Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon [ read more ]

Soul and R&B legend Ray Charles may not have lived to see the success of Hollywood's ultimate tribute to him, but director Taylor Hackford's biopic (featuring a landmark performance by Jamie Foxx as the musical legend) will further burnish his legacy as one of the cornerstones of contemporary American music. Though it stretches from 1953's ecstatic, proto-soul "Mess Around" to a sublime, bluesy live take of "Georgia on My Mind" recorded in Japan in the mid-'70s, this 17-track song-score can only be an inviting appetizer to the singer's epochal body of work. Charles's artistry may have virtually defined soul music, yet it also triumphed in genres as far afield as blues ("Nightime Is the Right Time") and country ("I Can't Stop Loving You," "Bye Bye Love") during the '60s, the impossibly rich era from which the bulk of this soundtrack is culled. Crucially, fully a third of the cuts here are live recordings--including electrifying 1965 performances of "What'd I Say," "You Don't Know Me," and "Hallelujah I Love Her So" hand-picked for the film by Charles himself--the forum in which the singer consistently operated on a whole other artistic plateau from mere mortals. -- Jerry McCulley [ read more ]

Genius Loves Company
Given the chance to sing with America’s premier vocalist, who could resist? On his final album, Ray Charles found himself paired with music icons including Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Cole, Michael McDonald, James Taylor, B. B. King, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, Johnny Mathis, and Gladys Knight. The high spirits and good cheer -- not to mention the top-notch singing -- that pervade the album testify to the respect that Charles engendered and the passion he could inspire in others. Charles could sing anything, and here he gets a chance to prove his versatility once again... [ read more ] >>

1. Here We Go Again - Features Norah Jones
2. Sweet Potato Pie - Features James Taylor
3. You Don't Know Me - Features Diana Krall Diana Krall
4. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - Features Elton John
5. Fever - Features Natalie Cole Natalie Cole
6. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind - Features Bonnie Raitt
7. It Was A Very Good Year - Features Willie Nelson
8. Hey Girl - Features Michael McDonald
9. Sinner's Prayer - Features B.B. King
10. Heaven Help Us All - Features Gladys Knight
11. Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Features Johnny Mathis
12. Crazy Love - Features Van Morrison