The Genius of Ray Charles

Really nice to listen to.

Some of the recordings of the beass were a bit too loud and you could hear this in the production.

Also glad to hear that there wasn't much of the annoying backing vocals but there was some...

Starts out with a bang, finishes with a great rendition of a classic, with a few gems in between.

Had a fun time listening to this one.

Not bad at all really, but not my kind of thing. Ray Charles does have a great voice and a clearly accomplished grasp of the instruments at his disposal, but with these big band jazz types of albums, I never really feel the urge to revisit.

Enjoyed a couple of songs and the big band.

I love Ray's voice but I feel like a lot of the big band numbers don't really do it justice. The slower softer songs are where he shines. Favorite track: Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying

Some toe tapping tunes!

Genius

Ray Charles, one of the pioneers of that early R&B/jazz style, suffers here a bit on the first few tracks with the big-band brass tending to overshadow both his singing and piano playing, but then the album settles more into piano based balladry which soothes the soul.
Hard to believe this album is 15 years older than me, but it still stands up well today. 3/5 for me, could've been more if there was a bit more subtlety to the first few songs.

This is a really nice album. He's got such a lovely voice, and he imparts some real feeling and soul into the songs. I like the big band stuff, but the second half is just lovely.

3.5 rounded up.

Sometimes expectations influence one's assessment. I am very fond of Ray Charles and was therefore looking forward to this album. However, “The Genius of Ray Charles” is not particularly outstanding among Ray's recordings. The mediocre arrangements and poor production (for a Ray Charles album—still good for its time!) have been mentioned by critics, but I think the biggest weakness is the selection of songs, which resemble those of any Broadway singer. As a result, Ray Charles doesn't really come into his own. Two songs are noteworthy: “Am I Blue” and “Let The Good Times Roll.”
I expected to give a Ray Charles album 5 stars, but for me this one is “only” 4+.

The Genius of myself gives this Album 3 Stars.

Unspektakuläres Album eines Musik Genres, dass ich nicht mag. Ich war froh, dass ich durch war, Pflicht erfüllt und freiwillig werde ich’s mir nie wieder anhören.

This is a very strong record, and by the second half it becomes clear why Ray Charles commands the reverence he does. When the arrangements loosen just enough to let him stretch phrasing, bend time, and inject that unmistakable conversational soul, the album really comes alive. Tracks like “You Won’t Let Me Go” showcase Ray’s genius not as spectacle, but as presence. He sounds human, instinctive, and fully in control.

That said, the album leans heavily on lush big-band and orchestral settings, especially early on, and while they’re beautifully executed, they sometimes dilute the sense that this is Ray driving the experience. I found myself wishing for a few more absolute gold-standard tunes where his personality fully overwhelms the framework rather than politely inhabiting it.

So no, this doesn’t quite feel like a five for me. Not because it isn’t excellent, but because it doesn’t consistently reach that transcendent, can’t-imagine-music-without-it level. It’s a very good record, one I’m glad to know and revisit, and a clear four stars: dignified, powerful, and deeply impressive, even if it stops just short of all-time personal essential.

I mean it's Ray Charles

So excited for this after a string of duds. Fun and swing-y, hadn't listened to much Ray Charles before.

This was ok, but I don’t have very strong feelings about it. Found myself getting a bit bored by the end of I’m being honest.

I really liked these slower ballads, very much in the realm of someone like Frank Sinatra. Even the big band jazz stuff which I don't usually like all too much I found quite enjoyable

premda načelno dobar nije me baš sad oduševio

After Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles broadcasted the most important male voice in the history of popular music. I'd like to add Robert Johnson's, but his is not a crossover in the way Louis's or Ray's is. Then again, perhaps 'crossover' is not precise enuf - above all else, Ray is the foremost genius of integration, engendering a style that fused blues, gospel, jazz, and those early expressions of rock 'n' roll: soul music, in other words. If you require evidence of his unusual and necessary power, listen to the final moments of 'Just for a Thrill' when the man pushes and grunts his way to a sublime capture of feeling. This record is particularly thrilling, featuring jazz greats like Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves, and Zoot Sims on side one.