Ray charles cd in R&B, Hip Hop & Rap Music

"Golden Legends: Ray Charles Live" (02/07/2006) R&B Charles, Ray, Madacy Distribution

"Singin' the Blues with Soul" (01/27/2003) R&B Charles, Ray, Saga JazzJazz legend Ray Charles is recorded singing two dozen of his finest tracks, including "Ain't That Fine", "Blues Before Sunrise" and "What Have I Done?" Adapter: Laure Wright. Personnel: Gosady McKee, Oscar Moore, Louis Speiginer (guitar); Earl Singers Brown, Marshall Royal (alto saxophone); Maurice Simon, Jack McVea, Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Charles Waller (baritone saxophone); Fleming Askew, Teddy Buckner, Billy Brooks (trumpet); Rudy Pitts (drums). Liner Note Author: Jean Buzelin. Recording information: Los Angeles, CA (??/??/1949-09/11/1952); New York, NY (??/??/1949-09/11/1952). Arrangers: Leroy Snake White; Sy Oliver.

"Hallelujah I Love Her So!" (05/31/2005) R&B Charles, Ray, Phantom Records (England)

"Ray Charles Sings for America" (09/03/2002) R&B Charles, Ray, Rhino Records (USA)Personnel includes: Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Irving "Magic" Kramer (acoustic guitar); Slash (guitar, dobro); Greg Lease (pedal steel guitar); Craig Eastman (fiddle); Jimmy Powers (harmonica); Billy Preston (organ); Tom Fowler (bass); Scott Lombardi (drums); Rosemary Butler, Sharynlee, Katrina Harper, Cooke Lalla, Christal Lalla (background vocals); The Harlem Gospel Singers. Producers: Ray Charles, Jean-Pierre Grosz, Sid Feller, Mike Post. Compilation producers: Ray Charles, Terry Howard, James Austin. Recorded between 1960 & 2002. Adapter: Ray Charles. Personnel: Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Sharyn Lee, Katrina Harper, Rosemary Butler (vocals); Irvin (Magic) Kramer (acoustic guitar); Craig Eastman (fiddle); Jimmy Powers (harmonica); Billy Preston (organ). Audio Mixers: Al Schmitt; Terry Howard. Audio Remasterer: Doug Sax. Liner Note Author: Ray Charles. Recording information: R.P.M. International Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Arrangers: Jean-Pierre Grosz; Paul Breslin; Steve Forward; Marty Paich; Mike Post; Quincy Jones; Ralph Burns; Sid Feller; Terry Howard; Ray Charles. The theme of this collection is, in large part, songs of patriotism, about specific American places, or testaments to the American spirit. Still, you do get the sense that the concept's rather vague, or at least has been applied pretty liberally in order to snag 20 songs that could fill up a collection to appeal to the national mood at the time of its release (about a year after September 2001). "Let It Be" and "Imagine," for instance, are classic songs, but (even leaving aside that they were written by Englishmen) how exactly do they embody the American character? Likewise, "That Lucky Old Sun" and "Over the Rainbow" might be venerated American songs, but they doesn't plug into a specifically American viewpoint as readily as, for instance, "New York's My Home" or even his cover of "Abraham, Martin and John." It's better to treat this as something of a ride through Ray Charles' take on Americana, which goes through country music, popular standards, gospel, covers of rock hits, and not a whole lot of the hard-driving soul for which he's most esteemed. It's an erratic set, spanning the early '60s to the inevitable 2001-2002 re-recording of "God Bless America," featuring Slash and Billy Preston, with six of the songs (including the equally inevitable "America the Beautiful") hailing from his 1972 album A Message From the People. Some of it's excellent, like "New York's My Home," the cover of Percy Mayfield's "The Danger Zone," and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny"; some of it's fair; and the 1970s material, which comprises the bulk of the disc, too often tends toward the overly sentimental in both song selection and production. ~ Richie Unterberger

"Rocking Chair Blues [Castle]" (01/20/2004) R&B Charles, Ray, Laserlight (USA)

