The title isn't just hype -- this absolutely essential three-disc box is where soul music first took shape and soared, courtesy of Ray Charles' church-soaked pipes and bedrock piano work. Brother Ray's formula for inventing the genre was disarmingly simple: he brought gospel intensity to the R&B world with his seminal "I Got a Woman," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Leave My Woman Alone," "You Be My Baby," and the primal 1959 call-and-response classic "What'd I Say." There's plenty of brilliant blues content within these 53 historic sides: Charles' mournful "Losing Hand," "Feelin' Sad," "Hard Times," and "Blackjack" ooze after-hours desperation. No blues collection should be without this boxed set, which comes with well-researched notes by Robert Palmer, a nicely illustrated accompanying booklet, and discographical info aplenty.
Ray Charles
The Birth of Soul
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AllMusic Review by Bill Dahl
Track Listing - Disc 1
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ray Charles | 02:36 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
2 | Ray Charles | 02:35 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
3 | Ray Charles | 02:59 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
4 | Ray Charles | 02:44 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
5 | Ray Charles | 02:42 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
6 | Ray Charles | 03:11 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
7 | Ray Charles | 02:51 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
8 | Ray Charles | 03:21 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
9 | Ray Charles | 02:38 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
10 | Ray Charles | 03:12 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
11 | Ray Charles | 02:47 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
12 | Ray Charles | 02:47 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
13 | Ray Charles | 02:55 | Amazon | ||||
14 | Ray Charles | 02:37 | Amazon | ||||
15 | Ray Charles | 02:52 | Amazon | ||||
16 | Ray Charles | 02:45 | Amazon | ||||
17 | Ray Charles | 02:18 | Amazon |
Track Listing - Disc 2
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ray Charles | 02:50 | Amazon | ||||
2 | Ray Charles | 02:48 | Amazon | ||||
3 | Ray Charles | 03:04 | Amazon | ||||
4 | Ray Charles | 03:00 | Amazon | ||||
5 | Ray Charles | 02:30 | Amazon | ||||
6 | Ray Charles | 02:53 | Amazon | ||||
7 | Ray Charles | 02:17 | Amazon | ||||
8 | Ray Charles | 02:45 | Amazon | ||||
9 | Ray Charles | 03:19 | Amazon | ||||
10 | Ray Charles | 02:34 | Amazon | ||||
11 | Ray Charles | 02:34 | Amazon | ||||
12 | Ray Charles | 02:33 | Amazon | ||||
13 | Ray Charles | 02:09 | Amazon | ||||
14 | Ray Charles | 02:38 | Amazon | ||||
15 | Ray Charles | 02:15 | Amazon | ||||
16 | Ray Charles | 02:51 | Amazon | ||||
17 | Ray Charles | 02:17 | Amazon | ||||
18 | Ray Charles | 03:51 | SpotifyAmazon |
Track Listing - Disc 3
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ray Charles | 02:18 | Amazon | ||||
2 | Ray Charles | 02:43 | Amazon | ||||
3 | Ray Charles | 02:49 | Amazon | ||||
4 | Ray Charles | 02:47 | Amazon | ||||
5 | Ray Charles | 02:53 | Amazon | ||||
6 | Ray Charles | 02:14 | Amazon | ||||
7 | Ray Charles | 02:52 | Amazon | ||||
8 | Ray Charles | 02:28 | Amazon | ||||
9 | Ray Charles | 02:01 | Amazon | ||||
10 | Ray Charles | 02:44 | Amazon | ||||
11 | Ray Charles | 02:43 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
12 | Ray Charles | 03:26 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
13 | Ray Charles | 02:22 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
14 | Ray Charles | 02:42 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
15 | Ray Charles | 06:26 | Amazon | ||||
16 | Ray Charles | 03:03 | SpotifyAmazon | ||||
17 | Ray Charles | 02:20 | Amazon | ||||
18 | Ray Charles | 02:59 | SpotifyAmazon |