound has strayed so far I have no idea what it sounded like in the 50s/60s. Regardless, this album was fantastic in my opinion. I loved both the uptempo big band cuts as well as the moodier, laid back ones. The strings and backing vocalists were a nice touch, but Ray Charles has such a powerful voice that he could carry a song even without it. Really felt the emotions in his delivery on some of the more melancholic and slow ballads. Strong 4 Fav Songs: Bye Bye Love Born To Lose I Can’t Stop Loving You Hey, Good Lookin

This is a very good album, great singing and great instrumentation. Ray Charles has a great voice. My two biggest complaints are that it seems like he somehow manages to say "love" in every other sentence, and the slow love ballads (the ones with the sappy string arrangements and choir that sound like Christmas music) all kind of sound the same. 3.5

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*

It’s ok. Just a compilay

It's very good for it's genre. I debated giving this 4 stars, but ultimately, too many of the songs have the same sound. This is very close to 4 stars though.

Not sure I'd really call this 'country and western' music but that's a bonus for me really. I mean it's Ray Charles, you know exactly what you're going to get. Fantastic voice on that man. I'm pretty sure he could sing the assembly instructions for an Ikea bookshelf and it would be great. That said, I don't think I can give this more than 3/5 and it's definitely not his best work. It's a good album but this kind of music just doesn't blow me away.

Nr. 156/1001 Bye Bye Love 4/5 You Don't Know Me 3/5 Half As Much 4/5 I Love You So Much It Hurts 3/5 Just A Little Lovin' 4/5 Born to Lose 3/5 Worried Mind 4/5 It Makes No Difference Now 3/5 You Win Again 3/5 Careless Love 4/5 I Can't Stop Lovin' You 3/5 Hey, Good Lookin' 3/5 You Are My Sunshine 3/5 No Letter Today 3/5 Someday 3/5 Don't Tell Me Your Troubles 4/5 Modnight 3/5 Oh, Lonesome Me 3/5 Take These Chains From My Heart 3/5 Your Cheatin' Heart 3/5 I'll Never Stand in Your Way 3/5 Making Believe 3/5 Teardrops in my Heart 3/5 Hang Your Head in Shame 3/5 Average: 3,25 This held up over time pretty well, aside from the female choire. That sounds super dated.

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

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.

A classic.

Flawless

The fuckin balls on this guy. Need this album in the absolute worst way possible. Easy listening, phenomenal grooves. Felt like a bit of a crooner listening to this riding the subway home transported back to the 1960's. The only thing that took me out of the moment was the e-bike that kept bumping into my elbow.

Classics all around

Amazing complete album from start to finish. This is an absolute classic.

<3

perfect. absolutely loved this!!!!!

perfect album as far as im concerned

I enjoyed listening to this all day.

Classic. Part of the Great American Songbook. These songs are quintessential Ray Charles.

I’m a big Ray Charles fan. This was maybe the first real crossover album. Just fantastic.

Fantastic

It's Ray Charles. He's a five star artist in my book. This album is a classic and worth every listen.

Always a great time listening to Ray Charles. I don't have anything ill to say about this album. An entire album of big band covers of country songs is just what I needed today. I genuinely don't have too much to say about this. This album is a sure-fire way to get yourself laid if you had this record on vinyl and a nice bottle of Grenache. Also I can't deny the bias, as this shit reminds me a LOT of Fallout: New Vegas. Just a lovely listen all round.

Some albums are 40 min long but feel like an eternity. This one is 1h+ long and felt way to short.

How can you have vocal cracks that are still in key?!! Idk how it’s done but Ray Charles seriously is one of the top 5 vocalists of all time. It’s not a perfect voice by any means but his range is impeccable. He hits the high notes with such ease and his low register just oozes of soul. If the whole background choir sound isn’t for you, I totally get it and wouldn’t argue against you but I think it just provides such a distinct flare for this time period in music. That in addition to the blaring horn sections. This is what I want out of brass, just some whaling saxophones and trumpets with some incredible jazz chords. And no Ray Charles album would be complete without talking about the Rayelettes, namely on you are my sunshine. That harmony at the very end with the c7 to f resolution just gives me goosebumps every time. I also love the arrangement of tracks on this album where it is simply a fast one then a slow one then a fast one, etc. It’s simple yet effective. I’m not positive on this but I do think this particular version is a reissue with more tracks on it which does hurt it a little bit, just because by the end some of the songs kind of start to run together but f that. “Genius” is thrown out a lot whenever talking about Ray Charles and it’s not hard to see why.

if this album did not exist we would have to invent it - my first 5 in my journey #musicsky #albumsky

Good

Favorite Track: You Don’t Know Me

Honestly, this album is just...wow. It's one of those records completely flip your expectations and leaves you with your jaw on the floor. Charles took classic country, swirled in his soulful genius, and BAM! You've got this incredible, genre-bending masterpiece The string arrangements are lush, his voice is pure emotion, and it just sounds amazing. It broke down walls and showed everyone what real musical magic sounds like.

