Search - Ray Charles :: What'd I Say

Genius at work!!

JEREMY SAXON | San Francisco/Lafayette | 10/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When my brother was an infant, in 1961 or so, there were two ways to get him to sleep. One, let him cry himself to sleep. Two, put on this album, and he'd stop the crying, lie back, end of story.



Further, I know of NO album that has lasted as well as this one, including anything the Beatles ever recorded.



You know the title song, of course, and it's the lead song on the album. But once that's done, fasten your seatbelt for "Jumpin in the Morning", "You Be My Baby", "What Kind of Man Are You", "Tell Me How Do You Feel", all the way on through to "That's Enough". It's a fine, fine ride, one I've taken myself hundreds of times already.



Charles had a thing about applying himself to different styles of music. On the liner notes of this one, as I remember, he mentions he'd played in some "hillbilly" bands in Florida when he was younger, liked that music fine, and wouldn't mind recording some of it some time. Yes, he was predicting the "Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music" albums he did, from which we know "I Can't Stop Loving You" and others.

Well, this album was his fling at doing "Rock & Roll" music. It doesn't sound like it to me, it just sounds like Ray, that voice, that piano, those arrangements, and a WONDERFUL set of songs by himself, Doc Pomus, Percy Mayfield and others, and a whole lot of competence going on in the studio.



If there were one album about which I could say "Don't think, just buy it," this would be the one."

Great collection

mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | usa | 10/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Charles is Truly one of the mount Rushmore's of Music as we know it. He was One of the FOunding Fathers of R&B Music. he Bridged so many Musical Gaps&styles&Combined a Stew that stuck together as one.He does a Smooth take on "It had to Be You".Ray Charles's Voice,Piano Playing&overall Arrangements are a trademark that you know anywhere.He has His Own Musical Vocabulary all the Great Ones do."