The Definitive Soul Collection

Performer: Ray Charles
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Alongside Sam Cooke, Ray Charles is the chief architect of the sound commonly referred to as soul music. Nowhere did Charles lay down the rules of the style as authoritatively and definitively as he did on his tenure at Atlantic Records in the 1950s and early '60s. Not only did Charles expertly marry the traditions of pop, blues, and gospel, but he did so with a fervor and a sense of exuberance that has rarely been matched since. DEFINTIVE SOUL: THE ATLANTIC YEARS, a two-disc, 30-track set, gives a spectacular overview of the artist's work on Atlantic. Half the tracks --"I've Got a Woman," "Mess Around," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," and "What'd I Say Parts 1 & 2," among them--are stone-cold classics, but there isn't a throwaway here, and some songs (like the stirring "Hard Times") are Charles at his absolute best. Well-compiled, historic, and great listening, this set is a must for any soul fan who feels the need to go straight to the source.

There are few musicians in modern pop music who can truly be called "genius," but in the case of Ray Charles, the term applies. His innovative singing, drawing on both gospel and pop, has inspired legions of great singers. With a long, prolific recording career that began in 1949, Charles became perhaps the finest interpreter of pop music in the postwar years. A gifted pianist, songwriter, and vocalist, he was a master of every style he attempted, be it R&B, country, blues, or soul. The man who wrote such indelible R&B classics as "I Got a Woman" and "What'd I Say" passed away in 2004, a legend several times over. The same year, a remarkable performance by Jamie Foxx in the biopic RAY served as a fitting cinematic eulogy.

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