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Rating:
THE REVIEW
It can soothe the excruciating pain, alleviate the oppressive sense of melancholy. Just pick up a guitar to create magic, exorcise your troubles. I IV V chord. Simple, overused. So overused that it surpasses the "indigestion" level and comes back even more beautiful every time you play it.
The Blues.
How many ways to approach those 3 chords! And in those three chords there's everything. Ray Charles knows this very well. Those 3 chords need nothing else, they are self-sufficient. There's the will to live, the carefree spirit ("I'm Movin On"), there's the aforementioned exorcism of pain, the true essence of the blues ("Feelin' Sad", "Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)", "Nobody Cares"). There's solidarity, solitude ("Some Day Baby", unsurprisingly played only by Ray). There's the ancient Mother Earth, there's contemporary urban society. In the blues, there is the whole human history. And one can say, taking a bit of a risk, that in this album, there's all of the blues. The real one, the deeply felt one. Where does it really need to be felt, then.
Yes, because Ray Charles is that smiling guy with glasses, the blind one, the one who plays the piano. Come on, you know... it's that guy... yes, the genius. The true Artist. An artist: because if you know how to say, if you know how to communicate like Ray Charles did (and still does, damn it!), you are a true artist. One of those who truly love their work, because it's primarily passion. And Ray loved his work and loved recording this album. How do I know? It's simple. Just listen. Really listen, actually feel it, but not the kind of feeling that in English is translated with "hear," but the one translated with "feel." Feel inside.
In fact, this album should have been called "The Genius Feels The Blues," because it's an album entirely focused on the soul. On the soul that the musicians put into it, that gushes out from every instrument, particularly from the soulful saxes that "go all out" (to put it in Conte's words). On the soul that Ray Charles has, which he offers to us, small insignificant human beings who, precisely because of our insignificance, are the favored recipients of the blues and this album.
There's little to say about "The Genius Sings The Blues". It's a soul-made album. Ray Charles takes us into his world, which is then ours: among the warm tones of his music, among the husky voices and gospel choirs, the omnipresent brass, and the bouncing piano. There's all the blues in this album, and that's that.
I ain't got nothing, nothing but the blues.
1. Early In The Mornin'
2. Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)
3. The Midnight Hour
4. The Right Time
5. Feelin' Sad
6. Ray's Blues
7. I'm Movin' On
8. I Believe To My Soul
9. Nobody Cares
10. Mr. Charles' Blues
11. Some Day Baby
12. I Wonder Who
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Summary by Bot
This review praises Ray Charles’ album The Genius Sings the Blues as a soulful and authentic expression of the blues. Highlighting the simplicity yet depth of the blues structure, it celebrates Charles’ passionate performance and the album’s rich instrumentation. The review invites listeners to deeply feel the music’s emotional core, deeming it a timeless, heartfelt masterpiece.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Ray Charles
Ray Charles (1930–2004) was an American singer, pianist, composer, and bandleader who fused gospel with rhythm and blues to pioneer soul music, while effortlessly spanning jazz, blues, and country. Blind from childhood, he became known as “The Genius,” shaping 20th‑century popular music with hits like What’d I Say, Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, and I Can’t Stop Loving You.04 Reviews
