Genius Loves Company: Ray Charles
— MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX THE MOVIE "RAY"
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf file
—Spiritual Connections
Along with the obvious joy and happiness heard on this record, the listener can also detect a certain degree of physical fragility in Charles’ voice as he collaborates with this talented “company� just before his death (Ray died in June 2004 from complications from liver disease, at the age of 73).
Ray’s incredible talent, heart, and soul, evident on many of the songs on this album (all of the songs included on this record were chosen by the artist himself), were acknowledged when the Genius Loves Company album received 8 Grammy awards:
• Best Pop Vocal Album
• Record of the Year (“Here We Go Again� with Norah Jones)
• Best Gospel Performance (“Heaven Help Us All� with Gladys Knight)
• Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (“Sinner’s Prayer� with B.B. King)
• Two awards for the Best Vocal Collaboration category ("Here We Go Again" with
Norah Jones and "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" with Elton John)
• Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals (Victor Vanacore for
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow� with Johnny Mathis)
• Best Engineered Album (non-classical)
• Best Surround Sound Album
This is the best selling record of his 50-year career (he released his very first record in 1954, and his first complete album back in 1957!), outselling classic Ray Charles’ records such as “Genius Hits The Road�, and the well-appreciated “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music�. It seems that this most recent Ray Charles record has confirmed what many of Rays’ fans have known for years: this artist has been rightfully dubbed “genius� (a title that was conferred upon him by the late Frank Sinatra).
(As I thought about all of the accolades, awards, and attention that Ray has received since his death, I wondered why is it that we sometimes offer up so much support toward those that have left us, and yet sometimes hold back our adulation while people are still alive and with us.)
This record (like Ray’s musical career) includes songs that cover a wide variety of musical styles: jazz, blues, big band, full orchestra arrangements complete with strings, R & B, soul and gospel- showcasing the extraordinary abilities and range of Ray Charles (I think that with the exception of the late Frank Sinatra, and his “Duets� and “Duets II� records, there is no other musical artist who has been able to collaborate with such a diverse group of singers, and pull it off as smoothly and as well as Ray had done on this record).
The album begins with the song “Here We Go Again�, which is a tasteful duet with the youthful Norah Jones. This song pairs the smooth voice of Jones, with the familiar and heartfelt crooning of Ray Charles. Billy Preston’s skilled organ playing adds both mesmerizing and haunting touches to this song (some have called Preston the greatest Hammond B3 organ player alive-check out Preston’s work on the “Concert for George� record, a tribute recording of the concert dedicated to late Beatle and solo artist George Harrison).
Diana Krall teams up with Ray on “You Don’t Know Me�, offering the listener an updated version of this classic Ray Charles tune. On this song Ray’s voice is a bit weak, but somehow seems to fit in well with the emotion and pain contained in the words of the song (Ray and Krall sounded so right together it reminded me of the Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole (father and daughter) duet “Unforgettable�).
“Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word�, the famous Elton John song now sung with Ray, is a tear-jerker, in that the quivering and frail voice of Ray underscores the sad tone and message of this song. This was one of Ray’s last recordings for this album and reminded me that Ray Charles was like a brightly shining light that was starting to flicker and fade. The piano playing and string arrangements on this song are excellent, and underscore the powerful blending of Ray Charles and Elton John’s voices (this is certainly one of the strongest duets on this album).
“Fever� (a duet with Natalie Cole*) is a smooth and well produced version of this fairly well known song, and contains some fun interplay between the voices of this two song-masters doing what they both enjoy doing. Both artists sound like they are having a great deal of fun as they share singing duties (I could not help but think that both Ray and Cole were enjoying this so much that they may have wished they may someday be able to record another song together).
"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" pairs up Ray with Bonnie Rait*. The tone and emotion that pours out of each singer during this song is clearly heard and felt; the sound of the skillfully played blues slide guitar also serves to underscore the message of this tune regarding love, that although long lost, yet still frequently thought about.
I thought for a moment that I was listening to a Frank Sinatra record when I heard the familiar strings during the opening of the song “It Was A Very Good Year�. Ray Charles and Willie Nelson may seem to be a strange combination of artists for this particular song, but I actually found the results of this pairing to be rather pleasing. This unique version of this song was refreshing, with the signature guitar strumming and unique voice of Nelson contrasted with the orchestra strings and the smooth vocals by Ray Charles.
