Ray Charles
1959
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Amanda: I have to say, it was a relief to have a pretty short album after the insanely long one we listened to yesterday. And this was...pleasant. Ray Charles has a very good voice but even if I just had to listen to the instrumental versions of these tracks, I think I would have still enjoyed it. Still, this album did not get me on any emotional level. My favorite track would probably be "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying". The songs were rather forgettable and I have a feeling that I will not remember this album for long. It was nice while it lasted. Sorry for the excruciatingly boring post.
RATING:
Brie: It is very interesting to listen to the different genres mixed into these songs. The listener can hear a bit of blues, jazz, R&B, and some rock at times. One can tell that the first six songs (or side A) and the last six songs (or side B) are completely different. Obviously this album was meant to be listened to on a vinyl record. As much as I loved the jazzy numbers on "side A", I prefered the ballads of "side B". It was also interesting to hear someone other than Sinatra sing "It Had To Be You". Although I loved Ray's version of the song, my heart will stay with Frankie's rendition. My favorites included "Let The Good Times Roll", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Just For A Thrill", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine".
RATING:
This album features a lot of mixing of genres. I haven't heard how these songs were done before, but I sense that Ray Charles and his producers were doing something different here. The big band sound is jarring at times. And side two has some strings that are a bit heavy-handed for my taste, plus some weird sounding backing vocals. I enjoyed this album anyway, and will hear it again some time. I now understand why Ray Charles is such an icon, his singing and piano playing on here are great. Very good songs too.
ReplyDeleteStandout track: "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'"