Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Sounds really old, and not as "country & western" as the title made me expect. Good, but not great, and very long (because it is two albums turned into a double)).

As I was listening through this album, I developed a boatload of flawed assumptions about how this album (a country album by a soul singer) came to be. I figured that a bunch of studio bigwigs forced Ray into this path in order to line their pockets. Reading through the Wikipedia article for this album though, I found out I was dead wrong, and my appreciation for what this album is has appreciated all the more for it. The truth is that Ray was the mastermind behind this cross-over and through this work the popularity of country music on the whole was significantly improved. An enjoyable twist on many levels.

The music and the performances are fantastic, and Ray brings his characteristic charisma and soulful touch to each track. Perhaps 24 tracks does feel a touch long, but it can be forgiven.

Ray Charles is his own genre. He saw no barriers.

This album filled me with an urge to break LP's. This really does nothing for me, just makes me annoyed

Qué bonito madre mía. Me lo guardo para ocasiones especiales.