Reviews (page 10 of 13)
Hmm. Not sure country and western means what you think it means.
I guess
Is this the first pre-Beatles record we listened to? It definitely sounds like it. I love when an artist gets big enough to do whatever the fuck they want, and this record is great. It's not held up well to time though so only a mid rank.
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve learned to respect country music within the last twenty-four hours, I’d only have two nickels, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
decent
Nice chill listen. RC broke barriers for his music. Was fun to listen to but dunno if i would seek it out
i had to sing Bye Bye Love for Chorus and hated every second of it because there was only four of us in the baritone section and I hated Chorus because I was shy as FUCK lmao You are my sunshine is a classic
It's okay - I can't express how much I hate the song You Are My Sunshine and should be a 1 just for including that.
It's fine.
It was pleasant to listen to, but didn't really catch my interest
Im not crazy about Ray Charles. All these songs sound like they were written and performed better previously by someone else. Also sounds like a performance while you eat dinner at a tableclothed dinner theater in the 60s drunk on martinis and champagne. But i know hes amazing and these do sound great but the horns and band over power any sort of piano playing going on if any.
pretty good
Good 3.5
Mostly good
Do not listen to when depressed. Otherwise pretty good album.
Heavy on the violins and 60’s background singers and some big band. But damn, what a voice.
Mid
Decent work by Ray Charles was with the listen
If you’re looking to grab your old lady by the waist and swing away around the fireplace on a cozy winter night, this is your stuff. If, on the other hand, you’re looking to do virtually any thing else, this is not your stuff.
This was alright. Might be a tad too long, but it's not a major issue. Best song on it is It Makes No Difference Now.
Great vocals, chill vibes, some nice love songs. Didn't exactly rock my world, but it was a decent listen, and I'd much rather listen to something like this than to a certain heavily 'overrepresented on this list' genre for the 10000th time. Could have been a bit shorter imo, but it's ok.
Oh, man. While I don't love a big band, I can't deny the likely influence of Ray Charles on songs like "Under the Boardwalk" (1964) by The Drifters and "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding (1967). I lit up listening to "I Can't Stop Loving You" in mono and found myself switching between each L/R earbuds to hear the different parts of the song. What a trip. I preferred Disc 1 to Disc 2. By the time I made it to the second half of the album, I couldn't help but wonder who hurt this man. Who broke his heart? There were at least a half dozen songs in a row lamenting a lost love, and it felt like a hasty breakup. 60s music tends to remind me of Christmastime, and it's not my favorite. But I did like the album, all things considered!
Superstar talent on a subpar album.
Some classic tunes on here. Didn't hate it.
Angestaubter Rythm and Blues
It was really long. I can see this being his genre, and maybe all the albums sound like this, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be split into a few album. Every song sounded mostly the same, but they were good.
hes one of the goats ong really cool concept fuckin with this heavy rn it would be criminal to give this any less than a 3 so much passion in his voice truly a man enjoying himself only thing preventing it from gettin a 5 is it is quite slow at times but shits vibey
Ray Charles sounds great here. Some good interpretations of the standards he re-worked. There are sections of the album that can feel repetitive–particularly during a string of slower songs–but once the more up-tempo songs kick in, there's more variety in the sound. Kind of wish the country and western was more prominent in the musical arrangements to create a stronger fusion of the worlds he was bringing together.
It was nice, and had a good vibe for certain situations, but not something I would go to unless ready for that situation.
Not super exciting, but a beautiful expression of the mainstream jazz tradition. In addition, there is something to be said about the whole blending of soul and country, which must have been pretty radical at the time. Great performances, great arrangements (its Marty Paich and strings, duh) and a nice way to start the day.
Just goes to show you that a great musician can even make the dumbest country, western and folks songs sound passably cool. Totally unnecessary though.
ein paar banger dabei
It’s hard to rate albums like these. All of the songs are good but they sound SO similar.
A great Hifi album
Swing wie Franky!
Sorry boys, my review disappeared
kan ikke lige se mig selv finde den her frem igen, men det er nogle gode arrangementer og ray charles har en fed stemme!
Pladen var nem at høre og stilen var lige præcis hvad jeg forventede af den her plade.
Gorgeous and like listening to a piece of history. A little too sad for my taste and current mood!
Songs from the primordial ooze of modern popular music. A little sleepy for my taste honestly but Ray is a great performer.
Kalle ankas jul
A bit too long but I loved it, it’s a great comfort album for a Winter day. [0137/1001]
Bien. Muy bien canta. I Can't Stop Loving You.
While hardly an unpleasant listen, and having a collection of standards on a list like this makes sense, I really don't see myself returning at all. Bye Bye Love is the highlight for me, though moreso because I recognize it from Simon and Garfunkel's cover on Bridge Over Troubled Water.
I really like this kind of music and appreciate what Ray Charles tried to do here, but I just couldn’t get behind this album. I’ve heard some of these versions over the years and they just never clicked with me. Still, three stars for the musicianship.
