Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Hard not to love Ray's voice and a big band backing him up. From a different era that I'm happy to revisit from time to time, so classy...

Save me the Ray Conniff singers and give me more of Ray’s bangin’ piano solos and this could be a five star effort. Still, it’s a textbook example of jumping, swinging, heartfelt blues.

4/5

Such an alluring, legendary sound. Ridiculous album title.

Respectable stuff, not something I always wanna hear but it all sounds great. A cool tidbit from Wikipedia: "The album's integration of soul and country challenged racial barriers in popular music at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career."

Feels like the soundtrack to a Disney film, gentle, warming, but a powerful voice and I love it. "Just a Little Lovin'" my favourite track on the album.

Gorgeous album, and I can understand why my dad calls contemporary music mere “noise.” This album breathes!

Loved this. Super solid and fun. Been a fan of Ray Charles for a long time.

String arrangements are boss. I feel old to say this/think this, but pop songs used to be really complicated! I love that. Some still go to the trouble--like I've noticed on Silk Sonic's music-- but most do not. It's such a lovely pleasure to sit down with stuff like this. I can't say I prefer Charles' versions of anything over others, but they're all lovely and this gets plenty of bonus for breaking barriers.

J'ai bien aimé l"album, c'est très classique et les chansons sont super bien arrangés par Ray Charles, une légende. Cependant, ca manque un peude punch à la longue avec une durée de 1h15, ca tourne ne rond un peu vers la fin. 4*

What a gorgeous album. To say my usual of, "it blends [x] genres well," would be doing a disservice. It's amazing what Ray Charles is able to do here, between picking some real country weepers, changing them entirely, and keeping the soul of the songs. My only nitpick is the chorus: they're a little bland and sometimes bring down a song pretty heavily. Favorite tracks: "Half As Much", "Just a Little Lovin'", "Careless Love"

Some very engaging tracks . I love his voice

Just a good album start to finish.

Good stuff

Ray Charles er æðsilegur söngvari og þessi production er mjög sjarmerandi, kántrí slagarar með heilmiklum strengjum og þykkum kórbakröddum. Þetta er ekki plata sem talar beinlínis til mín, en hún er mjög áheyrileg.

Jazzy

This is where classic swing, soul and blues meet. I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I would. Great arrangements with chorus and sweeping strings, yet with a melancholy undertone make for an irresistible mixture of music. 4/5

Liked this a lot more than I would. Nice chilled out background music.. had it on while going through work emails. Standout track is the cover of 'You Are My Sunshine"

Rating: 7/10

I am not familiar with a lot of country music. This I can get used to.

A true delight.

Billy Joel said it best about this album. A black man taking the whitest music and making it his own. It's easy to lose sight of what a big deal this was at the time, and a lot of these songs have become such Ray Charles standards that a listener might not appreciate the significance of its existence. Seeing the album title alone, you'd be forgiven in thinking this would be a country album. In that respect, I prefer Charlie Pride over this. But it's NOT a country album. Billy Joel was right: It's a Ray Charles album. Old Ray made sure of that.

First, stop and think about all the grief Lil Nas X got for doing country a couple of years ago. It wasn't even recognised as country till he got a cosign from Billie Ray Cyrus. Now consider that Ray Charles recorded this, against his labels wishes SIXTY YEARS AGO. Dude was brave or mad. It opens fun, with a song I know better by the Every brothers. His version is fun, especially as he waits a full minute before his beautiful voice jumps in. Maybe he wanted to give the racists a surprise! Then it pivots into the more mellow, sad, lovelorn side of country, and hits the right notes there too! It's all really good. It's rare I'm this hungry for more after an older album - but I was glad there was a second lp of this recorded!

My first album from Ray Charles, I can definitely say I am not disappointed. This has aged very well, still feels like an era gone by with the background vocals and orchestration, but I do mean that in the best way possible.

Loved it

I have always known of Ray Charles, as a legend and an icon of soul and other genres from the 50s onwards. When i hear his name i think of the Blues Brothers movie - i guess thats when i first heard of him. i didnt know this album. have enjoyed listening to it. When i started i assumed it was from the 1950s, but as it turns out it was 1962, which i guess means the music would have probably sounded like a collection if old classics. By a guy who has his own style and mood, it is not really my thing, kind of an old fashioned hollywood vibe. i guess to appreciate it it should be considered in its historical context, early 60s, civil rights movement era, yet mainly “ white” music by a pioneerning black blues / soul singer. i can see how it belongs in a list of albums to listen to before you die, but i dont see myself coming back and lisrening to it too often. Careless Love was a stand out to me for mood and feel. And You are My Sunshine more of a histroical artefact,

Really enjoyed this.

For me, this album highlighted the limitations of a one-day challenge and of a lot of online music writing, in which context is reduced to the decade of release, the instrumentation and the country of origin. I don't think that even the very best music can fully transcend the context in which it was made. I could say I liked it, but I don't think that's any more worthwhile than listicles that rank the Holy Bible as a Britpop album, or the 1001 Album Club podcast, which I gave up on after half an episode because they described Ian Dury as "British whimsy bullshit" that reminded them of a "more up-tempo Syd Barrett." This has sent me down a bit of a rabbit-hole, thinking about which aspects of culture we pass on, which we forget and why. I might like it even more if I understood it better, but I won't understand it without wider reading and listening into the social context, Ray's career to date and contemporary country, and I'm not sure I like it enough to make that commitment. But that's no criticism of Ray Charles; it's a ridiculously high bar for anyone to vault, and I appreciate there must be very good reasons that this music has lasted and will continue to last better than the vast majority of stuff I love.

Doesn't this feel very distant from the modern renderings of country music, be it pop, outlaw or whatever stripe you care to name. Yet despite the lush arrangements and lack of shorthand country signifiers, this is a bold and interesting take on the genre. 'I Can't Stop Loving You' and 'Careless Love' are stupendous. Country music in a big band format? Works for me - especially when interpreted by Charles. Just a guy I love to hear sing!

Innovative for the time, still sublime for any time, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music provided a blueprint that showcased that it was okay for black musicians to dip their toes in other facets of music, music that was (and, in some cases, still is) closed to them. And, as always, Ray Charles displays magnificent singing efforts towards some of the most melancholic material lain upon him and he does them justice. A recommended album for those who want to experience not just the brilliance of Ray but the often neglected stories in the songs.

Classic Ray Charles. His voice is so emotive, and when he lets loose on the piano his note choice is immaculate. Probably the greatest album of this kind of tune.

Very good.

Reminded me of times singing with my mum

За ощущение, будто посмотрел "Том и Джерри", поставлю 4 звёздочки. Как фон для лакшери застолья пойдёт.

