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Very Best of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Very Best of Ray Charles
Genres: Country, Blues, Jazz, Pop, R&B
 
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #1

Hard as it is to go wrong when shopping for a Brother Ray package, some career-spanning compilations bundle the decades better than others. Count this one, true to its title, among the very best. The track sequencing is st...  more »

     
   

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CD Details

All Artists: Ray Charles
Title: Very Best of Ray Charles
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 1
Label: Rhino / Wea
Original Release Date: 3/14/2000
Release Date: 3/14/2000
Genres: Country, Blues, Jazz, Pop, R&B
Styles: Piano Blues, Classic R&B, Soul
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 081227982225, 812279822258

Synopsis

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Hard as it is to go wrong when shopping for a Brother Ray package, some career-spanning compilations bundle the decades better than others. Count this one, true to its title, among the very best. The track sequencing is straight-up chronological, opening with 1954's groundbreaking blues and gospel mingling "I've Got a Woman." From there it charges through the late-'50s Atlantic era, rounding up classic singles like "Hallelujah (I Love Her So)," "(Night Time Is) The Right Time," and "What'd I Say." By the time the disc lands us in the '60s, the Genius has saddled up to explore his country side, turning in such popular-music-altering hits as "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You." A final cut jumps into the '80s for the Willie Nelson duet "Seven Spanish Angels," leaving the listener with a solid--and deeply satisfying--sense of Charles' bold artistic wanderings. All that's missing is his soul-dunked rendition of "America the Beautiful." -Tammy La Gorce

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Member CD Reviews

Bill T. from MONETTA, SC
Reviewed on 1/31/2021...
excellent

CD Reviews

The Best Of Brother Ray
Alan Caylow | USA | 11/18/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have always admired Ray Charles. What a towering, soulful voice the man had, not to mention his brilliant keyboard playing. And, of course, all those great hit songs. But it wasn't until I saw the movie about Charles' life, simply called "Ray," that it dawned on me what a true innovator Charles was also. He really did lay down the blueprint for many soul acts to follow, doing things with the musical form that no one else had done before. This CD, "The Very Best Of Ray Charles," is a brilliant overview of Ray's most beloved work. These are fabulous songs, all of them, including classics like "I Got A Woman," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "(Night Time Is) The Right Time" (a winning blues-popper featuring Margie Hendricks on co-lead vocals), "Hit The Road Jack," and the full-length version of the call-and-response smash "What I'd Say," with a brilliant performance from Charles on vocals and on his newly-acquired Wurlitzer keyboard. But it doesn't stop there---there's also the lovely ballads "Georgia On My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," an amazing soul re-working of the standard "You Are My Sunshine," the sultry "Unchain My Heart," the lyrically-daring "Let's Go Get Stoned," and a hot instrumental showcase for Charles, "One Mint Julep," with a scorching performance on organ. If you're new to Ray Charles' music, "The Very Best Of Ray Charles" is the perfect CD to start your collection with. God bless you, Brother Ray."
Oh So Close!
jekyllnhyde | NJ | 10/07/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"If only this collection had included "Crying Time" & "America the Beautiful", I could have easily given it 5 stars. Otherwise, a great collection of The Genius's work."