The combination of blues guitar legend B.B. King* and Ray Charles on the duet “Sinner’s Prayer� is nothing less than incredible! The interchange between these two artists’ voices and the great blues guitar work of B.B. King coupled with the blues piano playing of Ray is very fulfilling. B.B. King seems to be able to draw the very best of out of Ray, and vice versa. The piano, guitar, organ and voices all blend together to form a church choir like experience. Both singers bare their souls for the entire world to hear as they cry out to the Lord in this song of confession (each of these artists are heard crying out for God’s grace and mercy, implying that they know and understand that He is the only one who can provide this for them).
When contrasted and compared with these very enjoyable and well-produced songs, there were others included on this record that just did not quite measure up:
“Sweet Potatoe Pie� is an upbeat song about someone’s long lost love, paring Ray with the familiar voice of James Taylor. This song includes the combination of some good horn playing along with some nice electric guitar work (Although I enjoyed hearing James Taylor singing along with Ray Charles, and appreciated the instrumentation, overall this song did not stand out as anything particularly special).
Michael McDonald’s (former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers, and now a solo artist) duet with Ray on the song “Hey Girl� sounded fair at best (as I listened to these two singers together I thought that if they had chosen a different song to collaborate on the results may have been different, especially after hearing McDonald’s well made and received albums containing reworked versions of Motown Record Company standards).
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow�, the duet with Johnny Mathis, has some very tasteful string and orchestra arrangements. Although this song was awarded a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals, it somehow lacks the shine and brilliance that characterize most of the other songs on this record.
The duet “Heaven Help Us All� sung with Gladys Knight* was pleasing, but suffered from what I would call a bad case of “1980’s style over-production�. Knight’s and Ray’s voices sound good together (and was honored with the Grammy award for Best Gospel Performance), but the selected material and the production style of this tune left me wanting to hear them collaborate on a different song (hopefully a song with less production to get in the way of the sheer talent of each singer).
Closing out this record is the duet “Crazy Love� sung live at a June 2003 concert performance with Van Morrison (this was the very first song recorded for the album). This collaborative effort showcases the performance abilities and talents of both singers, as they make their jobs seem easy. Each artist sound very relaxed, as they skillfully blend their voices, resulting in one of the records strongest and most memorable performances. The accompanying backup singers round out the sound and seem to provide the impression that you are listening to a church choir.
Yes, Ray was one of the most versatile music artists to ever live, as he was able to perform in an incredible range of musical styles (as evidenced by the sheer volume and range of records that he released during his lifetime). This last record clearly showcases the immense talent and diversity that characterized the art and style of Ray Charles, and how much he enjoyed blending his abilities so very with this talented group of artists.
Before his death, Ray expressed his admiration of the various artists that accompany him on the record, their wide range of musical styles and God’s gifts by saying “We cover it all…. from country to R&B, pop, rock and blues. I’ve never let them put me in a little box, and this (record) expresses that open feeling. A beautiful song sung by beautiful signers is a blessing from God.�
This record also provides several examples of Ray’s unique ability to fuse gospel songs with elements of the blues, jazz and rock that has entertained and amazed his fans for over 5 decades (although, when Ray first started his career he was criticized for doing this). As a testament to Ray’s level of talent and impact on the world of music, he has often been credited with creating what has been labeled “soul� music (this distinction came after Charles’ 1954 recording of the song “I Got a Woman�).
Listening to this album had me hoping that someday soon I would be treated to a “Genius Loves Company II� record, but this does not seem to be possible (unless there is a collection of Ray Charles duets locked away somewhere that were recorded and not yet released?).
If you have not yet listened to this record you and in for a treat; if you are a long-time Ray Charles fan and have not yet purchased this record, your Ray Charles record collection will not be truly complete without it!
*Audiophiles should note that this record has been now been released in high quality sound “180 gram vinyl record format� (I grew up listening to vinyl records, and although CD’s are very convenient, I don’t think that they match the overall “warmth�of the sound that is produced by vinyl records).
(*Publicity photos are from the Ray Charles Project. All Rights Reserved.
Movie photo © 2004 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved)
THE MOVIE "RAY"
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf file
—Spiritual Connections
