Personnel:
Ray Charles (p, org, vcl), Ted Buckner, BIlly Brooks, Fleming Askew, Wallace Davenport, Frank Mitchell, Joel Bridgewater (tp), Marshall Royal, Dave McRae, O'Neil Gerald (as), Jack McVea, Freddie Mitchell, Pinky Williams, Joe Tillman, Don Wilkerson (ts), Charles Waller, Warren Bell, David Fathead Newman (bs), Gosady MvKee, Louis Speiginer, Oscar Moore, Mickey Baker, Wesley Jackson (g), MIlton S. Garred, Bill Hadnott, Johnny Miller, Fran McClure, Lloyd Trotman, Lloyd Lambert, Jimmy Bell (b), Clifton Pitts, Eddie Pipper, Connie Kay, Glenn Brooks (d), Candido (perc)
Reference: BUD3017
Bar code: 8435086730176
A new preacher that encourages everyone else to live, get excited and feel the race pride through a sort of music. The youth from the ghetto was looking forward to listening: SOUL !!!
"The Soul of a Genius: 1949-1954 highlights early Ray Charles' sessions waxed for Swingtime, Downbeat, and Atlantic from that five-year period in his career. The disc starts with the Maxin Trio, finding Charles in pop crooner mode, and his first sessions featuring a horn section. The package wraps up with a 14-track sampling of his earliest Atlantic material including "It Should Have Been Me," "Mess Around," "Greenbacks" and "I've Got a Woman." Bud Music also included an enhanced CD-Rom section containing a biography, discography, jazz timeline, and catalog. A nice added touch."
Al Campbell -All Music Guide
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"Ok, I admit at the start that I'm a Ray Charles fan and that I can't remember anything he's recorded that I didn't like. Some more than others, of course, but none that I would pan. So along comes 'Soul Genius' and I couldn't believe that I had to ratchet up my admiration several more notches, wipe a tear from my eye and swallow the lump in my throat. I'm talking about the last track on this CD. It's Ray doing 'America The Beautiful' as I've never heard it before. Alright, by way of further disclosure, I'll admit to being a patriotic nut that chokes up on 'The Star Spangled Banner' but that aside I'm talking music and I'm talking heart and soul poured into songs as only Ray can do! Every track on this CD exemplifies that 'no-holds barred' commitment that real artists like Ray pour into their work. You'll find Ray's heart, you'll find Ray's soul and you'll find yourself enjoying the expanse of Ray's genius in songs that cover a wide range of musical genre. From Broadway musicals (Oklahoma and South Pacific)to soulful 'Georgia On My Mind" and 'Can't Stop Loving You' to the rousing and unashamedly patriotic climax, 'America The Beautiful'.
Finally, you've surely concluded by now that I'm not really reviewing this CD so much as praising it. So I'll listen to it carefully for many more times and maybe, just maybe, I'll detect a flat or sour note somewhere and then rewrite this review. But don't hold your breath!"
Charlie Goodetime, Amazon.com
