| | Ray Charles Genius Loves Company CD Ray Charles Discography of CDs
 (26 Customer Reviews)
Though Ray Charles, one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, was never in need of vocal assistance, he was no stranger to duets either (one of his finest records is a duet album with Betty Carter). For as much of a musical giant as he ... Full Descriptionwas, Brother Ray knew how to share the spotlight, as evidenced by GENIUS LOVES COMPANY, his final project before his 2004 passing. In keeping with the eclectic nature of Charles's artistry, he partners with a wide assortment of performers here.
Charles is joined by Elton John on a soulful exploration of the latter's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," and sidles up next to Willie Nelson for a haunting version of the Frank Sinatra hit "It Was a Very Good Year," made all the more poignant in retrospect by its posthumous nature. Of course, it's not all bittersweet melancholy; Charles teams with Van Morrison for a jubilant soul/gospel reading of Van's MOONDANCE tune "Crazy Love," and the duet with James Taylor on the upbeat "Sweet Potato Pie" is probably the sassiest, perkiest thing in which Taylor's ever been involved. GENIUS LOVES COMPANY is a swan song that fittingly finds the titular genius surrounded by friends from varied musical worlds, all of whom he's touched with his rare gift.
N.Jones/J.Taylor/D.Krall/B.B. King/J.Mathis/G.Knight/W.Nelso
Personnel include: Ray Charles (vocals, piano); B.B. King, Willie Nelson (vocals, guitar); Bonnie Raitt (vocals, slide guitar); Norah Jones (vocals, piano); Michael McDonald (vocals, keyboards); Diana Krall, Elton John, James Taylor , Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight (vocals); Danny Jacob, George Marinelli, Jeff Mironov, Michael Landau, Michael Thompson , George Doering, Charles Fearing, Irv Kramer (guitar); Randy Waldman (piano, keyboards); Alan Pasqua (piano); Billy Preston (Hammond b-3 organ); Michael Beardon (keyboards); David Hayes, Abraham Laboriel, Trey Henry, Tom Fowler (bass guitar); James Gadson, Jim Keltner, Ray Brinker, Shawn Pelton (drums); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).
Recording information: 2003.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Rolling Stone (p.141) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "A bittersweet duets record....[The album] features the veteran soul innovator crooning sweetly on several decades of standards..."
Down Beat (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[G]entle pacing helps the encounters feel unforced and palpably intimate..."
Living Blues (pp.48-50) - "Charles himself is in fine, typically elastic voice throughout."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Thankfully, nobody disappoints." Hide Description Genius Loves Company Music | List Price | $18.97 (You save $8.58) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Jazz CDs, Rap, Blues, Soul/R&B, R&B, Enhanced CD | | Label | Concord | | Orig Year | 2004 | | All Time Sales Rank |  260   | | CD Universe Part number | 6752965 | | Catalog number | 2248 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Aug 31, 2004 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | John Burk; Phil Ramone; Terry Howard; Herbert Waltl; Don Mizell | | Personnel | Jim Keltner
Michael Landau
Michael Thompson
Billy Preston - Hammond b-3 organ
Abraham Laboriel
Ray Charles - vocals, piano
Bashiri Johnson - percussion
Nat "King" Cole
Randy Waldman - piano, keyboards
Ray Charles - vocals, piano
List all 38 contributors
| | Additional Info | Digipak; Enhanced CD |
Ray Charles Genius Loves Company Songs Genius Loves Company Music Genius Loves Company Music Review Average Rating: (4.2 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Good but not the best
This album is good in a couple of ways. The people singing with Ray Charles are at the top of their game for the most part but Ray, whom I love, is obviously not at his peak. This is a great album for reasons of nostalgia but earlier albums by Ray Charles showcase his brilliance much more.
Submitted by jack.duren (Philomath, Oregon) 
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Charles
I thought there would me more of Ray Charles on this. It is mostly guest performers. I did not understand what this album was trying to accomplish--a tribute to him, certainly these are not his songs.
Submitted by kevinr (Green Bay, WI)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Awesome
Totally Enjoyable
Submitted by shortfusedone (Sebastopol, CA)
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He lives!
I loved it. This man had 'soul' and his music will live for generations to come.
Submitted by suareziris (Las Vegas, NM)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No From a musician and music lover
Ray Charles has always been on of the musicians and entertainers I have admired. This, his last CD, is my favorite ever of his great music. All the lovers of great music should have it in their collection. Dewey Hodgkinson -
Submitted by dewey (Oceanside, CA, USA)
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Buy Genius Loves Company CD Purchase Genius Loves Company CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Norah Jones Come Away With Me CD (2002)
Genius Loves Company album
 $14.69 
COME AWAY WITH ME won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).
"Don't Know Why" won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Arif Mardin won the 2003 Grammy Award for Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical).
A direct descendant from the pedigree of one of the 20th century's virtuosos, Norah Jones might not be on such a lofty artistic level as her dad Ravi Shankar, but certainly inherited some musical intuition from him. With nary a sitar nor raga within earshot, the young newcomer sounds very much an assimilated, western, 21st century pop-jazz singer. One thing that separates her from the pack is Ms. Jones' own piano stylings--not flashy, but deftly doubling or echoing her voice--that discreetly act as the glue holding together these airy, ...
| | Norah Jones Feels Like Home CD (2004) Enhanced CD
Genius Loves Company CD music
$14.45 
This is an Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser.
This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser.
After the unexpected runaway success of COME AWAY WITH ME, where to next? The good news about Norah Jones's sophomore effort is that she and producer Arif Mardin decided to leave well enough alone in most regards. There are no screeching guitars, thumping drum machines, or padding synthesizers, and most of the tempos are slow or laid-back--way back. Guests Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of the Band contribute to "What Am I to You?" and Dolly Parton makes an appearance on bassist Lee Alexander's "Creepin' In." Jones's backing group, the Handsome Band, provides just the right stripped-down accompaniments and subtle touches to support the blessing ...
| | Eric Clapton Me And Mr. Johnson CD (2004)
Genius Loves Company music CDs
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Applying liberal amounts of slide and fuzz guitar, this English rock legend saunters along fare such as "Traveling Riverside Blues" and "Love in Vain," time-honored Johnson classics better known through renditions by Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, ...
| | Diana Krall Girl In The Other Room CD (2004) Enhanced CD
Genius Loves Company songs
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It may or may not be significant that Diana Krall's first album of new material since the ascendance of Norah Jones is the former's least jazzy, most pop-savvy album of her career. In any case, it marks Krall's biggest departure to date; THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM is almost entirely devoid of the jazz standards that constituted her previous repertoire, and it contains her ...
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In the small village of St. Maurice de Navacelles on the Larzac Plateau, the evening, held by a mutual friend, unwound ...
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Genius Loves Company music CDs
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