1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 22. Ray Charles – The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)

This is another odd choice, in my opinion, because it doesn’t seem to highlight Charles at his best. A hybrid of blues and big band, there’s no denying the great vocal quality of Charles, especially on the slow bluesy number at the end of the album, Come Rain or Come Shine, but I think for me there’s an over-reliance on the big band style of the sudden stab from the horns section to close a phrase (I’ve no idea if that has a specific term, hopefully you know what I mean). So in the end it’s almost like Charles is in competition with the band rather than being part of it. The latter half, although the songs are slower, are a better showcase for Charles as it’s him at the piano, backed by strings. I can’t help but feel that his voice is better served with a more raw soundscape, and not the broad smoothness of the orchestration, but what do I know? 

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