This is more poppy. More 50s pop, early 60s pop, right before the Beatles pop. Maybe it's this R&B kinda guy doing late 50s/early 60s pop music. This blind pianist with a soulful voice doing non-soulful versions of soulful country songs. It works.

It's disappointing that this list contains two albums of the genius that Ray Charles is. The Genius Of Ray Charles: an album with big band and singing pop arrangements and the other: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music with country and folk songs. That is not who Ray Charles is. He is the man that almost singlehandedly invented soul as a music genre combining gospel and blues in songs like "I Got a Woman". Why is a fantastic album like Ray Charles - Ray Charles (1957) not on this list containing the genre he defined. It is a Shame, Shame, Shame (I know that is not a Ray Charles song, but it is more Ray Charles than the two albums on this list). Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is still a good album, but it's not one of his best.

This was a very nice album honestly. Wouldn't say many recognized hits though, save maybe for "I Can't Stop Loving You". 7/10.

The songs seems sort of dated now but Ray Charles really knocks them out of the park anyway.

8/10

Pretty great

so good.

ulubione you don't know me I love you so much it hurts just a little lovin' (will go a long way)

Great

Even though this isn’t the kind of music I normally listen to, I loved it! Especially the interesting arrangements for songs that I knew from elsewhere (I guess these are the country and western music songs the title refers to?). I’ll add that It’s gems such as this, about which existence I formerly wasn’t aware of, that brought me here. Pity these are so rare.

7/10 enjoyable but nothing special

8/10. This was quite good, a relisten might even bump up my score by one.

Didn’t really think of this as country which I guess goes to show that what I dislike most about the genre are the vocals. Fun but not too engaging listen. 7/10

Ray Charles is timeless and classic. A great listen, but listening to this album in its entirety I realized most of his songs follow the same "I love you, you hurt me" motif and generally have the same sound and feel. The man definitely knew what he was about.

I feel relaxed and happy because of ray's voice, despite the fact he's singing about losing a lover and wanting to die? I don't hear much western, but its got a healthy mix of country, swing, and blues - later note, maybe I'm thinking of the wild west genre and there was a different name for this that we either lost or changed? His voice is amazing and smooth Prime example of some of the best that the black community has brought to the table for music. Really genuine emotion in the singing I can't shake the feeling of christmas music in all of this...

Really good listen to for a feelgood song, Ray Charles voice is pretty damn good and making me feel good

Country drugi dan za redom. Moze ray, moze big band, daj reube daj signale. Super album, super pjesme, te ne smeta patetika u rijecima

Gospodin 🎹😎

Sweet

Sunday vibes

Enjoyed listening to this. Very calming bit upbeat

Was nice!

great way to wind down at the end of the day, so easy to listen to

Didn’t finish. Pretty good though

If only we got country music like this nowadays instead of "Fancy Like"...

An enlightening sound, though not what I’m accustomed to. Really good energy.

A near perfect dinner party album. I love the brassy big band arrangements, the lush string arrangements, not so much, but the fact that he makes it all work is a testament to his talent 4 stars

I feel I've undermarked this because it's an amazing album with a real crossover that paved the way for so much. But I can't help but feel Ray Charles is at his bets with blues. This whitebread album could easily be for Sinatra which I guess is the point. It opened doors and is very good. But you know he's got more in him.

// Favs: – Score: Light 4

Not my usual genres, but Ray Charles has a very smooth voice that can carry a song. Combined with smooth jazzy, country and pop instrumentals the whole collection is a friendly listen with short songs.

Genius at work - great arrangements, fabulous band, and every vocal OWNS the song.

Love songs op jazz en R&B. Soms swingend en soms wiegend.

Great LP! Had some of this on a charity shop cd I got recently Ray Charles greatest country and western hits…

Well..... The songs are little bit boring but Ray..... He is awesome. So chill

I am a hugh Ray Charles fan so any time I have an opportunity to buy some of his music I jump at it. This two volume CD was everything I hoped for and more! The content is awsome and the quality of the CD, the case and art work was pristine. I plan to buy another one as a Christmas gift for one of my brothers who enjoys a good music CD as much as I do. Overall, the purchase of this CD was 10, I am very pleased with this purchase on all levels.

Lush - can hear how Amy was influenced

Ray Friggin Charles. Such a soulful voice. Digital remastered cleaned it up so nice.... 4 stars

Very enjoyable and easy listening. Nothing that stands out on this album, but solid all around.

What a fucking achievement this album was. Best track: Bye Bye Love

60's music is fantastic, and this one really delivers. It makes you feel what it wants you to feel. The orchestra was lively when it felt like it and somber when it wanted to make you feel nostalgic. My only gripe was that the songs could've been taken to more extremes - that is, the highs can be higher and the lows can be lower. Favorite track: I Love You So Much It Hurts

A really sweet, comfy album. Ray sounds amazing on this one!

Was a different take on Ray Charles, but I loved it nonetheless. Man was a national treasure.

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

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

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!

Yum.

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

L'album qui a traumatisé Ray Charles.

THIS IS ABBA - REVIVAL

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.

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.

Très charmant mais aussi répétitif

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.

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

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

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.

That was well good

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

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.

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.

also impressive aber zur hälfte iwie sehr weihnachten

Good but didn’t grab me like I thought it would.

Like the sound of the big band jazzy ones, but too slow and sappy at times. Liked the horns on Just a Little Lovin and the vibes of Good Lookin.

NO tota jooooo. Moderneja saundeja tosiaan. No ei sovi moittiakaan.

This is a beautiful sounding record. The vocals are so beautiful, the instrumentation is perfect. How they record something so perfect in 1962 is wild! The songs got a bit repetitive as we went along, so I took a star off. But this is top notch

Good, reminds me of jazzy bands that play in bars. I liked the overall vibe but not my type of music.

Yeah i mean it's good.

While this is a dated musical style, and not an album I would choose to revisit, the arrangements and the performances are clearly of high quality.