I really enjoyed I Can’t Stop Loving You, Hey Good Lookin’, and the cover of You Are My Sunshine, which is pretty good version. Generally, the music was fairly listenable, but Jesus cheer up, Ray! Maybe if you sing about something other than women leaving you or wanting to fuck other guys, they might stick around a bit longer! Good album to listen to if you’re struggling with a breakup, I guess. Or terrible maybe.
Pretty nice stuff. Simpsons reference: I think so PS. I need to start putting more effort into these reviews.
Gave me Christmas movie vibes. And Disney movie vibes.
Ray has got a good voice. This is a really good album when you are chilling out. Really like, you don't know me, the rest of the album was okay
im sorry ray, its not you its me. im just not feeling it of late. im not usually like this! or maybe this record is just a bit tepid? who knows. anyway today i learned i dont like mahler 8
Good album but wasnt the vibes for today
Bigband ravintola musiikkia. Aika tasapaksua. Herkkää
Really calm love music it’s pretty sweet shit. 3.3/5
3.2/5 Best Track: I Can't Stop Loving You
Should probably delve deeper!
As with many of these albums, it wouldn’t be my go to, but it wasn’t bad.
Ray Charles is a great musician. I like his music and enjoyed this album- possibly more of a fan of his more blues and jazz works (“Georgia On My Mind” and “Hit The Road, Jack” come immediately to mind) but this is good stuff. Have you ever played improv on the piano with your eyes closed the whole time? It’s a great experience. Ray Charles was a legend. Three and a half stars.
The songs on this album are big nostalgia from my teen years. I love it! That being said - it's been a while since I listened to the whole album all at once, and I didn't realize how... samey it sounds? Like it sounds like maybe two really long songs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I actually am finding I wasn't necessarily blown away by the album as a whole. Still a great listen though, and it made me remember what it was like to be a kid and wish I was a hacker.
I'm not usually a fan of country and western but I quite liked this, especially the more upbeat songs. High 2/low 3.
очень скучно (хоть и никаких претензий к вокалу)
There are some really good songs on this but I’m not a fan of the old, weirdly intervaled harmonies. Like the endings of (at least) the last 5 songs on the album. It’s a 3 star album with some 5 star songs.
Unsure if I would want any of these songs in my rotation. But I enjoy live music, so hearing this in the bars would be entertaining. Although, maybe I am not the biggest fan of this album because he is so sad. I wish he was more happy. I enjoyed hearing the backup vocals, and would be interested to see this integrated in modern music.
Some good songs,.
I mean I cant find anything bad about it but I did not enjoy it and got bored a couple songs in. I was googling Ray Charles while listening and unsurprisingly he was a huge womaniser.
It was a fine enough album, Ray has a good voice and the songs are crafted well enough but there’s not a whole lotta country going on here so the title is a bit misleading. For the lack of variety here it’s way too long at an hour and fifteen. Pleasant enough to listen to I suppose but I won’t be returning 2.5 stars
It is Ray Charles - enjoyable music and vocals. Just not riveting - it's good music for the background but nothing i really feel like i need to focus on. I do like "I can't stop loving you" but definitely not the best Ray Charles album
Bien. Muy bien canta. I Can't Stop Loving You.
La voix est belle et sentie, les arrangements réussis, mais ça reste plus d’une heure de Ray Charles qui se lamente, se victimise et shame les femmes de sa vie.
This album is a neat take on country western songs. The sentimentality of 1950s country songs fits well into Ray Charles’ Big Band style. Though I didn’t take any songs from this album, I appreciate the experiment. One other note, is that many of the songs have a 1950’s Christmas song vibe.
Typical slow rhythmic classic jazz, chill
I feel like I need to give this a closer listen. Had it on in the background at work and it was super pleasant but I've only dug in a little to what makes it great. Interesting part is that it's a Country western album with a big band, but the songs are so obviously country songs/themes. Can't wait to dig in again. It will prob get a higher rating next time. I think I like disc 2 better.
I like Ray Charles singing the blues, Country and Western is not mine. To be honest - the album sounds a little bit better than expected. Therefore 3 stars…
gute Substanz, bisschen viel Geigenschmalz, heute altbacken
Fun album but a bit monotonous.
Early and easy Soul. I like the voice and the slow music
Liked it for what it was, but not exactly my favorite
didnt get to listen to the whole thing but from what I heard I really enjoyed it, Ray Charles a legend fs
This wasn't what I expected. I like this genre of music, it's nice to listen to in the background when working or studying. Will listen again probably
Classic!
Solid piano, repetitive
Every Ray Charles hit but sound quality poor. Would love to hear every one of those hits remastered!
its all so sad. his ventures in love never panned out. he was always on the losing end. poor guy. didn't care for this grouping even though I like ray Charles.
Damalige Hits in Richtung Swing oder Rhythm and Blues gecovert. Ganz nett, aber nichts was mich vom Hocker haut. Damals sicher etwas besonderes, weil jeder die Originale kannte.
I think I enjoyed the history of this album more than the album itself
Pleasant, well instrumented mix of standards with excellent production, instrumentation and backing vocals.
