Send "Ray Charles " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Ray Charles is so much more than Ray Charles at this point, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he was once a terrific singer and performer first and foremost, rather than an icon of a time period, a game-changing crossover artist, Pepsi salesman, biopic subject and who knows what else. The re-release of this 1964 concert, recorded at the height of his powers, should take steps to remedy all that, and bring the focus back to where it belongs: the music.By the time of this show, Charles was already well known to black audiences for his electrifying fusion of gospel and uptempo blues, which would eventually become known as soul music. He had gone further than that, too, reaching mainstream (read: white) audiences with crossover tactics such as his recording of country music, represented here by “Georgia On My Mind”. A couple of bouncing instrumental tracks open the album, “Swing a Little Bounce” and “One Mint Julep”, and midway through the second, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether Ray is actually going to, y’know, sing on this record. But then he rips into a six-minute version of “I’ve Got a Woman”, and all is forgiven. Soulful and syrupy, with just enough grit to make it go down a little rough, Charles’s voice manages to be simultaneously sweet and licentious, tender and wry. It’s at this point that the show really fires up. “Georgia On My Mind” follows, its seven and a half minutes punctuated by chirping flute and the outbursts of the audience....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| Concord Music Group continues its Ray Charles reissue program with an expanded, remastered version of Ray Charles Live In Concert. Recorded at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles, September 20th, 1964, the new version is strengthened by the inclusion of seven previously unreleased tracks. This is absolute prime Ray Charles, showcasing the artist as both musician—check out his piano soloing on "Swing a Little Taste"—and, of course, as vocalist. The first taste of the latter arrives with track four, a smoking "I Got a Woman" that includes an extended vamp. As for the previously unreleased material, first up is "Georgia On My Mind." Hard to believe such a stunning version of Charles' signature song did not make the original cut. Bill Shearson's flute playing provides a feather-light running commentary throughout this seven-minute-plus version. The audience response to Charles' unpredictable variations in vocal phrasing elevates the atmosphere. The other unreleased material is no less essential, with powerhouse readings of "That Lucky Old Sun" and "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" standing out. As for the original album tracks, perhaps best of all is the definitive take on the 1928 standard "Makin' Whoopee." This version was released as a single, reaching #14 on Billboard's R&B chart. The first two minutes alone are classic, showcasing Charles' generally underrated improvisatory skills. His sly vocal delivery electrifies the audience, whose collective reactions practically become part of the band. That's an utterly invaluable aspect of Live In Concert; the audience is boisterously vocal throughout, goosing Charles' and his musicians to new levels of intensity. Prior to the set-closing climax of "What'd I Say," Charles features his backing singers, The Raeletts, on his original composition "My Baby (I Love Her, Yes I Do)." This is yet another previously unreleased gem, with Charles blowing the roof off during his interactions with the female singers. Predictably, "What'd I Say" goes down well with the audience—is there anyone who actually gets tired of hearing this song? After the closing comments of emcee Joe Adams, Charles has some fun with an off-the-cuff rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel."...full text |
| Seattlepi |
| Jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues: Ray Charles, "The Genius," can do it all, and do it all he does in his 1964 concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Originally released by ABC-Paramount in 1965 as a twelve-song album, it's now being reissued by Concord Music Group on a nineteen-track (seventeen-song) CD, Ray Charles: Live in Concert. There are some performers who seem uncomfortable outside the recording studio; live audiences are inconveniences that have to be put up with. Then there are some performers who always seem to manage a little something extra in live performance; audiences energize them. Not only is Ray Charles in this second group, he may well be at the head of the pack. The audience is having a good time; he is having a great time. Whether he is taking a hoary old standard like "Margie" and making it his own, or rocking out his own chart topper, "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," this is a singer who has his audience in the palm of his hand. He begins with two big-band jazz instrumentals, "Swing a Little Taste" and "One Mint Julep." The band has a brassy vibe that someone like Count Basie would have been proud of. On the first of the two you can hear Charles' patented growl over the piano. Original liner notes indicated that the fifteen-piece band included a dozen horns featuring sax players David "Fathead" Newman, Hank Crawford and Leroy "Hog" Cooper. This is a band that can swing with the best of them. (As an aside, I recently heard "Fathead" Newman's "Hard Times" on an old time rock podcast, and if you've never heard it, you can download it from his web site. It's worth your time). The set includes a remarkable bluesy "Georgia on My Mind" with a flute and organ accompaniment that unaccountably didn't make the original album. Whoever decided to leave it out should have his head examined. It is one of the singer's finest moments. Lillian Fort joins him in a duet on "Don't Set Me Free." "I Got a Woman," a Charles standard, begins with a playful shout out to Chopin and then morphs into the blues. Other Charles favorites in the set include "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" with some really nice interaction with a solo trumpet, an eloquent "You Don't Know Me," and a rocking version of "What'd I Say" as the concert's finale....full text |
Ray Charles lyrics
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