Favourite Track(s): You Don’t Know Me Born To Lose It Makes No Difference Now

I was kinda dreading as soul, especially 60s soul, isn't really my thing, but it ended up being quite nice actually. Pleasant surprise

3/5

6/10 I think it's important to put this album in context of its time. In 1962, the US was right in the middle of the civil rights movement, and it was still completly legal to discriminate based on race within the country. It was a year before Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and four years before the voting reforms that allowed black people to exercise their right to vote. The main way that white America was consuming music of black origin was through the lens of white artists like Elvis, who was controversial enough, but at least he wasn't... you know... black. For a black man to take a selection of country songs, a genre so entangled with the areas of the US in which racial discrimination was most prominent, spin those songs into a jazz and r&b style and then manage to make that record not only one of the biggest selling records by a black artist, but also one of the biggest selling country albums, is a remarkable achievement. So on the historical significance side of things, this record ticks all of the boxes. Unfortunately, for me, I think the stylistic choices made for this record actually take away some of the magic that I'm looking for from a Ray Charles album. It kicks off in great style, with pace, groove and swagger, but all too soon, things mellow out almost to the point of inertia. The arrangements are flowery and overdone, particularly when strings and backing choirs get involved, and I often found things to be leaning way too far towards a musical theatre side of orchestral pop jazz, which just doesn't work for me. Ray's vocals, when they are given prominence and freedom to be a bit more expressive, are excellent, but he really shines on the more stripped back or punchy numbers, while the more mellow stuff just kind of sounds fairly bland by comparison. The same can be said of his piano playing, which is all too often obscured by the dense arrangements, and rarely gets the centre stage role that I was hoping for. The occasional flourish was brilliant, but those moments were fairly fleeting. With that being said, I never had a bad time with this record, and even the songs that I was less keen on were pleasant enough listening experiences, but it was only when things kicked into gear that I really felt myself fully absorbed by the music. Perhaps these were the kind of decisions Ray had to make in order to achieve the crossover success that he did, which is understandable if it is the case, but this album feels like it lacks the edge and potency of his best work. It's entirely competent, well performed, and does nothing to make it an unpleasant listen, but musically, it never really does enough to light a fire in me as a listener either. Bye Bye, Love - A cracking start. It's got great pace, groove and feel to it. Ray's vocal is excellent, as one would expect, and we get a few nice moments when he's playing against the backing vocals with great swagger. The rhythm swings too. Incredibly solid stuff. You Don't Know Me - This drops the tempo and, while it's very nice, it leans a bit too much towards a saccharin, croony music hall feel for me. The vocal is very well delivered, but the strings and backing vocals make it a bit too sickly sweet. It's a very good example of this type of music, but it almost feels dated for 1962, let alone now. The vocal quality is undeniable, but I just don't really dig the song or arrangement. Half As Much - This moves fairly smoothly on from the last track, but injects a good deal more swing and swagger to proceedings. The arrangement supports Ray's charismatic delivery, rather than clouding it. It's still a touch slow paced, but it's good a good groove to it and the instrumental solo work is smooth. Not bad. I Love You So Much It Hurts - This has the same issues as You Don't Know Me. It's slow, the string and backing vocal arrangements are very dated and overwritten, and the pace doesn't leave much room for Ray to shine. His vocal is good, but he's much less suited to this type of thing to my ear, and while there's stuff in here that I can appreciate, I just don't really rate the actual song or arrangement. Just A Little Lovin' - He's much better with a bit of swing and groove to work with, isn't he? The swagger and charisma of his vocal work shines in this kind of context and it feels like he has more room to express himself. There's some fun instrumental work in here too and everyone is playing exactly on point, with rhythm, punch and panache. It's a much better song and the horn arrangements are really good too. Let's keep working in this direction shall we? Please? Born To Lose - Ah. Those opening strings say otherwise. I think he loses something from his vocal at slower pace and with concert hall reverb like this. There's a bit more to this than some of the other slower numbers, because it's at least got a more present rhythmic focus, but the overly flowery string arrangements and Christmas caroller backing vocals just don't do it for me. Worried Mind - The string arrangement here is much more subtle and allows Ray's charm to be a bit more front and centre. His piano work is beautiful, with great sense of melody and timing. It's more restrained and deft, allowing for so much more emotion and feeling to come forth from.the performances, and I'd definitely have been more on board with the other slower numbers if they were dealt with in this style. The final flourish of choral vocals isn't great though! It Makes No Difference Now - Ah, some great piano work to kick things back into gear. The pace is still fairly slow, but the groove is oh so solid. The orchestration is restrained, and works really well against the more free-flowing vocal. The rhythm is a touch one paced, but it's still a pretty infectiously swung piece of work. The late addition of the punctuating horns adds a cool bit of range. I could possibly have done with a little more prominent piano work, but otherwise, this was fun. You Win Again - The backing vocals are a little better here and the slow, swinging bass line that underpins things gives things a touch of rhythmic quality that helps things along. Again, it's a bit overly flowery and not really the kind of thing I particularly like, but it's not bad. Careless Love - This is better again, and there's more personality in the vocal. The deft brass arrangements give this a level of cool that helps it stand out from the other slow numbers. It's jazzy, bluesy and well put together without any of the arrangement feeling overdone. The slow, shuffling groove is pretty infectious and the swelling nature of the brass in certain spots is really very well delivered. Lovely stuff. I Can't Stop Loving You - I feel like Ray plays a bit more nicely off the backing vocals here, rather than getting swamped by them. His vocal work really is excellent and has more of that nuance and deftness of touch that he shows at his best. I don't love the song, but the arrangement is much more complimentary to his voice and we even get a few nice bits of piano work poking out from the mix. Hey, Good Lookin' - Wahey, let's close this out in style. It's, jumpin', Swingin' stuff that lets us hear Ray tinkle the ivories with his characteristic panache and sense of melody. He gets to be much more free and expressive with his vocal too. The rhythm and groove is brilliant, and the orchestration does exactly what it should do, which is to support and punctuate the central hooks and performances. A brilliant ending to a slightly varied collection.

It's fine. Definitely didn't need two volumes.

“The Genius” takes a set of country standards and completely filters them through his own style: big-band arrangements, sweeping strings, gospel feeling, and that unmistakable Ray Charles voice. On paper, the combination sounds unusual; in practice, it feels remarkably natural. That is both the album’s strength and its limitation for me. Ray Charles is so distinctive that the country material quickly becomes secondary, and after a while I mostly hear a very polished Ray Charles record rather than a radical meeting of two musical worlds. It is well made and easy to respect, but ultimately it sounds exactly like what I would expect from “The Genius.”

Ну на данный момент это уде классика, а не современное звучание). В целом звучит довольно классно, я даже не понял где тут всё-таки кантри.

Not my favourite ray Charles, but Ray Charles! There are some very cool arrangements here. All of it benefits from his awesome delivery style. There are also a couple of songs I'm really not crazy for, so I find it a frustratingly inconsistent listen at times

Fun to hear these songs reimagined, but I'm not coming back to this one

It's a good album honestly. The croosover between the modern, upbeat melodies and the instrumentalistic element of country makes it a great base to pave the way into modern music.

