Hard to believe it has been ten years since the passing of the legendary Ray Charles. Here we have Concord Music Group’s fitting recognition: a tenth anniversary deluxe reissue of the artist’s final album, Genius Loves Company. The original release featured a dozen duets with as many different artists. A can’t-miss prospect, especially given the commercially fortuitous (yet, of course, poignantly bittersweet) timing of its release (Charles passed at age 73 just two months before Company hit stores), it topped Billboard’s album chart and cleaned up handily at the Grammy’s. Though not an artistic stretch, the album is an irresistibly classy showcase that offered ample evidence of Charles’ ability to emote via song right up to the end.
Grammy Award For Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The remastered reissue adds two bonus tracks: “Mary Ann” with Poncho Sanchez and “Unchain My Heart” featuring Take 6. The former is the winner—it could’ve easily made the final cut. The latter doesn’t really fit the album’s concept as it isn’t a duet, just a showcase for the vocal group (it’s an interesting reworking of the song).
The original album remains a charming and fitting conclusion to Charles’ storied career. “Fever,” with Natalie Cole, is light and playful. Trading lines with Willie Nelson, “It Was a Very Good Year” is broodingly serious. Though Company doesn’t feature many younger performers, the opener—a remake of “Here We Go Again”—benefits from a breezy co-vocal by Norah Jones.
Grammy Award For Best Surroun…
The material isn’t challenging and Charles’ voice clearly shows its age in places, yet the album manages to be a vital part of his already incredible discography. Concord’s deluxe package includes the all-new, 56-minute documentary “The Making of Genius Loves Company.” Boasting interviews with many of Charles’ vocal partners and other members of the creative team, this is a warm look back on the recording of the album. We also hear from Charles himself in a few then-contemporary interview clips. There’s a lot of a glad-handing and back-patting on display as everyone congratulates themselves on making a great record. It’s hard to hold that against anyone, however, as it’s clear the album holds a special place in the hearts of all who worked on it.
Poignantly, we’re treated to a bit of footage of Charles singing in studio what would prove to be his final vocal track. The album’s Grammy triumph is also touched upon, with a montage of clips from the awards telecast.
A Limited Collector’s Edition box set is forthcoming (November 11) which will include the movie Ray on DVD. A 180-gram vinyl edition will be out in time for the holidays (December 9).
For more information, visit the official website of.
Detail from the CD cover for 'Genius Loves Company.' Hide caption toggle caption Genius Loves Company is Charles's last album, released posthumously this month. What's obvious from the collection of duets on the CD is that 'the company' also loved 'the Genius.'
Some of the biggest names in music, from several different genres, teamed up with Charles to record a dozen standards and music chestnuts. Among the artists sharing the studio with Charles were Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, James Taylor and Van Morrison. Billy Preston, a longtime friend of Ray Charles and a standout keyboardist in his own right, and CD co-producer Phil Ramone join NPR's Tavis Smiley to talk about the last album of a great career from a great musician. Genius Loves Company debuted at number two on the Billboard charts — making it Ray Charles' first top-10 album in 40 years.
Is the last studio album completed before his death in June 2004. Boardmaker v6 plus. Prior to this, the last studio album he released was in 1996, which was a stab at modern pop, filled with new songs and given an adult contemporary sheen. It was not one of his most distinctive efforts, even when judged against his latter-day albums, and it disappeared not long after its release. Left Warner and, years later, signed with Concord, who released, which had a decidedly different approach than the all-modern.
As the title acknowledges with a wink, this is a duets album, which may be a little commonplace as far as latter-day superstar albums go but is still a step up from his previous studio album since it puts in a comfortable, relaxed situation that plays to his strengths. Instead of trying to put in a modern setting, producers and ( helmed seven of the album's tracks, is responsible for the other five, and their work fits together seamlessly) go for a clean retro setting with a few guitars, synths, and a rhythm section, occasionally dressing it with an orchestra or some strings. In other words, apart from the glistening production, it's not far removed from any of ' crossover records from the '60s, and he's also given a strong set of songs, largely familiar pop classics, from 'Fever' and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' to 'Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word' and 'Crazy Love.'
His duet partners are fairly predictable - classy newcomers like and, but also old stalwarts like, and the ubiquitous (who has never sounded older than he does here on 'It Was a Very Good Year') - but they're also reliable, never overshadowing yet never shrinking in his shadow either; in short, it sounds more like a real duets album than most superstar duet records. The end result is modest, friendly, laid-back, and pleasing, one that remains faithful to ' music while sounding relatively fresh. It may not be weighty enough to be a career-capping masterpiece, but it's sweet enough to be an appropriate final album - which is far more than can be said of, or any of the other albums he cut in the '80s or '90s for that matter.
Cat# appear as: CCD-2248-2 on spine, back cover & CD label LMM-195 on back cover & CD label © 2004 Hear Music. ℗ 2004 Concord Records, Inc. Mixed at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA Mastered at The Mastering Lab This album was recorded from June 2003 to March 2004 'This CD contains unique, never before seen, video footage from renowned photographer Norman Seeff's 1985 photo session with Ray Charles.' 1, 2, 3, 6: RECORDED AT: RPM International Studio, Los Angeles, California. 4: RECORDED AT: Henson Studios and The Record Plant, Hollywood, California.
5: RECORDED AT: RPM International Studio, Los Angeles, California, Right Track Recording, New York, New York. 7, 8: RECORDED AT: The Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Brothers Studios, Burbank, California. 9: RECORDED AT: Ocean Way Studios, Hollywood, California.
10: RECORDED AT: RPM International Studio, Los Angeles, California, Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California. 11: RECORDED AT: The Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Brothers Studios, Burbank, California, RPM International Studio, Los Angeles, California. 12: REMOTE RECORDING: Effanel Music. Performed live at the 'Songwriter's Hall Of Fame Awards' on June 12, 2003, in the Broadway Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York, New York.
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Artist: Ray Charles Year Released: 2004 Ray Charles got a helping hand with his last major album, 2004’s Genius Loves Company. Near the end of the soul singer’s five-decade career, he recorded a series of duets with such fellow luminaries as Elton John, Willie Nelson and B.B.
After decades of sagging sales and mediocre reviews, the album, along with the 2004 biopic Ray, brought Charles’ music to the attention of a new generation, and both the movie and the album (which went triple platinum) were smash hits. Unfortunately, Charles didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of his renewed popularity. He died shortly before both works were released.
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