Very well executed covers of c&w songs, most of which are better than the originals.
Not owned: Streaming I’m not as versed in Ray Charles as I probably should be? I think this is one of my brother’s favorites (will ask him tomorrow when I see him!) To point out the obvious, the vocal performance is superb. Arresting on “I Love You So Much It Hurts.” Production is clean. Prefer the band over the strings; recorded in two separate sessions? Strings eventually sound like Xmas music. Length is apparent when songs sound similar. 3/5
Lovely love songs with a kind of Christmassy vibe for some reason
Jazzy show tunes from my parent’s era. Very pleasant and easy to listen to.
Good for the christmas vibes, a few good songs but Also a lot of meh
Bye bye love is an excellent opening track. I like the big band style orchestrations and the harmonisation of the backing vocalists is very nice. I’m not a huge fan of the slower songs and find them all to be too reminiscent of an old Disney movie in terms of their openings and orchestrations. The vocal harmonies and strings are not what I expected. Ray Charles has an incredible voice which carries most of the songs.
Basically Day Charles singing loves songs in the big band style. Pretty good stuff.
actually felt a lot like a xmas album. this is one of those albums where its pointless to score because its just not to my taste but its ray charles so i know its good
I’m sure it was groundbreaking at the time and some songs show a great blend of blues and country, while others are schmaltzy and too polished.
Classique mais efficace, un peu trop auto-similaire cependant.
I respect the concept behind repackaging country music into a big band jazz sound. Sonically it sounds like Ray Charles does Sinatra. But I miss the r&b Ray Charles. Maybe there’s one of those on this list too.
Very calming music.
I'm going to make a note of this album for when my mother-in-law visits. She's always asking us to play something else, like the oldies. This fits the bill. 😂 Fun listen through. Not something I'd gravitate towards usually, but I've always loved a good piano player. 😏
3.5
Pleasant, but sounds relatively the same throughout.
4/12, 33%
Chill, men ikkje så moderne som han påstår
Listened to it in a lovely cottage in a village in the Peak District, which probably helps elevate this to a good mark. Quite a bit of it washes over me, as so much of this trad blues work does. I Can't Stop Loving You is a corker though. It took me quite an irritatingly long time to work out why I knew it so well, until I remembered that Elvis did it in his Vegas shows. I then went down a deep hole of watching Elvis' late-era Vegas performances on YouTube and marvelling at how good he was. I don't know how much I can really credit Ray with all that, but he sent me in a nice direction.
Very good but just not my thing
Ray Charles has a wonderful voice, and there are some great tracks here. Overall album is a bit long, a few snoozers for sure.
Pas vraiment la musique que j'écoute d'habitude, mais c'était très agréable (surtout pour faire de la traduction). Comme une impression d'être dans un vieux film, et, étrangement, ça m'a donné envie de réécouter Michael Kiwanuka !
Bra album, men det er nok neppe et album jeg kommer til å vende tilbake til. Joda, jeg hører det har kvaliteter, men det er så absolutt ikke noe jeg kommer til å lytte til aktivt.
Interesting take on some country oldies
- A great classic sound, but how can every jazz album ever in existence be one of the 1001 greatest albums of all time - Good fusion of soul and jazz - 2.5
- great voice
good background music while playin fortnite
Mmm, trompetes... xD Atsit 50. / 60. gadu balles dejas.
sample ass mūzika :D
Talented dude. Lots of slow jams. Beautiful album but not my bag.
Overall good vibes, seemed like it might be good for dancing or background music, but just listening was okay.
classic! between 3-4, lots of the same sound but beautiful and obviously done well
Boring old country western songs with a little Ray magic. Some pretty good, some he couldn’t save. Some actually better as country western
Feel like I don't have a lot to say about this one. It's more of Ray Charles just doing what he's really great at. He really makes all of these old standards his own with that voice. Similar to the Genius of Ray charles, the instrumentation kind of falls into the background for me, but maybe thats the point? I'd say none of the songs on here really reach the high moments of Genius of Ray Charles. I did enjoy the integration of more country style music with his gospel like vocals (particularly on I Can't Stop Loving You). Not really anything bad here, but no big standouts either for me. All in all it's another great album if you're looking for that 50s dim lit, smoke filled jazz club vibe.
I'm behind on reviews, I listened to this and realized I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous one in our list. Just something about it lost it's charm? It kind of all blended together at some point. Still a good listen, just not as wow-ed as the Genius of Ray Charles
so good, what a voice! some absolute classics
Very jazzy, good to hear in background while studying
Good album but not exquisite
It just lacks punch for me. It was pleasant but not engaging experience for me. Also It doesn't help that most of songs seems to be about love.
Great voice and some good sings, but felt pretty dated.
it's all beautiful but it's just not my speed at all
nit my fave genre but I do love the classic songs
Best song - It Makes No Difference Now
I like Ray Charles but... over an hour of ray Charles is way too much ray Charles.