This album is mistitled. There’s not a lick of what I would even remotely consider country on this. I’d put it somewhere around big band or even blues before country, and we’re the richer for it. The orchestrations are lush, the vocals compelling, and the songwriting is decent. But it feels a little removed from relevance at this point. One side query…I wonder if there were technical limitations due to Mr Charles’ blindness when it came to him playing piano with the orchestra. I think of him sat behind a piano most commonly and it is noticeably missing from the songs with the most orchestral involvement so I posit that maybe it wasn’t possible because he couldn’t see the conductor.

I liked having this on in the house in the background

dece but won't be rushing back

Classic for a reason. The band, the piano, the swinging vocals. But it feels dated 60 years later - not something I would seek out but happy to have it show up once in a while for nostalgia.

Amazing how albums could be so simple yet effective. Although by disc 2 it seemed like every other songs kinda sounded the same. Fav song "it makes no difference now"

Like Ray Charles’ music a lot

Ray is great but he doesn't do a lot special with these songs

Highlights: Half As Much, Born To Lose. In a nutshell: new country. So that you know, the title and the genres listed in Wikipedia are a little misleading. Ray is singing "country and western" music (plus some folk), BUT not in the typical country or western style. He is singing countrypolitan. Countrypolitan is essentially country music rejigged for a pop audience. It usually has an orchestra (mainly strings) and backing vocals. By definition, an offshoot of Nashville Sound (think Patsy Cline, Chet Atkins, Jim Reeves). This album took my surprise as I was expecting Ray to try singing in a different style, like Hank Williams or Marty Robbins. I guess that's my fault for not reading the "modern sounds" part of the title. Ray sticks to his R&B roots, but goes gently. Adapting to the sweeping backing vocals and Sinatra style backing orchestra. I wouldn't call the Everly Brothers' Bye Bye Love a country song. It's more rockabilly/traditional rock and roll song. This is a covers album I can get behind. Overall: 6/10

Second and apparently last Ray Charles album for me on this list. I enjoyed the first one but overall didn’t wow me. Not sure if this list is intending to include the combined version with volumes 1 and 2 but will see how I feel after listening to the original album if I think vol 2 should be included in my rating. Some really good ballads here. His voice is certainly a classic sound. You Don’t Know Me is really good. So interesting that these are all country covers. It all has that jazzy r&b sound with a hint of blues. But they’re mostly ballads so you can hear that country influence, if you know you’re looking for it. After a while, this feels a bit repetitive but they’re a good collection of these classic sounding songs. There’s definitely a theme of heartbreak throughout a lot of them that seems to all fit together. You Win Again is one of the best on the album. Careless Love is another I really enjoyed. Listening to Vol 2 and you hear a little difference in sound right away with You Are My Sunshine. Love this version of this song it’s amazing. There are still some ballads on vol 2, but there are a few more jazzy tunes. Overall it’s all part of the same style and sound. This is all fine and easy to listen to. Just overall nothing more than a 3 to me. I’ll say I understand why it’s on this list.

I mean, obviously, on a technical level, Ray Charles has an incredible voice, and many of these songs are standards for a reason. But the tone of both the instrumentation (especially the big band) and the vocal performance (especially the choir) seem entirely indifferent to the nuances of meaning conveyed by the lyrics. Which, fine, I guess, but it feels like a dereliction of duty to strip out that essential element of country (and western). So, sure, the concept is an admirable one and I wouldn't go lower than a three, but these versions seem to me to lack - of all things - the soul of their originals, replacing it with a slick, syrupy sameness.

Nice classics. Loved it especially under the shower and in the car

Hell yeah brother you’re not going anywhere you don’t have any friends to talk about it and you know that I don’t care about you and I don’t care about anybody else but you know that you don’t care about me

Man, this music was old fashioned when it was released; this album sounded more like the 1940s than any of the other older albums I've listened to. It's Ray Charles playing piano quite well with an accompanying big band; it's fine. This is also yet another album full of covers, which I don't think belongs on this list. Low 3/5

Far out, this was all a bit mopey & depressing wasn’t it? Surely a better Ray Charles album could have been picked in lieu of this.

They were kind of samey but good

Schöne Stimme, viel Streicher und Hintergrund-Chor im Background

I enjoyed seeing a 60 year old instance of something calling itself "Modern". There's such a specific type of strings sound in so many of these tracks that absolutely reeks of the era, which is nice to be able to point out. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the track in particular, but I didn't dislike a single one. I've never given Ray Charles the time of day, so this is a fun album to jump in with. I don't think he had the best opportunity to play around vocally in these tracks, but that might be a cost of retooling country songs into a new genre. Preferred the horns over the strings and some songs had a real Count Basie combo of the double bass and trumpet which put a smile on my face. A pleasant record!

So this was a series of interesting takes on some classic country and western songs by Charles. That alone made this a very interesting album, and Charles‘s voice is so interesting to listen to. I wasn’t a neighbored with a giant amount of this, but it was an interesting listen. Oh, Lonesome Me it’s probably my favorite track across the whole set. Not great, not bad, but definitely worthy of inclusion, especially considering the time in which this was made. Three stars.

nisam se udubio isk

fun and hippy, i guess. he had talent. although that one song where he said "let me be your slave" is wild Would I listen again: not really Deserves to be on this list: probably 3.2

Most of the songs sound the same yet I think most of these songs are done pretty well. 6/10

Didn't finish but would come back

Ray Charles shows off his stellar voice over R&B and rock-n-roll tunes with jazzy accompaniment.

Ei kyllä tällainen jazz oo mun juttu ei sit ollenkaan. Pakko antaa silti 3/5 koska on kuitenkin kuunneltavaa musiikkia.

I couldn't see this being great and neither could Ray. It was ok. A good singer badly covering good songs

Other than the title itself, you really wouldn't know these songs were originally country and western standards, with Ray Charles absolutely making them his own by adding his signature sound. This is an album that sounds further ahead in time compared to others of its ilk, and the fact that Charles had full creative control as a Black artist during the height of the Civil Rights movement is something to be recognised. Each song explores yearning, love, loss, depression, and happiness alike, creating a smorgasbord of emotion that really takes the listener on a journey. So why the lower rating? Well, quite frankly, it's a very long album, consisting of a whopping 24 tracks and lasting almost an hour and a half, meaning that it becomes a bit of a chore to listen to after a while. Some tracks fail to distinguish themselves from the rest, so unfortunately there are a portion where I probably couldn't you what makes them unique in any way. Other than that however, it's a pretty good collection of tunes that kept me entertained for the most part.

Wasn't in the mood

Фолаут по ньому плаче

This was alright. I like Ray Charles, but honestly the album felt very long and repetitive, like there were basically 3 or 4 songs tha were remixed and/or rewritten into like 20 for the album. I listened to it a second time to see if it was any better on relisten, but it was kinda just the same. I did enjoy the covers though, so I give it three stars.

