Search - Ray Charles :: American Soul

Great mini-collection at a great price!

alainsane | U.S. Canada | 02/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After watching the Ray Charles biopic, I went poking around looking for a good single album of Ray Charles' to add to my collection. I didn't expect this CD to fit that bill. It was 4 bucks at Wal-Mart and the generic artwork had me worried that I'd get some horrible sounding recordings. My primary interest was the song from Groundhog Day, "You Don't Know Me."



Not only did I get a lovely version of that song, but I got a whole bunch of other beautiful songs, too! The only one that doesn't quite fit is "What'd I Say" and that's only because it's a live recording instead of a studio recording. Very lush arrangements give it a great old-time feel. If you think you'll only ever be a casual fan of Ray Charles' music, and you like it when he keeps it on the slow, soft side, this is a great alternative to the pricey duets CD that I see everywhere."

Not Soul so Much, Mostly Stylized Country Music

Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 11/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Texas reviewer of October 27 (the other day as I write this) says he was never into soul music before. Well, Ray could do that to you, but these songs were not "meant" to be soul songs originally. "I Can't Stop Loving You" was a million seller for its writer, country singer Don Gibson, just 4 years before Ray did his legendary version. "You Don't Know Me" was originally country too, Eddie Arnold I believe (and of course black singer Lenny Welch). "Cryin' Time" was country singer Buck Owens' product. "Busted" was first done country though I can't recall by which singer; I never cared once I heard Ray do it. "Your Cheatin' Heart", as virtually everybody knows, was written and sung by country legend Hank Williams, Sr. "Georgia on My Mind" (originally written for a girl, not the state) was written by Southerner Hoagy Carmichael WAY BACK when. (He also wrote "Stardust" and many other classics). Ray Charles dipped deep into the country music genre and made the tunes his own. I'd expect all Texans to know these as country songs. BUT the songs on this CD are each and every one great however you want to classify them. Ray Charles interpreted songs like nobody else could. The price is right; it should be in your collection."

Ray Charles - American Soul

Gabriel Montes | El Paso, TX 36AREA | 10/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ive never really been into soul music, but i gave this album a try and WOW, it was wonderful. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to all the stuff that is flooding the air waves. Ray delivers pure soul onto this record, it is an instant classic. This album is definately timeless, meaning that it doesnt matter when it came out, it would have sounded great 20 years ago and it will sound great 20 years from now."