RAY CHARLES

The thirteenth full-length studio album by legendary American Jazz singer and pianist.
It was recorded in February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and United Western Recorders in Hollywood, and released in April of that year by ABC-Paramount Records.
The album departed further stylistically from the Rhythm And Blues music Charles had recorded for Atlantic Records in the 1950s. It featured Country, Folk, and Western music standards reworked by Charles in popular song forms of the time, including R&B, Pop, and Jazz. Charles produced the album with Sid Feller, who helped the singer select songs to record, and performed alongside saxophonist Hank Crawford, a string section conducted by Marty Paich, and a big band arranged by Gil Fuller and Gerald Wilson.
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music was an immediate critical and commercial success. The album and its four hit singles brought Charles greater mainstream notice and recognition in the pop market, as well as airplay on both R&B and country radio stations. The album and its lead single, "I Can't Stop Loving You", were both certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1962, as each record had sold at least 500,000 copies in the United States.
The album's integration of Soul and Country challenged racial barriers in popular music at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In the process of recording the album, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to exercise complete artistic control over his own recording career. In retrospect, it has been considered by critics as his best studio record and a landmark recording in American music. According to Robert Christgau, the album "transfigured Pop, prefigured Soul, and defined modern Country & Western music". It has been called one of the greatest albums of all time by publications such as Rolling Stone and Time magazines.
180 gram black vinyl comes in PVC sleeve with flap and Second Records logo embossed, and with hype sticker.
Second Records, 1962/2022 (SRPD0021). Made in Austria. Pressed in Poland.


Tracklist:

Side One
1. Bye Bye, Love 2:08
2. You Don't Know Me 3:11
3. Half As Much 3:21
4. I Love You So Much It Hurts 3:31
5. Just A Little Lovin' 3:25
6. Born To Lose 3:13

Side Two
1. Worried Mind 2:51
2. It Makes No Difference How 3:24
3. You Win Again 3:26
4. Careless Love 3:52
5. I Can't Stop Loving You 4:09
6. Hey, Good Lookin' 2:09

Total playing time: 40:32 min.