FUN but b-side was so repetitive?

I like the upbeat songs, but there were too many slow songs.

Disc 1 > Disc 2

*Variety of blues and rock for its time *Distinctive voice and great backing band

his voice is so good holy shit

You Don't Know Me is one of my favorite Ray Charles songs (Seven Spanish Angels with Willie?). This is fine but it's like the soundtrack to a Nora Ephron or Rob Reiner movie. It's the alternate soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally. I think most 50s music is just ok for me. It is growing on me. I Can't Stop Loving You stops that trend in its tracks...maybe my least favorite Ray Charles song. Hey, Good Lookin' is not a great Hank Williams song and is worse in this cover.

Yeah, sure

The thing with Ray for me has always been his voice, I dont care for it. That being said I have always appreciated his arrangements and the musicians and production quality of his work. Everything that should sound intimate and clean is and everything that is supposed to sound scuttled and messy like youre in a creaky floored dance hall sounds like it. This is a nice take on some standards from genres you wouldnt (at the time) think someone like Ray would be covering. The success of how well this is done is that today this blend doesnt sound jarring, its a part of the musical lexicon that seems natural. While this wouldnt be in my own personal 1001 I can one hundred percent see why it would be in someone elses.

Another fine album. I totally buy that this would be an important album for everyone to listen to. Doesn't really light my socks on fire though.

Ive heard some of these songs, but never would have guessed for most of these, (without the album title) that they were originally considered country/western songs. Except “Hey Good Lookin’” I’ve heard Hank Williams’ voice coming from Fallout more times than I can count. That is to say, Ray Charles transformed these songs from country/western standards into jazz standards and gave them some staying power they wouldn’t have had. I’d put on this album during a family party or dinner, which I can’t say about Hank Williams.

7,50/10 Muy bueno, me tiro vibras de peli de los 60'. Muy tranquilo, buenos ritmo, divertido

Quite a departure a soul and R& B artist playing country. Ray Charles has a great voice. With the Raelettes and an orchestra. Country definitely not my type of music. Up tempo songs are the good ones: Bye Bye Love, Hey good looking. The rest of the songs are too country. Some of the songs are too too slow. An average album. Three star. Country fans would probably like it.

A charming little album that I enjoyed listening to, but probably won't be one that I will again. Nothing against it at all, just enjoyable without any need to return to. If you follow me.

solidno i zabavno. je li me tobožnjom inovativnošću i navodnom žanrovskom ambivalentnošću oborilo s nogu kao što je oborilo osobe čiji su osvrti ovdje najlajkaniji? pa baš i nije... premda mogu itekako cijeniti, neću baš ponovo tražiti da bih slušao

Kerstplaat

I'm starting to dread all the album picks that are "influential country records by bands or artists that were not originally country musicians." It's not a bad record by any means but it certainly drags quite a bit and Ray Charles' great singing isn't always great at selling the emotion of the songs he's covering (I think his version of Bye Bye Love is pretty inferior to the Everly Brothers' version, for instance)

An interesting take on Country stardards from an R&B and Jazz view. It was tolerable but I doubt I'll ever revisit it.

Very cool and can see how important this would have been at the time. Not rlly my style but it would be impossible toy not see how great his music is

Funny that the title starts with "Modern", since the style is retro even for 1962. My daughter accurately described it as, "old romantic movie music," and it evokes the 1940s. Completely genre-busting, and it sounds great, but I doubt I'll listen to it again.

I mean it was good, but it's just not really my thing, especially for a longer album like this.

Goed gemaakt maar niet mijn stijl

It sounded nice, I liked can’t stop loving you and midnight. Got a little sick of it by the end Favorite and highlight: Can’t stop loving you

Wat een moderne muziek, waarschijnlijk in die tijd nog wel… Opzich wel van genoten, vooral lekker in de avond. Ik weet niet goed wat ik er nu van vind… dus maar een middenmode

Country en western klassiekers naar soul big band. Voor die tijd revolutionair nu klinkt het gewoontjes. Ray Charels moet hier de credits voor krijgen. Je hebt waarschijnlijk een tijdmachine nodig om de impact hiervan te begrijpen. Om vandaag de dag te luisteren klinkt het niet zo bijzonder. Het is allemaal net iets te zoet en gladjes voor mij. Wel een terechte 1001 qua geschiedenis.

Ben toch altijd meer fan van de meer gestripte muziek van artiesten, al moet ik zeggen dat Ray Charles de allerbeste big band verdiend vanwege zijn status. Ook maakt de setting ook uit bij deze plaat, tis meer woonkamer/diner muziek op de achtergrond dan treinreis muziek. Verder muziektechnisch veel mooie harmonieën gehoord. 3 sters

i’d have it on in the background

Didn't get the chance to listen to the entire thing. Was a nice classic soul type of feel. Ray Charles is undoubtedly a top influential figure in music history. In fact, my friends cited a few songs they know to be classics when listening with me. Full of good vibes and fun.

Relaxt, soms wat traag. Gevoel van kerstmis.

I imagine understanding the context in which this record was released, and the ensuing reception, probably bumps it up a number of stars. But separate it from historical significance and I’m left with a repetitive, sigh-inducing experience. It could never be described as bad, and it’d not mind having it on for background filler, but as a main attraction I find it incredibly lacklustre.

Gib es noch eine Chance, aber erstes mal durchhören hatte mich nicht ganz gefangen

I think this is one of those albums where you have to take be in a specific mood. I can imagine some late night, feeling a bit depressed, or contemplative, this could hit the spot. That’s not really my vibe today so much of this felt draggy. The production was too much. Just give me Ray and a piano, no need for background singers and strings. But still, he’s so smooth, it certainly isn’t all bad.

It's alright. Nothing too special to me, but alright.

liked it, probably come back to it at another time, very vibey for driving or something

Excellent concept, although very much of it’s time.

See oli kindlasti natukene huvitavam kuulamine. Kõik laulud olid küll veidi sarnased nii kõlalt kui ka sisult. Ma soovin, et ta oleks andnud rohkem detaile selle läbikukkunud suhte kohta millest ta pidevalt laulis, sest mul tekkis uudishimu. Tema perspektiivist paistis, et küsimus oli lihtsas armastamises või mitte armastamises, aga ma tahaksin ka naise perspektiivi kuulda, sest ta ei andnud mingeid detaile ja ma ei usu, et see naine lihtsalt üks päev järsku otsustas, et tegelikult ei armasta. Muusika ei olnud selline, mida ma oma vabast ajast kuulaksin, aga tegu oli huvitava kuulamisega niiet 3.