Perfect.

Great

The strings, the crooning, the backup vocals... an absolute soundscape that pulls me gently into its flow. Charles' phrasing is literally perfect and I'm taking notes.

Great range. Not sure if it was the edibles but one of my favorites

Ray Charles is forever pitch perfect. These arrangements turned a singular genre into timeless classics from the great American songbook.

Classic songs of my youth that still hold up.

Classic! Bold rhythms, excellent instrumentation, and masterful vocals.

Always wanted to listen to this and was surprised (pleasantly) by it. More orchestral than anticipated. Great album.

A national treasure. I prefer his more upbeat material, and the album title is a misnomer, but one cannot argue his talent or impact.

Just some beautiful crooning from Ray across the whole album.

Flawless

Ray Charles.

Great blend of pop songs, big band jazz, and rock n roll. Good energy and mix of fast and slow songs.

I listened to the 2009 version, which is a double album with 24 songs. These all are covers of country-western songs done in mellow Ray Charles style. I was too young to know the significance of this record, but apparently it was influential for black artists then.

Grateful to listen to this classic and timeless album!

Love it 5/5

Une somme en deux volumes, 24 titres, ça peut intimider. Ray Charles applique les recettes du swing, de la soul et du jazz aux vieux tubes country, et ça fonctionne à merveille avec sa voix, ces chœurs, son énergie et sa sensibilité. On reconnaît ces airs mais ils sont métamorphosés par ce traitement. Ces vieux cons de réac de la country ont dû détester, rendant ce disque encore plus sympathique. Depuis l’intro “Bye bye love”, “I can’t stop loving you” est absolument irrésistible, tout comme “Born to lose”, “Oh, Lonesome Me”, “Take these chains from my heart”, “I’ll never stand in your way”, “Teardrops in my heart”. Je ne savais pas que j’avais autant besoin d’un album de reprises soul de standards country par Ray Charles, mais content de le découvrir. Maintenant défi : lister et écouter les originaux. Lu dans un commentaires : "He took White music and made it Black, it's like reverse Elvis."

Genre and groundbreaking. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Next

Truly enjoy this.

This is perfect!

kinda like old church hymns. relaxing and nostalgic kinda like when captain america finally got his dance kinda like jazz scenes from tom and jerry

So much fun. A great album.

When you consider the hysteria and backlash this year Beyonce had releasing a country and western album and then think of Ray Charles jumping genres in the early 60's- now, that takes big balls of steel! Listen to this, and consider that culture and genre jump in that very un-diverse world ......it's incredible. It sounds so natural and bloody good too, what a guy! Those balls of steel turned to golden for pulling this one off, one of the greatest, successful genre shifts of all time. for that reason alone it gets a big fat FIVE from me. The man himself once summed it up nicely by saying "Country & Blues aren't cousins they're blood brothers." Bravo Ray Charles!

obviously great. hit after hit! love his rendition of your cheating heart

Ray Charles!

There are simply artists and songs that are on another level - even a 5 doesn't seem enough to distinguish such works!

Top!

Perfect album.

Listened Before? N Timeless. Mr. Charles was an icon when I was born, and his music stands and speaks for itself all these years later. This was made in a time that didn't even resemble modern life, yet, the themes and music transfer so well - if you let them. There isn't any filler or a single bad song on this record... and it's a double album. Take note, modern artists and record companies, THIS is what true talent sounds like. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I Can't Stop Loving You

Masterful perfect classic

Came to this

This is one of my all-time favorite albums—one of the greatest vocal performances by one of the greatest recording artists of all time. I've listened to it so much over the years that it doesn't really hit the way it used to, but still. I remember hearing Ray's version of "You Are My Sunshine" for the first time and feeling like a musical hole had been ripped open in my brain (in a good way). Every fucking note this guy sings here is just perfect. I don't love the choral stuff, but it works anyway—Ray is just that good. At this point, the ballads hold up the most for me, especially "You Don't Know Me" and "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)." The way his voice just overflows with emotion ... the guy was unbelievable!