"Forever Gold [Double Disc] [Box]" (04/13/2007) R&B Charles, Ray, St. ClairSt. Clair's double-disc set (they also released a single-disc compilation) of Ray Charles songs, Forever Gold, focuses on his early days through a series of mostly live performances, and while the performances are good, the recording quality is uneven and ragged. For this reason alone, Forever Gold doesn't hold up to the myriad quality Charles collections available from other labels; however, being that the performances are often live, some of the songs are interesting to hear with a new twist, but in the end, Forever Gold just doesn't quite hold up. ~ Gregory McIntosh

"Sweet & Sour Tears [Remaster]" (08/19/1997) R&B Charles, Ray, Rhino Records (USA)Personnel includes: Ray Charles (vocals, piano); Sonny Forrest (guitar); Harold Minerve, Dan Turner (alto saxophone); James Clay, David "Fathead" Newman, Don Wilkerson (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper, Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone); Oliver Beener, Burgess Gardner, Philip Guilbeau, John Hunt, Floyd Jones, Curtis Miller, Joe Bridgewater, Joshua Willis (trumpet); Henderson Chambers, Jim Herbert, Keg Johnson, Julian Priester, Fred Morden (trombone); Edgar Willis, Paul West (bass); Wilbur Hogan, Bob Thompson, Panama Francis (drums); The Gene Lowell Singers, The Raelettes, The Cookies, The Jack Halloran Singers (background vocals). Producers: Sid Feller, Joe Adams, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler. Reissue producers: James Austin, Michael Johnson. Engineers include: Phil Macy, Bill Putnam, Al Schmitt. Originally released on ABC-Paramount (480). Includes liner notes by Eddie Gorodetsky. Digitally remastered by Bill Inglott & Dan Hersch. Personnel: Ray Charles (vocals, piano, keyboards); Sonny Forrest (guitar); Danny Turner , Harold "Geezil" Minerve (alto saxophone); David "Fathead" Newman , Don Wilkerson, James Clay (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper, Cecil Payne (baritone saxophone); Curt Miller, Oliver Beener, Floyd Jones , Burgess Gardner, Philip Guilbeau, Joshua Willis , Joe Bridgewater, John Hunt (trumpet); Henderson Chambers, Julian Priester, Keg Johnson (trombone); Panama Francis, Wilbert G.T. Hogan, Bob Thompson (drums); Jack Halloran Choir, The Cookies , The Raelettes (background vocals). Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot. Liner Note Authors: Eddie Gorodetsky; Rick Ward. Recording information: Bell Sound Studios, New York, NY (11/30/1955-05/08/1964); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (11/30/1955-05/08/1964); Hollywood, CA (11/30/1955-05/08/1964); New York, NY (11/30/1955-05/08/1964); United Studios, Hollywood, CA (11/30/1955-05/08/1964). Photographer: Howard Moorehead. Unknown Contributor Roles: Maria Villar; Joe Lebow; Howard Moorehead. Arrangers: Gerald Wilson; Calvin Jackson; Marty Paich; Sid Feller. Wrapped in lush string arrangements and the swooning background vocals of the Gene Lowell Singers, 1964's SWEET & SOUR TEARS is a concept album in which Ray Charles interprets material dealing with loss and heartbreak. Songs such as Johnnie Ray's "Cry" and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry" share the same neighborhood as anything on Frank Sinatra's IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS. Charles' voice often cracks with emotion as his piano forlornly pushes on, particularly in the loping country waltz "A Tear Fell" and "You've Got Me Crying Again," providing the soundtrack for heartbreak the world over. The other half of the original album found Charles using Calvin Jackson's punchy horn charts on songs such as "Teardrops From My Eyes" and a much livelier reading of "Cry Me A River" than Julie London's more subdued version. The horn section also provides excellent accompaniment on the samba-flavored "Baby, Don't You Cry" and on an arrangement of "I Cried For You" that either Sinatra or Bobby Darin would have been wise to borrow. Throw in seven bonus tracks that include "Crying Time" and "No Use Crying," and you're all set for another round of drinking and despair.