Thrifty Tunes 11.28.09: Ray Charles - Dedicated To You
Posted by Paul Hollingsworth on 11.28.2009
The Genius was never content singing just one style of music. Whether it was soul, R&B, country, gospel, jazz or blues, he made the song his own. But could he do the same thing with a full orchestra to accompany him on a gimmicky album? This week's Thrifty Tunes is dedicated to you!
By 1960, Ray Charles had already pretty much invented soul music, released a string of hits like "Mess Around" and "What'd I Say" and been nicknamed "The Genius." Not content with resting on his past accomplishments, Charles recorded Dedicated To You for his new record company, ABC, which featured an orchestra, a full choir, and a gimmick: each song was a girl's name. I'm sure at the time it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The album opens with "Hardhearted Woman" and like most of the songs on the album, the orchestra overpowers everything else in the song. Although his voice is unmistakable, there's very little of Charles to be found in this song or any of the others. Charles, had, by this point, had artistic license over his recording career, (something very rare for the time), so he apparently went along with the idea of the album, but it's hard to see what Charles saw as worthwhile in the project.
Charles wrote none of the songs on the album, and the arrangements are all by Marty Paich, who also conducted the overpowering orchestra which drowns out the soul and rhythm of Charles' piano. I'm not sure if Charles was trying to out-Sinatra Frank Sinatra, but the songs are all essentially lifeless. Charles struggled for most of his career with heroin, and it would be easy to lay the blame for the album's blandness on that, but just two short years later, Charles would record Modern Sounds In County & Western Music, one of Charles' best.
Side two features more of the same orchestra-driven dribble, although at least a bit of Charles shines through on "Cherry", which recalls a bit of "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying", even if the strings and production get in the way of Charles' performance. "Josephine" does away with Charles all together, and is just an instrumental track that would have better left off the album entirely. Irving Berlin's "Marie" fares a bit better, again thanks to Charles' voice and playing, and almost in spite of the orchestra and other assorted silliness going on around him.
Every musician is allowed a misstep or two, or at least they once were. In today's musical climate, one misstep can end a career. An artist like Charles, who never bothered with labels, would never be allowed to explore different musical genres. If he had a hit with "Hit The Road, Jack", then he would be expected to record "Hit The Road Again, Jack" next. There is little patience for musical ambition, and even less for musical experimentation. I give Charles a great deal of credit for trying something completely different, but different doesn't always mean good. To get a glimpse of the good Ray Charles, here's a performance of "You Don't Know Me".
Complete Track Listing: (1961 on ABC-Paramount Records)
Side One:
1. Hardhearted Hannah
2. Nancy
3. Margie
4. Ruby
5. Rosetta
6. Stella By Starlight
Side Two:
1. Cherry
2. Josephine
3. Candy
4. Marie
5. Diane
6. Sweet Georgia Brown
Even Ray Charles couldn't turn everything he touched into gold. There are a few nice moments on this record, but the material and Charles, for the most part, simply don't mix. One of Charles' strengths as a musician was his ability to blend musical styles to suit the purposes of the song, and Charles' musical vision. However, the majority of this record is simply Charles singing along with an orchestra, and the results are disappointing at best.
