Search - Ray Charles :: My World

Ray shines once again

Paul J. Escamilla | NYC | 02/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this whole album, but one track alone makes it worth your while to purchase this cd. Leon Russell's "A Song For You" has been sung by any number of talented vocalists, but Ray Charles' rendition here makes every other version sound pale, flat and limp in comparison. He just knocks it out of the park. As he so often did, Ray takes a great song and wrenches every last bit of feeling out of it. I seriously doubt it'll ever be topped."

Done the right way after all these years...

R. L. MILLER | FT LAUDERDALE FL USA | 10/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Call me a heretic, but I never was able to stand the original version of Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years". When I said as much to friends back when it was getting airplay, they'd look at me as if I'd just denied the existence of God. After all, the album named after this song was considered the definitive Paul Simon album for many years. It was only a year or so ago that I heard Ray Charles' version on my local jazz station and I realized what had been wrong. Simon's somewhat monochromatic voice may be adequate for most of his material (at least I think so, owning several of his other albums myself), but that vocal style simply didn't work on this obviously Gospel-influenced tune. It's usually the other way around: Van Morrison's original of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" beats hell out of Rod Stewart's better-known cover. Ditto Bruce Springsteen's live version of "Because the Night" over Patti Smith's hit single of it. But the problem with "Still Crazy" was that Simon had written a natural Ray Charles song which he made the mistake of releasing himself. Buy this album (even if you LIKE the Simon version) and you'll see what I mean."