Ray Sings, Basie Swings is obviously a posthumous release since both Ray Charles and Count Basie are dead. An old tape was found that had Ray Charles playing together with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1973. While Ray's vocals were salvageable from the tape, the instrumentation wasn't. Despite Count Basie's death, his orchestra still tours, so the present orchestra was used to lay down the music to accompany the vocals. The result is Ray Charles in fine form, performing his hits "Busted," "Cryin' Time," and "I Can't Stop Loving You," as well as his classic "Georgia On My Mind." In addition, he covers songs such as The Beatles' "The Long And Winding Road" and Melanie's "Look What They've Done To My Song." If you can get past the ethical concerns of producing a record attributed to two men who cannot give their approval, then Ray Charles fans should find this a welcome addition to their collections.
CD released October 3, 2006.
Articles, reviews, and interviews:
The Independent review
All Music review
Track List:
1. Oh What A Beautiful Morning
2. Let The Good Times Roll
3. How Long Has This Been Going On?
4. Every Saturday Night
5. I Can't Stop Loving You
6. Cryin' Time
7. Busted
8. Come Live With Me
9. Feel So Bad
10. The Long And Winding Road
11. Look What They've Done To My Song
12. Georgia On My Mind
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