31. Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)

1. Bye Bye Love

2. You Don't Know Me*

3. Half as Much

4. I Love You So Much It Hurts*

5. Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)

6. Born to Lose

7. Worried Mind

8. It Makes No Difference Now

9. You Win Again

10. Careless Love

11. I Can't Stop Loving You*

12. Hey, Good Lookin'

A

Well apparently this is one of the most important albums ever recorded - an album which, at the height of the Civil Rights movement, broke down the barriers which had existed between pop, R&B, jazz, soul and country, creating an effectively new approach to popular music which defied the then-popular classification of music as "Black" or "White". All well and good, and Charles deserves credit for taking such a big risk. The only question is, "Does that risk pay off?"

Well honestly, this is one of those albums I had to listen to a lot just to get into the right headspace to appreciate it. Believe it or not, big band R&B arrangements of country and western music are not the sort of thing I care to listen to on a regular basis. It doesn't help that Charles seems to be enamoured with kitschy background choirs that defy the term "modern" even for 1962. Thankfully, they only mar a few tracks. Overall this is quite a good album.

 It's really only country in the loosest sense of the term - from a modern perspective, anyway. The shock value of its initial release has been severely diluted by the eclecticism of popular music in the years following its release. With that out of the way, it's possible to focus on the quality of the music. And it's pretty great, if you like that sort of thing. With the exception of the over-the-top choirs, this album is beautifully arranged. There are lush string arrangements and big, brassy moments, but also songs like "It Makes No Difference Now" which are built around simple horn vamps and where the focus is mostly on Charles' marvellous vocals. The one criticism I'd level at it is that there aren't really any obvious standouts. As good as this album is, it doesn't have anything to match the power and beauty of the last three songs on The Genius of Ray Charles. The result is an album of remarkable consistency that lacks that edge necessary to push it up to true greatness.

On a side note, Queen Elizabeth II died today. I really don't know how to feel about that. I mean, she's been around for years. One of the great constants in my life is gone. Very odd. Now I'll have to get used to celebrating the King's Birthday.