None of his notorious songs are on here and a lot of it is sappy. He is a brilliant artist but as others have said, this album is pretty long!
Ray Charles is great - that being said this album is too long. I got stuff to do like listen to 1000 more albums here.
There are approximately 800 songs on this album. It's not bad stuff but kinda boring overall.
Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: Bill Withers - Ain't no Sunshine Otis Redding - (Sitting On) The Dock of the Bay Sam & Dave - Hold on, I'm Coming James Brown & The Famous Flames - I'll Go Crazy The Temptations - My Girl
It’s ok. Mainly too slow for me. If I had to date my grandmother, I’d play this to get her in the mood
This one didn't enrapture me as much as I expected - maybe because I couldn't devote myself fully to it today. There are some great original tracks and new versions but I'm not a huge fan of big band (I can see why it would have been pretty pioneering in its time).
I feel like the importance of this album is kind of lost on me 70 odd years removed from it coming out. I can appreciate the arranging and performances, but I don't know, It just sounds like a great soul album to me, not one of the greatest of all time.
Decent but to my ear nothing extraordinary
Not really what I hoped for when generating a Ray Charles album. A bit boring
Started great, after a while started feeling like it was a bit too long
Bit too boring, but just okay enough
Covers many great songs. Sometimes awesome in execution, sometimes a bit draggy
First time really listening to any soul music. It was beautiful and calming, but not quite my taste. Possibly would enjoy more without a house of young screaming kids.
#14. This one was pretty good, but not the kind of thing that I'd listen to regularly. 3/5: acceptable
Viel me wat tegen, ik had meer funk verwacht. Dit was heel erg Bing Crosby, opzich wel mooi maar op veel plekken toch ook wel redelijk saai. Dit is zo'n album dat wellicht beter een enkel album had kunnen zijn ipv dubbel. Maar misschien dat het in die tijd super was, maar ik ben bang dat het de tijd niet echt overleefd heeft.
Only listened to volume one but is a great 60s country album, not the kind of album I'd actively listen too but I'd never complain if it was played.
Excellent album however I am not a fan of this music. I don't know if I should rate this off quality of music or my taste but I am going to give this a 3/5.
Cool, but not world-changing cause I already know him. A bit too short of songs and mainstream.
Once again I find myself impressed by the influence I hear in later music but mainly wanting to listen to the later music. B sides started to branch out a bit more.
I cant find the country anywhere in this, but its still pretty good. it does conjure a romantic movie set during the gold rush on the praires though. Born To Lose is a good example, hits the earmarks of a country ballad without the country, its odd.
Interesting to hear Ray Charles take on some of these country covers. Notable Songs for me: Oh, Lonesome Me Your Cheatin' Heart I'll Never Stand In Your Way (Big Sad)
i wish i appreciated this album more, but maybe i just don't have a refined enough palate (ear?). but i did find i enjoyed it far more when i listened closely and with headphones on - the lyrics are clever and often funny.
Good enough for something cool. 3.5
Some classic songs. Fun listen. Background singers can be a bit much over the course of the whole album.
rilassante, natalizio
Something to note about American popular music back in the day is that there were effectively two kinds of music: "white" music and "black" music. The latter was primarily blues, jazz, r&b, and soul, while the former was country, western, traditional pop, and various folk subgenres. Racial segregation was still a pretty powerful force of American life which is why there had become a distinction between the "white" and "black" music. This isn't a completely futile exercise though, as racial segregation had effectively made it so that distinct cultural movements would grow separately. As such, there's a variable depth of interplay worth analysis in the grand scheme of American culture as it developed in the early 20th century. Enter Ray Charles. His body of work throughout the 50's and early 60's (with Atlantic records) was best known as jazz, soul, r&b, and the like. When he signed with ABC-Paramount, we wanted to do something different: Ray Charles would cover country songs. Everyone told him he was crazy, and by all rights he probably was. However, Charles handles these songs with such grace and humility, it was hard not to appreciate. Audiences also appreciated his efforts, and it was a crossover hit with both black and white demographics. Considering how Charles was able to bridge the gap, even a little bit, easily makes this an important album for the list.
I own each of these volumes on vinyl. I think it’s technically two albums and this is just them “packaged” together. I enjoy these records and liked this relisten. Ray Charles is one of the all time greats, obviously, and his fantastic singing is especially on display here. I do prefer his more rock and roll piano driven recordings.
I do like Ray Charles. I do like Country & Western. I do feel, however, like he’s hammered all the C&W out of these tunes though which I’m not sure about. Bye Bye Love is supposed to be sad and infused with feeling. Not upbeat big band bebop. That pretty much set the tone and I felt discomfited about it for the rest of the album. These are songs that everybody knows so well but I don’t feel particularly passionate about. I’m all for pushing the boundaries of genre and I admire the C & W getting a soul makeover but I really couldn’t get into this.
Definitely sounds like a classic. It is important to read the history of the record to appreciate the era this records unifying impact.
I'm a Ray Charles fan. Lots of great songs on here, but I agree that he's often too low in the mix.