This grew on me, though it will never be a go-to for me. Not as modern as it needs to be for my ears.

This album started out fine, then it got boring. Good singing, good instruments.

#370 I couldn’t quite get my head around this. Initially I was putting my review in for the previous day via the history page and saw this was next in the queue; noting the album title I figured it was exactly what it said it was, and I didn’t even initially twig who it was until I saw the album cover. He’s got a great voice and he makes many of these songs his own, sometimes they aren’t left with a shred of country and western in them, and often they sounded more big band than the soul/rnb I expected. It was all pretty good but realistically not something I would return to. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die? Probably Fave track(s): *You Are My Sunshine* Rating: 6/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jamais écouté avant. Quand une voix et un musicien exceptionnel s'empare des standards de la country pour les réinterpréter à son goût, à grand renfort de big band, d'orchestre de cordes ou de chœurs féminins, le résultat ressemble à tout sauf à de la country. Le geste artistique est admirable, l'âme que Ray Charles met dans chaque note de ses arrangements est impressionnante et l'impact sociétal de cette rencontre entre deux univers musicaux qui s'ignoraient le rend encore plus remarquable. Par contre, pas sûr que ça ait très bien vieilli, ça dégouline de kitsch et de miel bien collant, et c'est long, très long (en particulier en intégrant les deux albums), en plus d'être pas mal monocorde. Plus un problème d'âge que de talent, donc. Top : You Are My Sunshine Flop : I Love You So Much It Hurts

Pretty good, not a huge ray charles fan, but it's some good music

Really wish this was not a double album. I enjoyed this for about 30 minutes and then it all blends together into a sad soupy slog. Really pleasant but nothing stands out.

miły

Nice pleasant album from the legend himself. Lots of soothing melodies and great vocals. A little bit long but nothing wrong with the album

I liked it, but it was a lot!

3/5, quite long and though nice to the ears sounds mostly the same to me throughout

Day 312 A voice from the heavens, found myself getting a little distracted as it sagged a little in the second half but plenty here to enjoy. Highlights Bye bye love Don’t tell me your troubles.

3.75

Bye Bye; tight arrangement, backup singers are locked in; Sid Feller key in song choices I have to get used to hearing Charles in a different light. You don't know me much like his Georgia recording. 2 tracks in and this is Country and Western? Someone tell Bob's Country Bunker. Half as Much swings like a pig by the tail! A lot of these ballads sound like something Nat King Cole would sing. There are a lot of ballads on this album. So many ballads! Maybe the title could have been Ballads and Blues? More suited. Distinct lack of my dog died my woman done left me my pickup truck broke down. Still, it's Ray so a 3.

I guess I'm to young. I liked Charles' appearance in Blues Brothers but this has too much slow vilin centered stuff for my taste. Some of the songs rock, though.

It's nice, the sound envelope is really smooth and perfect, and the familiarity of the style is appealing and engaging, like, you can imagine people with misophonia using this as therapy because the sounds are exactly what you expect them to be. Though I presume many people with misophonia would completely disagree with me here! This is raising the unrelated question, what is people with misophonia's relationship with music in general, generally speaking? Anyway, this is nice. I gave it a three for me, partly because I don't want to give a million fives in this exercise, but I think it probably deserves a four objectively, whatever that means.

Sommige momenten erg cool, maar vaak merk je ook wel écht dat het meer dan 60 jaar is. Ook erg lang.

Dit is vast invloedrijk en klinkt prima uitgevoerd, maar het is alles behalve tijdloos. Klinkt -enorm- oud en daarnaast ook een tikkeltje saai.

Not my genre

Reminded me of Disney film! Not saying that's a bad thing either! Was a very pleasant listen!

it was a good vibe and helped me get my work done

Good, long. It doesn't always work -

Yeah it was a seminal recording.

Some good tunes in here. Nothing particularly inspiring, but easy listening.

I want to give love to Ray Charles here but this album just didn't click with me. It's got an old timey country feel with some soul mixed in. It's an interesting blend. But it is pretty slow.

Alright, mostly covers with a twist if I'm remembering right. I don't really have much to say about this. It's decent, perfectly fine for a full listen. Doesn't overly engage me, not something I will come back to. It feels long tho, and it starts to feel very repetitive after a while. Fav Track: I Love You So Much It Hurts

This one just didn’t do much for me. I can appreciate its historical significance and why it was such a big deal at the time, but I don’t think it has aged particularly well. Nothing here really grabbed my attention, and by the end I was mostly waiting for it to be over.

Zeer kerstmis

He really makes playing great and switching styles on the fly look easy, this thing gets jazzier than I expected.

Who doesn’t like Ray Charles? I’d prefer more songs to be fast paced and upbeat, but still an enjoyable album, if maybe a bit long.

It's more the music of my dead grandparents than mine, but it's nice enough. It's very difficult to judge something that was considered modern in 1962 when you weren't born until the late 80s, and are living in 2026. The backing singers really date it, but his voice still works.

legal mas repetitivo

Honestly pretty disappointed based on how much I thought I was going to like this going off the name brand of Ray Charles. It’s still good, but it’s really slow and honestly a little uninspired. A couple slow songs wouldn’t be all that bad but it’s really the vast majority of the album. And they all just sound so similar. It’s got a big, I’m not mad, just disappointed energy to it.

Its ray charles yk a solid 2.5

This is obviously good it’s just too old for me to really care about it

Pretty long. The faster songs are really fun. The slower ones are dated

Love this album

Good stuff but the project really hurts you by making you listen to both volumes in one day. Not the album’s fault but I was ready to take a break after volume one and it just kept going.

Lush strings and vocals, his voice has such a unique character. First album that I’ve listened to by him.

rayas el charlas GOATed

beautiful strings. loooooooove love love love love

It was nice. Was less interested in the big band swing stuff. I liked the orchestral elements. Ray Charles has a great voice.

A real mixed bag. The songs with some energy are fun, but the slow jams get old after a few and there are a TON of them. This album might get a 4 if 8-10 songs were removed, but as it is it's a borderline 2/3. Rounding up since at least Ray's vocals are consistently good even when it's otherwise boring, but this took some work to get through. 2.5

It’s nice

Very good sound

Tough one for me - I really appreciate the genre-crossing element of this album and recognize its importance. I love Ray's voice, I love the piano playing, but...some of this just sounds a bit dated for it being 1962? Maybe the strings, big band, and backing vocals are just a little schmaltzier than I remembered and detract from the overall experience. I honestly thought this was recorded in the 50s until I looked at the record back. Some good stuff, some that I care for less. One of those that I feel like I should rate higher (I own it) but just was sort of middle of the road for me.

