Collectables' Golden Classics: If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody may not be as extensive or as well-annotated a collection as one could hope for, but nevertheless, it is the only collection of James Ray's material on CD; and it is quite worthwhile for that. During the early '60s, Ray straddled the line between R&B and pop. His productions and choice of material often favored supper-club crossovers -- as the inclusion of "Lazybones," "St. James Infirmary," and "Come Rain or Come Shine," here prove -- and even his R&B-oriented material was given elaborate productions similar to Sam Cooke's pop productions. This collection might be tilted toward the supper-club crowd, but his sweet voice stands tall throughout this, and his best material -- "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody," and "I've Got My Mind Set on You, Pt. 1" (later covered by George Harrison) -- prove that Ray was a very good pop-soul singer, and they make this worth hearing.
James Ray
Golden Classics: If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody
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Golden Classics: If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Track Listing
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
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1 |
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James Ray | 02:15 | Amazon | |||
2 | James Ray | 02:20 | Amazon | ||||
3 |
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James Ray | 03:26 | Amazon | |||
4 | James Ray | 02:40 | Amazon | ||||
5 | James Ray | 02:01 | Amazon | ||||
6 | James Ray | 02:01 | Amazon | ||||
7 | James Ray | 02:33 | Amazon | ||||
8 | James Ray | 02:35 | Amazon | ||||
9 |
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James Ray | 01:59 | Amazon | |||
10 |
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James Ray | 02:11 | Amazon | |||
11 |
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James Ray | 02:19 | Amazon | |||
12 | James Ray | 02:23 | Amazon |