Years ago I had read about this album and it's history and was quite excited to listen to it. I'll admit I was quite disappointed. I've since gone back a few more times and while I'm familiar with more of the songs I still don't love this album. It's simply the production, the orchestral and chorus arrangements just doesn't work for me. Many times it really drowns out Rays voice, it's such shame.
There's a couple of good songs on here, but it's not great. It's not bad, either.
Ray Charles is strangely a gap for me, so I'm pleased to sit with this one. With RC's singing and piano at the center of a selection of mostly ballads, this oscilattes between genres depending on the accompaniment from upbeat Swing & Jazz with horns (bye bye love, half as much, just a little loving, don't tell me your troubles) to slow-burning Scmaltz with strings (you don't know me, born to lose, I love you so much it hurts). It's as if the album was constructed to demonstrate how much better one style is than the other. The schmaltzy stuff is really pretty dire - as good as RC's vocals are they only rarely (I Can't Stop Loving You, I'll Never Stand in Your Way) elevate this tedious plodding chintzy 50s crooner crap. The horns songs really rip though, punctuating the vocal performance with jazz riffs, the odd solo, and lots of energy to go with the walking bass and swinging drums - providing the classic counter-part to the lovelorn ballads. "Worried Mind" brings the two sides together into a cool blues with strings supporting a jazzy piano-forward arrangement. In a nod to the album's title, "You Win Again" brings a country-inflected gospel sound to support another unbelieveable vocal performance. Another Hank Williams Classic, "Hey Good Looking" is re-invented as a really lively big-band swing, while the childish "You Are My Sunshine" becomes a fully adult motown soul track. His "You're Cheating Heart" is less successful: it's slowed way down and uses swelling strings and thick harmony from the backing singers that takes too much of the honkytonk life and cheekiness out of the original. No surprise, but the singing really is the star here - reaching and tender but always in control - we hear hints at the latent virtuosity, but always delivered in service of the song.
Wanted to like this more than I did, strong moments but I found the whole thing a bit cloying
the material seems beneath him and some of those background vocals are really cringe
Charles was one of the most monumental talents in music. I remember covering What’d I Say at live shows with an old band of mine. I grew up on his music, so of course I was excited to see this album pop up. It’s great, but of course it’s great. This album transformed the cultural definition of pop music. It’s a monstrous record loaded with some of the most recognizable (and covered) tracks ever written. Let’s get personal. I don’t care for this album that much. It’s overlong and pretty stale. I always dug on Ray’s early material more. But let’s be clear, just because I don’t care for an album too much doesn’t mean it’s not great.
The gravity of Ray’s genius helps exalt what often sounds like 24 versions of the same song.
I really enjoyed some parts of this however a lot of the songs towards the end sounded the same. I liked the orchestration and Ray’s voice is incredible. It’s between a 3 and 4.
Album: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Artist: Ray Charles Year: 1962 Album #: 228 first impressions: yay ray charles should be fun and energizing for a monday morning after listening through: i'm so bored i could cry post-reading reviews/wiki: well, it sucks that an album that broke down so many barriers and was so influential has so many moments that just sound dull without context. i would have gone into this expecting an easy 5 stars had i read this first but i just.. can't motivate myself to relisten. i appreciate the idea of this album but the songs themselves were just like...proof that this era of country music is not for me! recommended for: soothing elderly people
p54. 1962. 3 stars. This really shouldn't work but... somehow it does. Points docked for the occasional saccharine over production and for being overly maudlin.
Not my favorite of his albums, but still classic Ray.
Very well executed covers of c&w songs, most of which are better than the originals. Unfortunately, the album is just way too long to stay interesting.
This isn't what I would usually gravitate towards and I don't think I will return. However, after several listens the album definitely exudes that soulful warmth and I can appreciate the appeal and progress Ray Charles made in the genre. At 24 tracks long and averaging 3 mins each, I felt there could have been more variety and lyrical depth. No particular highlight.
Not really modern I love Ray Charles and his music, but he is a liar
great voice, but showtunes
Duger väl till vardags.
This is a little too "old-timey" sounding for my taste. Might be nice for a certain scenario. A cocktail hour or some sort of dance function.
Absolutely not the right Ray Charles album to put on a list like this, but it still ain't bad.
Nice to have in the background. I'd have to be in the right mood to listen to it - having a drink in a dark bar or something rather than working in an office in the middle of summer!
Just some nice music to have on in the background but I wouldn't listen to it otherwise
Nice enough album. Good for casual dinner parties, slow evening dancing, and folding laundry.
Fun
Three or four well known great songs but for me the rest is a bloke singing and a choir in the background.
Yo is this some mfing jazz/big band shit? Some of these songs are songs I could see myself jamming out to in a Fallout game, others are kind of super boring. It's generally the much slower songs that really drag this down. The more upbeat jazz songs are really good though. Overall it's an ok album that gets dragged down by it's slower songs and bloat. A solid 3/5
Doesn't sound much country to me but good.
