“Ray Charles did more for country music than any other artist.” So said outlaw country icon Willie Nelson, whose statement may have been deemed controversial by some but was a sincere acknowledgment of the profound impact generated by Charles’ 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, which found the blind Georgia singer putting a gospel-infused R&B spin on a cache of country music classics by the likes of Hank Williams, Don Gibson, and Eddy Arnold. The album rose to the summit of the US pop charts for fourteen weeks. It also made No. 6 in the UK, helping to cement Charles’ status as an international icon. As Willie Nelson correctly noted, the record’s phenomenal global success was undoubtedly instrumental in taking the Nashville sound into the pop mainstream. Now, to mark the 94th year of the singer’s birth, Charles’ monumental masterpiece has been reissued as part of a celebratory series of remasters approved by the singer’s estate that includes the album’s sequel recorded the same year, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 2, together with 1965’s Country & Western Meets Rhythm And Blues, 1966’s Crying Time and a newly curated compilation, The Best Of Country & Western.
After a fertile stint at Atlantic Records in the 1950s which catapulted him to fame, Charles quit the label in 1960 after accepting a lucrative offer by ABC-Paramount that also guaranteed him complete creative control. With its financial muscle and powerful distinction network, ABC/Paramount also offered him better opportunities to conquer the pop mainstream than Atlantic. His fourth album for the label, 1962’s Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, showed Charles offering something revolutionary, reimagining country classics and reframing them with a jazzed-up R&B sensibility. The album’s centerpiece is its first single, a soulful remake of Don Gibson’s ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You,’ which saw Charles spend five weeks at the top of the US pop charts and later, grab a Grammy award for it. Other highlights include a pulsating big band transformation of the Everly Brothers’ ‘Bye Bye Love,’ a nocturnal ‘Half As Much’ defined by a bluesy swagger, and ‘I Love You So Much It Hurts,’ where Charles’ aching voice is enveloped by swooning strings and slightly schmaltzy choral-style background vocals.
Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Volume 2 was rush-released in late ‘62 to capitalise on the first album’s success. (It was Charles’ first Gold record). Though it doesn’t quite hit the creative heights of its predecessor, it’s nonetheless a rewarding listen and a significant entry in Charles’ storied back catalogue. Its standout is the lead track, a gospel-powered funkafied take on ‘You Are My Sunshine’ featuring sanctified vocals of The Raelettes. Also noteworthy is the turbo-charged ‘Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles,’ the mid-tempo ‘Someday’ – a jazz ballad invoking the spirit of Sinatra – and the brassy blues-soaked ‘Midnight.’ Charles also puts an inimitable spin on the classic country laments, ‘Take These Chains From My Heart’ and ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart,’ infusing them with a depth of feeling that eclipses the originals.
These two albums saw Ray Charles altering country music’s perception, revealing its storylines’ universality. Thanks to the exceptional remastering achieved by Grammy-winning audio engineer Michael Graves, both volumes of Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music – available on vinyl, CD, and download via Charles’ revamped Tangerine label – now sound better than ever.
(CW) 5/5
Both albums are out now. Buy or stream them here:
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