This is #day646 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… time to close out another artist, as this is my second and final record by Ray Charles. Those big-band numbers, especially those upbeat ones, always remind me of Leland Palmer singing during the creepiest moments of Twin Peaks. Nothing personal, just a vivid association. Otherwise, a fine one-off late-night listen. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day647.

Pretty sad album. Put me in a reflective mood and while I enjoyed it overall I don't see myself coming back all too often.

05/13 I feel like I need to be wandering a wasteland while listening to this

A smooth if at times slightly melancholic listen. Very pleasant background.

This is a recording of a bunch of classic country songs only arranged for big band and strings. Ray Charles' vocal stylings are soulful and stylistic. Sounds a little on the Lawrence Welk side sometimes, especially when the background chorus joins in. Easy listening with some soul. Now that I think of it, kind of a weird mashup of sounds but Ray makes it work somehow.

I appreciate the album's musical and social impact. I also prefer Ray singing R&B, not over gloopy ass strings.

Did not know until today that this album is what Sturgill Simpson was referencing with his album titled Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. Ray Charles is an institution - looking at the song titles, most of them didn't look familiar, but when I listened to them it was like "Ah, of course - I know this song!"

favs: bye bye love you don’t know me half as much i love you so much it hurts it makes no difference now i can’t stop loving you rating 2.5/5

The saddest thing about innovative ideas is that they remain innovative only for their time. And so it is with this album. Another collection of cover versions, typical of the '60s, yet unusual: Ray Charles took American country standards (white music) and rewrote them as rhythm and blues (black music), thereby greatly expanding his audience and showing other artists that this was actually possible. What does this mean to us now? Basically, nothing. What matters is that this is clearly not the album with which to get acquainted with Ray Charles's work. Not only did he seem to have deliberately chosen the most mournful love ballads, but his signature piano passages are also absent. Furthermore, the keyboards are completely lost against the waltz-like strings and choir; only the artist's voice remains. In short, Maestro Ray has gone down the wrong path, but it will do as a background music.

Bye Bye, Love - 4/5 You Don't Know Me - 3/5 Half as Much - 3.5/5 I Love You So Much It Hurts - 3/5 Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way) - 3.5/5 Born to Lose - 3/5 Worried Mind - 3/5 It Makes No Difference Now - 3/5 You Win Again - 3/5 Careless Love - 3/5 I Can't Stop Loving You - 3.5/5 Hey, Good Lookin' - 3.5/5 In what I'd like to call "Now That's What I Call Reverse Cultural Appropriation!", Ray Charles puts his own spin on music popular at the time. That "at the time" is really making this seem more dated than it really should be, historical context notwithstanding. It very much drags on in the middle, and I can't justify giving this more than a 3 because of the slog known as the middle of the album. I know that he wanted to go for more of a "middle-of-the-road" type of sound, but that is very much not my thing, making what should have been an exciting album a dated slog. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Bye Bye Love, I Can't Stop Loving You, Hey Good Lookin'

Ray Charles. Say no more. Good album.

Ta gueno che

The Spotify lossless version of this sounds excellent on home stereo speakers. Only got through vol 1. This is good music to have on the background but also intentional listening to the honest and passionate vocals.

Sometimes I like the old music like this, other times I find it pretty meh. Often times I find that I respond a lot to the tempo and energy being high, and in that aspect this album is full of music with some tempo. And yet I still found myself feeling a bit meh anyway. I'm not quite sure why that is. Standouts Hey, Good Looking 3/5

this is not my style at all but I respect it and enjoyed some songs

It is interesting in that it feels slightly country to me but when I try to name a specific element of it that’s country, I can’t think of any. For whatever reason, I didn’t enjoy it too much today. The review that wrote it’s best to imagine this on a pleasant day between fall/winter really helped me appreciate it while listening on a day in the beginning of summer. Rating: 2.7

I can understand why Ray Charles was an influential artist. I just think he has much better music than what is in this album. Some of it feels slightly bland, which is disappointing coming from a name this big. There are no recognisable 'hits' on this album, or to be honest, much that is all that exciting. I appreciate the vocals and the pure talent that this man has in his calibre, but the whole album is just asking for something slightly more. With it being an album with two discs, you'd expect something more to keep you invested. On a brighter note, the instrumental throughout is beautiful, and well supported with Ray Charles' naturally great voice. He is very obviously a genius when it comes to music, from lyrics to sound, which is why this slightly disappointed me. There were, however, a few tracks that pricked my ears slightly that I enjoyed. Favourites: Don't Tell Me Your Troubles No Letter Today Bye Bye Love

ok either the rng is seeded to specifically give us more albums from artists we already heard recently, or it's broken, or we're just astronomically unlucky, cos we got the other ray charles album just over a week ago, making this the i think 5th time we've gotten 2 albums from the same artist in rapid succession since we started. idgi. anyway i was hopeful that this would be more of an r&b sound than the other one, and it is, but unfortunately its often kinda just big band still, mostly in the first half. i definitely enjoyed it a lot more than "the genius of ray charles", especially cos the recording quality isn't total dog ass this time, but as with that one i think this album is at its strongest in tracks like "worried mind" and "it makes no difference now" where the brass section is (mostly) removed and i can actually hear him (sometimes) playing the piano. i wish we'd gotten one of his albums that was like that throughout? overall its fine but like, i just really don't understand why these are the picks the list compilers chose for ray charles albums. i understand that there's a historical context justifying this one at least, and i did also mostly enjoy it, so this is more a complaint about the other album but still. it just makes me wonder what the fuck we're doing here, yknow?

Good stuff. The production sounds very dated, but Ray always sounds good.

Overall a pretty good album. I don't know if I'll listen again, but it was pretty enjoyable for something outside my normal listening type.

Ray Charles is legendary. Some of the greatest and most influential stuff. But this album is mostly background listening. It's not bad at all, it's just not anything profound.