UN discUn disco qeu se siente suave, al fin y al cabo es un compilado de canciones. Se suman sonidos esperables por parte de ray y es una escuhca bonita sobre todo 6/10.
Ray Charles har utvilsomt en god stemme, og soul er behagelig å høre på. Men det er ikke noe jeg kommer til å høre på selv, så da blir karakteren deretter. Albumet bytter litt mellom uptempo moro og "ballader", som gjør at det ikke klikker helt for meg.
I’m really not sure how I feel about this one. I was looking forward to Ray Charles and this just didn’t hit with me.
Although I get why this is culturally important, the sound - the orchestration and vocals in particular - just sounds so dated. Like it should be on a Saturday evening BBC Christmas special for old folks. And I like big band music and jazz. Give me these reworked by Pink Martini and I'll probably be happy. Put this in context: The Beatles first album came the following year and this is five years after Here's Little Richard and The Chirping Crickets. It's the *same year* as Booker T and the MG's Green Onions ffs. There are some saving graces - Hey, Good Looking' holds up entirely and I quite like the version of You Are My Sunshine. I don't actively dislike it, and might not skip some of the tunes if they came up on a playlist, but this isn't something I'll want to listen to again. It gets 3 stars for the cultural significance (and because it's clearly better than My Bloody Valentine).
Fave tracks: Bye bye love, you don’t know much, half as much, just a little lovin’, born to lose, hey, good lookin very well put together, but many tracks kinda blend together 3/5
I think there is a lot of filler on and would give it a 3 as is. I think if it were trimmed down to a single album it’s at a 4 and perhaps a 5.
That Charles on band and less soul that I like less
I enjoyed a few songs but didn’t finish listening to the entire album. “I can’t stop loving you” stood out to me as I showered to it. “You are my sunshine” is a fun take on the classic lullaby (?). I’d love to revisit this and give it the time it deserves.
Old school cool. Cool production too and a dreamy album that takes me back. (76%)
Wasn't really in the mood for it, but not bad.
Not my type of music but reminds me of my grandparents
мягкий, приятный джаз прекрасная лирика уверенные 3+
Голос у Рэя Чарльза крутой... наверное, такой же выдающийся, как и у Барри Уайта и Луи Армстронга. Подборка шлягеров о любви 50х-60х: да, я почувствовал себя немного дедом, пока слушал. Да и вообще альбом такой... размеренный. Никуда не торопится. Прекрасно зайдет как фоновое музыкальное сопровождение дружеской встречи компании мужчин 50+. В теории может зайти на свидании, но нужно быть наверное любителем вот всей этой эстетики 60х и киношных свиданий, чтобы это прям создало вау-эффект. Ни рыба, ни мясо. Тут как бы даже авторство не оценишь: это же сборник каверов.
Bra!
A great jazz/swing album that you can still feel those country/western elements in, seems like a perfect example of genre fusion
Not for me, but Ray Charles has a remarkable voice.
Ça me fait penser à Thomas O'Malley j'aime bien
sympatoche
Nice, but too long
- into it immediately
I'm not denying the historical importance of this LP. Ray Charles' vocal performance is here technically spotless, and it's nice to witness him pillage the "country and western" repertoire to give it his own African-American spin in it. This albums is a little like an inverted image of what Elvis and his producers had done a few years before, when they appropriated a large chunk of African-American culture and sounds. And if only for that, it should be remembered today. The thing is, I'm still really NOT convinced the end result is for everyone, especially so many decades later. Maybe it's my own tastes influencing me too much (I can't really get rid of them, can I?), bur bar a few exceptions here and there, sugar-coated orchestral strings set to such a fully Disneyfied mode always remind me of what comes out of PA systems in lunatic asylums to calm the crazies. Quite an uneasy experience, to be honest, never intended by this record's production team. Likewise, those Big Band shenanigans for the supposedly livelier cuts quickly bore me to death. It's as if they lost all of their impact with everything that came after 1962. So if I'm being fully candid here, the "emotions" this record provide for me feel like an EEG flatline. In other words, it's not for me. Had "Hit The Road Jack" or other Ray Charles signature songs been included to such a project, maybe I would have woken up a little. But here, maybe it's better to let me sleep until the next LP that will pop up tomorrow. Good night! Number of albums left to review: 658 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 169 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 82 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 96
Not a fan of Ray but it’s pretty good
Was OK, not the biggest fan but some good songs
Not my thing but obviously a very talented man. It made pretty good background music while I worked
This is another album credited with breaking the colour barrier. To be honest, I prefer Ray's music that the white folks weren't interested in. I like the originals of the country tunes, especially Hank's songs, so that's not the problem but orchestration filters on these songs brings them a step down from the originals. The arrangements leave little room for Ray's piano playing and velvety voice to shine through. Hey if it made him famous, who can argue with its being in the list.
