Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company

By GRAHAM REID

Herald rating: * * *

Brother Ray was unquestionably a genius of modern music for his secular approach to gospel, and his converse ability to turn country tunes into something close to holy. Charles was also a soul, blues and pop singer. His extensive and inclusive career is a bit hard to get the head around.

So these dozen duets, recorded in the 18 months before his death two months ago, roam freely across country-lite (with Norah Jones), jazz balladry (revisiting You Don't Know Me with a typically correct and stuffy Diana Krall), bluesy country (in a superb duet with Bonnie Raitt on Billy Burnette's Do I Ever Cross Your Mind), and sentimental pop on the heavily orchestrated Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Johnny Mathis.

It's often too saturated in strings or pompous arrangements (which kill his otherwise wonderfully moving treatment of Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word with Elton) to be fully satisfying, and Fever with Natalie Cole just seems silly.

The chief pleasure here - although it is a sad delight - is in hearing Charles' weathered vocals reaching for the greatness he once possessed and often, beautifully, not quite making it.

He brings grace without cheap sentiment and although there are many and better Charles albums, this one, dripping in faux musical sentiment, has the commercial advantage of his recent death.

Label: EMI