Ray Charles Genius Loves Company CD

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 ray charles , genius loves
is a great album,and the service from cd universe was just as good
Submitted by kmullarn (brockport , ny) 
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 Not what I was expecting
I was dissapointed in this album. Some of the pairings didn't work for me musically. But then I was expecting so much that it would have been hard for it to live up to them. That been said the soul put into each performance is undeniable. Get it on Super Audio CD if possible.
Submitted by Paul (Ireland) 
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 Save your Money!!!!
The material for this cd can't get any worse. One selection with BB King, is the only song worth listening to. The SACD version which I purchased is absolutly flat. Their are far to many great selection out there, don't bother with this one...
Submitted by cdjorgen (Denver, Colorado) 
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 The best for last?
Ray Charles has been around for a long time. HIs contribution to music and the world in general are legendary, yet his studio performances have too often missed the mark and as a result he has been one of the most highly regarded failures in the industry, the performer everybody likes and nobody listens to. What a waste. This album rises above the banal, cheaply produced contributions of the past twenty years, yet it fails to meet the mark Ray Charles seems to have set for himself. Other than the opening song with Norah Jones, there is not a single truly great song. Perhaps it is not coincidental that the best duet is with the youngest contributor and there seems to be little doubt the entire package would have been better with just the two of them, Ray and Norah singing and playing keyboards, something they seem to have done effortlessly and yet with consumate skill.
Submitted by pjm44 (San Francisco, CA, USA) 
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 the Bittersweet farewell
Brother Ray is in fine form as to always be expected. His pairings (and some of the arrangements) are often disappointing. We have a masterful jazz / R&B performer getting paired up with performers who are inexperienced in playing off another person. Norah Jones, Natalie Cole, BB King, and Gladys Knight gave great performances playing off each other and exchanging licks like masters. James was ok, but it could have been better. Elton John sounded completely lost and the orchestration was mediocre at best. Bonnie Raitt and McDonald left much to be desired, seeming lost when paired up with a true master. Willie Nelson and the arranger destroyed what was already a mediocre song. In the pamphlet Nelson speaks about how he and Charles are the last of the greats. Brother Ray was... Wille, I'm sorry but you never were. Finally, Johnny Mathis is usually great, but not on this one. The orchestration, again, was weak. Victor Vanacore failed to capture the mood that we remember from Ray's earlier solo release of Over the Rainbow also featured in Sleepless in Seattle, which was a masterpiece. That being said, I still give it 4 stars. Brother B.B., Van Morrison, the young Norah Jones, Natalie Cole and Gladys Knight save this album and make it one you want to keep for a long time. Do yourself a favor and pick up the album; you'll be remised if you don't.
Submitted by Tim (Milwaukee, WI)
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