I won’t continue with my rant about how 1001 could pick two Ray Charles’ crossover albums over his R&B classics released around the same time and cited by the 60s British invasion bands as being major influences. Anyway, on to the music. My negative attitude heading into this LP changed as soon as I heard the opening track, and I realized that I could warm up to an album (or 2) of up-tempo R&B-tinged versions of country songs. I would have preferred a few more of these over the orchestrated ballads we received, though I think Ray’s voice shines on the ballads. He's a versatile singer and you can tell that he feels a strong connection with country music. There’s much written about how this LP brought the races together and contributed to the civil rights movement. I’m a bit skeptical of this since most of the quotes in this regard (in Wiki) were post-2000. For a great story about race and country music, look no further than Charlie Pride.
Love lot’s about this but it feels a bit soft round the edges. Prefer Ray Charles when he’s rougher
Better than I thought it would be - got a bit samey but a nice listen for a Monday morning. Had quite a few songs I recognised - but also feels quite 'old'.
Enjoyed this interesting album with different takes on songs. Worth your time and effort.
3.75
Was ok, probably not in the mood for the style of music
Very pleasant but not a classic
Really enjoyable. Close to a 4.
Lovely album
3 cause it's Ray Charles. Boring.
Lekker zoetsappige muziek. Niet bijzonder goede muziek maar wel gewoon lekker om naar te luisteren. Wel een beetje veel nummers aangezien veel op elkaar lijkt
Mooie muziek, zeker voor deze decembertijd. Maar het voelt niet meer als een soort achtergrondmuziek
Very gentle listening, all very well known songs and stylistically very dated now but not a difficult album to listen to at all
I would listen again but there’s nothing mind blowing about it
Bien. Muy bien canta. I Can't Stop Loving You
More like a 3.5
Decent, enjoyable take on those famous songs.
Great songs, but a tad too long and too much of the same for me to enjoy the whole album in one listen.
Learning about the historical influence of this was interesting, and I can imagine how shocking it was in 1962 to hear this mix. Obviously it sounds much more passe in 2022 in a "Seinfeld is unfunny" kind of way but I can appreciate it.
Quite a nice listen today, incredible vocals obviously, lovely big band sound in there, versatility. Enjoyable.
This is a really nice listen - good amount of range, amazing voice, and I do like the big band sound on occasion. But, it feels much more like an anthology than an album, and I get fed up of the style after about 45 minutes. Scrapes a 3, no more than that.
Bien.
Negatives: All covers. Again. Also, I’m sure there’s a raw, grizzled side to Ray Charles that isn’t on display at all here. I’m not saying I want 12 Hit the Road Jacks… but maybe I do? Positives: I actually enjoyed listening to this quite a bit. It took a couple of spins to realise they were actually, clearly, country songs at heart. The orchestral arrangements make them sound more like jazz or swing ballads or something, but the combination of rich instrumentation, simple country songs and Ray’s vocals works well. Plus, I got overwhelming Christmas vibes from the whole album, which put me in the festive mood more than all the prematurely erected lights and decorations in town currently do.
I figured there would be a lot more piano in this. Would have benefited from a more stripped down sound, seems like things get lost in the mix.
Sounds really old, and not as "country & western" as the title made me expect. Good, but not great, and very long (because it is two albums turned into a double)).
Oldie but goodie
Hard to say anything bad about this. Other than it's a never ending album.
Not what I expected for my first album here but it was a good surprise tbh. The first volume is much softer than the second volume but 1 hour and 14 minutes of jazz was actually very nice. Why is is called country and western though...
Hmm dreaded this when I saw "country" Charles does have his style that's wholly his own and this is so much better than most. However it's still the slow, pondering type music which is country all over. He has a great voice though. 3 but an interesting 3
Very nice. Not something I would listen to regularly, but I can definitely appreciate it. 3 stars.
I do like the big band sound. And I do love Ray. This is what I consider a "context" album: the setting that you hear it determines whether you think it's a great album or, as is my case today, it's just okay.
S-l-i-c-k.
Twas alright. thought it would be better. maybe it was the slower music on a day i needed some pop
Ну нормально, но это не мое
It's not giving country and western imo. The slower songs are giving Etta James
I much preferred disk 2. But you can here a progression from a big band sound to more soul
This was a good album. The themes/lyrics get redundant but it’s a very chill album that’s easy to listen to. Great instrumentals as always by Mr Charles.
Despite its name, I did not dislike this album. Ray Charles definitely makes each song his own. The album has Georgia on it so that helps it.
It's a long album, and too repetitive!
Good songs and voice. Not a big fan of the big band style.
Some delightful Ray
a little honky tonk for my taste
Man one song in and I'm wondering wtf this is. It's like country songs made into showtunes and sung by Ray Charles and his backup singers? Alright the 2nd song seems a lot better and what I would want to hear from Ray Charles. Okay I overreacted on the first song, the rest of them are classic RC.
This brings back memories. My parents had Volume 1, my grandparents had Volume 2. He was one of the few secular artists my grandmother would listen to. Love hearing him bring some soul to country classics.
prob other albums by ray that i would like more but good record.
Soul, R &B. Un poco aburrido.