Listened to the first bit and it was pretty good

It’s so… polite. His voice is great but the songs aren’t really there and it’s not interesting whatsoever. I only listened to the first installment because believe me, I’m not fixin to spin 74 straight minutes of the most nothing music ever. Also, is this even country? I really want to know. I don’t hear any country sounds here, other than the occasional choir that sounds vaguely country-ish. It’s also like the same song over and over again. I like some of them but it’s all so samey that I can’t really pick out any songs without knowing deep down that they’re all the exact FUCKING same. 5.7/10

I mean, it's Ray Charles. It's not any of his best songs, but it kept me entertained.

okej jest nie męczy mimo swojego wieku

First time listen Ray Charles is hard to hate and there's not a bad song on this album. It's biggest flaw is how repetitive it can get from a songwriting and instrumental perspective. It's all good from front to back, but hearing so many bluesy, heartbreak ballads back to back wears on you pretty quickly. Favorite Tracks: Just a Little Lovin', Born to Lose, You Win Again Least favorite: None stuck out 3.5/5

If I had never heard Ray Charles or these songs before then I think I would rate this higher. Fortunately I have heard superior versions these songs by Charles. This is still a really well done album.

reminds me of frank sinatra i really like this one honestly goated 6.7 / 10

Ironic title considering the music is neither modern nor country nor western. Has a very early 60s popular sound to it. Ray has a classic voice. Double Laps on this list are a little cumbersome. From a history of music perspective I can see why it would make the list.

Damn, that girl did a number on him

3/5. I enjoy Ray Charles a lot, but the genre hop here isn't doing it for me. Granted, rock, blues, pop, and country were all so heavily intertwined at this time that the hop isn't all that drastic, but there is a noticeable difference when you compare to his R&B records. The music is good. It's executed well. Charles is magnificent as always. But as a whole it loses steam fast. There are other Charles albums that have greater merit. I'm not interested in the historical impact here or there, especially with nothing of note musically accompanied it. Worth a listen but not returning to.

A recognizable artist, and I gave the album a few listens through, but not sure I appreciated the departure from the style I would have expected from Ray Charles. No doubt a talented artist, but this album didn’t grab me.

Great vocals, great musicianship, although the mood is overall a bit too "happy go lucky" for my taste. 3/5

Muy buena voz, meh en lo demás

Not what I was expecting, and didn't particualrly grab me in any way. Good background listening.

didn't pay much attention was playing slay the spire

No estaba el mood, pero definitivamente tendría ese vinilo. Buen álbum.

3.5 De complemento unos beignets y un vestido verde

It's hard to put this kind of trad big band stuff in to right perspective. Works well on the background and Ray Charles is such a great singer. The songs on this album are quite traditional and most of them sound familiar, even for the first time hearing them. It might have more value than my 3/5 rating, but what do i know.

I enjoyed it, but the songs felt very similar to each other.

There’s something really funny about giving an album this title, and then it’s country songs done in a completely different genre. Not “What if Ray Charles did a country album?” but “What if country songs were Ray Charles songs?” Not bad to listen to, either.

Mer som smäktande filmmusik fr 40-talet än den jazz jag förväntat mig. Born to lose är bland det deppigaste jag hört.

funky

It's pretty good. I didn't like the pacing of the tracks, going from one upbeat song to a sombre one, only to be followed up with an upbeat one again. Favourite Track(s): Bye Bye, Love, Half as Much Least Favourite Track(s): It Makes No Difference Now, You Win Again

Lovable 64 yea old album

Varias rolas como para el fin del mundo

Love you Ray, but this one’s meh

An easy listen but nothing stood out for me

All of these songs are about cheating or getting cheated on wtf was going on in the 1960s bro

I love Ray Charles. I love his original jazz & blues and his 70s stuff, in particular his version of Abraham, Martin & John… I know this album was groundbreaking for its time. Big production, great songs, just not my favorite Ray Charles album. I suggest any of the original Atlantic albums before this one. Ray Charles, Yes Indeed!, Genius After Hours, Genius Sings the Blues… or if you prefer jazz try the Atlantic albums Soul Meeting or Soul Brothers with Milt Jackson! TJ is album was historical, just not my favorite!

A beautiful voice and wonderful melodies, a good classic.

Nothing wrong with that, nothing at all. I won't pretend like this is something I listen to daily though.

lovely

It's all very good, nice, heartfelt, and calm, but a double album is too much even for songs like these. So, a 3

Interesting that this is a country/western album without really being one. If you had told me it was just Ray Charles doing his usual thing, I would've believed you without much more thought. I guess that means the concept he was going for worked. I don't really love the idea of a full-on covers album being essential, but it seems like this one makes the list for other reasons. The Wiki entry really is an interesting background to this album and why he made it, plus the outcome that followed as a result. Hard to argue with that making this a must-listen. I didn't love this one for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is that I don't love either style that is the focus of the album. Even so, I appreciate it for plenty more. Hard to come up with a rating that reflects that. Overall: 3.1/5

Good takes on classsics. Not sure I would call them country and western at this point, but it was a great list of standards and Ray does them justice. Not groundbreaking, but solid.

3.5 but doesn't support this review format

too long and really didnt do it for me.

surprisingly good, wouldnt throw it on in the club but chill nonetheless

This sounds strangely old and comforting. Like something from a grandparent’s collection which now would be great-grandparent’s collection. Nobody makes albums like this anymore. I wonder why? Perhaps this kind of music has finally aged out to be relegated to the past and brought out only for nostalgia’s sake because I don’t think I will ever want to listen to this like baroque music or dixieland jazz. I wonder if young people could ever be impressed by the fact that this album is made by real musicians, probably in one take?!

I know it's great music but, perhaps because it's covering a particular style, it felt quite undifferentiated at times and forgettable.

There is a lot in here that reminds me of my grandfather. I'm probably not going to listen to it again, but it does make me happy

Favorite track(s): You Don't Know Me, I Love You So Much It Hurts, Hey, Good Lookin'

Interesting versions of classic country songs, but the background vocals just make it sound SO old

5/10

大編成によるしめやかなRhythm & Blues、カントリーで聞いていて落ち着く。

I'm no expert, but these were not the sounds of country and western music.

The original version of this album was actually 5 volumes. Ray was trying to compete for the longest album ever but couldn’t quite reach Houmous & Chutneys infamous album ‘Longevity & Coco Pops’ a whopping 19 volumes. So Ray cut it back down to 2 volumes. 2.5 16/24 Don’t Tell Me Your Trouble

Nojuu, nojuu. Ihan okei. Ei syletä, ei himoita.

Mukavaa jatsia, ei normisoitossa mutta edelleen taustalla toimii aivan hyvin.

🤷‍♂️

3/5

This was fun! Didn't bother finishing it though

More like Gay Charles

a classic sound, but too long and repetitive highlight: Careless Love

Multiple great songs

Beautifull classics. A bit too long which makes it have filler. But really enjoyed it. 1. Someday (You'll want me to want you) 2. No letter today 3. Bye Bye Love

Never listened to Ray Charles before and I liked this album! The tone was strong throughout and for such a long album it got a bit repetitive at times, but the artistry makes up for it. There are some songs I will revisit.

So its Ray Charles and lots of cover songs ... at least its not as long as the Ella Fitzgerald Standards.