Love it

Loved the vibe

Album excellent, le son est bien chaud et vintage, beaucoup de nuance et de dynamique dans le son, le mix est bon en entend tous les instruments et surtout les prises d'instruments respire on entend bien la room rien à dire c'est parfait.

Adding meaningful praise for a man whose nickname was The Genius is no easy task. On Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Ray Charles transforms country classics with such soulful conviction that the “country” label feels almost secondary. Charles’ piano playing is subtle yet masterful, grounding each track with blues-inflected left-hand bass and adding light syncopation and swing with his right hand. Instead of flashy solos, he offers precise riffs and brief flourishes that enhance the emotional weight of each song, complementing his soulful vocals. Charles redefines each genre by seamlessly blending country, blues, jazz, and R&B. His piano weaves bluesy bass lines, jazz-inspired swing, and gospel-rooted harmonies, while the lush orchestration borrows from big-band traditions, all while maintaining the simplicity of country melodies. The result is a sound uniquely his—soulful, expansive, and genre-defying. Compared to the originals, his versions are more immersive and emotionally charged, turning simple country storytelling into layered, soul-infused performances. Where the originals are crisp and direct, Charles’ interpretations are expansive and bold, blending genres and reimagining each song. This album exceeded my expectations, cementing Ray Charles as a master interpreter and boundary-breaker. Modern Sounds reaffirms his genius, proving he transcends genres making every song unmistakably his own. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? Sure. Would this release make my personal list? Every respectable list has to have some Ray Charles. This album is as good a point to start as any. Will I be listening to it again? Definitely.

Ray Charles is just too amazing. Simply great music all around no flaws. I dislike christmas themed albums but this one is special its top of the food chain for xmas albums.

ok

Again just ray being ray

Fantastic! Not really my cup of tea but perfectly executed. Not sure why Ray Charles doing country/western songs feels like a Christmas movie but it sure does. Definitely an album everyone should hear at least once.

Damn, this is just so smooth. Easiest 5 star I’ve given out yet. I could see some listeners being turned off by the choir as it’s certainly a sound of a time gone by that’s fallen out of fashion, but as a fan of classic country and western music, I’m desensitized to it at this point. The horns are to die for, especially on Half As Much. And that’s the best version of Your Cheating’ Heart I’ve ever heard. 5/5 Highlights: You Don’t Know Me Half As Much I Love You So Much It Hurts Worried Mind I Can’t Stop Loving You Your Cheatin’ Heart

chill and relaxing 5/5

Great vocals and instrumentals. Hits the feels. A proper album about love.

What a fantastic album. 5/5

This album was amazing. It's our second Ray Charles album and I liked this one a lot more than "The Genius of Ray Charles". I'm not the biggest fan of the soulful crooning songs, but I love the big band swing tracks. This album had a much better mix of the two. "Bye Bye Love" is an amazing opener to the album. "Just A Little Lovin'" is a banger. My favorite song was "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles". It's impossible to not tap your foot. "Take These Chains From My Heart" was a slower song that I really liked. The album is a little long, and the crooning still gets a little too repetitive for me, but I'm still going to give this a 5. If it was 70% big swing and 30% slow tracks it would be a 10/10. 9/10

Really, really good. Jazzy and soulful. Loved the version of You are my Sunshine.

Absolute great album. Shitty that half the songs are not available on Spotify

Crazy, er isch soo guet. Ich ha vergesse gha wie geil er singt. Extrem spass fmacht zum lose

bye bye love i dere version isch so perfekt. ich ha scho lang e obsession mit dem album und spezifisch mit dem song. you dont love me au soo schöns arrangement und er cha siiiinge. ah stimmt half as much isch au do druff. de ha i au sooo viel glost mit so 17i (ich weirde teenie). i love you so much isch sooo schnulzig und s chörli tönt meega wie usde 40er johr in hollywood. just a little lovin isch wieder chli en uptempo swing dings und er slaaappt. D arrengements sind würklich nöd okay. Und wiener singt au nöd. Born to lose seeehr schön. ultra schmalzig aber zuu guet. worried mind genau gliich. huere schöni akkörd, text schmalzig ray bringt jedi emotion i jedem vibrato genaaau so übere wies mues sii aaaah it makes no difference now stimmt!! fuck jo stimmt holy shit. es fangt sooo langsam aah. aso es isch langsam. und minimalistischs arrangement und es baut aber scho uuf und überhaupt. uuusem nöd d blöser hits. so geil. de ray singe ghöre "i once was böind but now i see" bi careless love isch chli weird

Surprising title. Also surprising that I knew so many of the songs, but from cover versions!