Sounding more ‘big band’ than ‘country’ to my ears, enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Good vibes tah l'époque j'ai bien aimé, un peu slow et tout, mais je pense 70% des sons ont été sample par des rappeur s et ça c'est cool a+
Ágætis plata. Ég er ekki mikil countrystelpa, en Ray setur hér sinn svip á gömul og góð slík lög.
Ray Charles brought together many popular songs and reworked them. The work was done quite well just not sure that it feeds my desire to listen to original works.
This album is interesting in its construction, but for the most part it's not very fun, which is what I come to Ray Charles for. It's definitely not bad, and there's clear musical significance to the approach he took to this album, but it doesn't really make you tap your toes until you get to the last song 3/5
3.5. It's fine. A couple of real classics.
A rather good album with the sound of the 60s drenching from it, however, there isn't a stand out song. The songs are all just pretty good. 62%
Good music to sort my vintage cameras to
Dry and not for my day and age but romantic for someone like rag Charles but definitely not the music he was known for , more reflects the day and period he was in
Ray sounds great. Not much of a fan of the choral style backing vocals. Good songs.
S'écoute bien, c'est du Ray Charles, on connait bien, mais rien de particulièrement remarquable non plus dans cet album.
Easy listening
Country, folk, 1962. This record is a vast collection of interesting and danceable songs and also commercial successes like "I Can't Stop Loving You". Maybe it's not an artistically sophisticated album but it's definitely a good one in every aspect of its composition.
Not what I expected for Ray Charles, but nice
Great album for chilling. Mr Charles has a great voice
I know this must be foundational in many ways but I just usually can't get into the big band sound
Ray Charles is great and all but some of these 60s albums just really make it plain how much popular music has progressed since then.
I love Ray Charles but this is a big miss for me. It probably sounded good at the time but 60 years onwards it just sounds quaint and old-fashioned.
Just a bit too much Ray in one go for me.
Brings back some memories - a lot of these songs were sung by my mom when I was growing up.
Ray is great. I’m not a fan of country standards though.
Well, now, this is certainly an unexpected offering from the great Ray Charles. He's such a talented performer. Really nice to listen to this one.
Interesting, for the time culturally groundbreaking. I have to say, not very keen on this style of background chorals. That said a few great tracks, but not really a consistant album for me. I love Ray Charles, this as a whole is not great for me
Hij heeft een prachtige stem en ik kan me voorstellen dat de jeugd in de jaren 50 dit helemaal geweldig vonden! Voor mij prima te luisteren, maar niet mijn favoriete muziekstijl. ***
I’m going with stcarp on this one. The upbeat stuff is great. The slower stuff is nice, but I’m unplussed. Less slow, more upbeat. Mr. Charles is quite the talent.
Chill
høyres ut som musikken i gamle disney-filma
Took forever, good for the background though
An enjoyable album that has a pretty low ceiling. Ray Charles is a legendary musician however the songs are a little dated and his style doesn’t have much variance. They are executed well and he’s a good singer/pianist. The double album gets a bit dull towards the end just due to my personal taste. I’d listen again but sparingly. 6.4/10
Some good songs but a little one note. I like the other styles of music that mr Charles dabbled with
Gar nicht so schlecht aber kein fan von diesen Balladen ich penn ein
A bit boomery but enjoyable
I enjoyed this album, popped it on in the background, don't think I stopped to listen to any specific tracks
I enjoyed this for the most part.
Wow Ray Charles such a legend! I love the upbeat bops on this album!! Super fun big band tracks, there's no matching the cool of Charles' voice. I mostly didn't love the slower songs but You Don't Know Me is such a great tune which I love from the film My Best Friend's Wedding hahaha so I enjoyed that one!
Wow this was quite a lot one! I really enjoyed the upbeat ones but started to find the slower ones a bit sad, samey and depressing
Good stuff, nice and boppy
An enjoyable listen. Not my time but great Xmas music
Отличная музыка и для тех дней, когда тебе плохо, и для тех, когда хорошо.
Good… not much more to say on this one.
Thought it was going to be some shocking country but wasn't too bad. some cool songs
This is just one of the many albums Ray Charles has created, but it is one of his later and more popular ones. This album is tuned more towards country, folk, and Western music, instead of his usual R&B or jazz music. Ray Charles remixed popular country songs into a soulful R&B style. Something that appealed to every type of music lover at the time. The album was coined during a time of racial tensions in America as being a "blending of white & black music". Also, this album has been certified gold in the US. Modern Sounds went on to be one of the most popular albums of 1962, almost winning Album of the Year at the Grammys. It has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The album broaden the appeal for country and R&B music to new listeners that may have never given these genres a chance. For this reason alone, this album is important. You'll love this album!
Am I going to hell for thinking Ray Charles is boring? Incredibly talented but boring. And the choir sounds exactly like an old Disney film.
great voice, songs and arrangements very much of its time
Enjoyable big band sound
It seems quaint that this album is titled 'Modern' when the music would not seem out of place in a 1950s motion picture soundtrack, or a Hanna Barbara original animation. But top musicianship shines through nonetheless