Show From the Genius Last ings at Twilight Richard Harrington The Washington Post Time was not kind to Ray Charles but for decades he seemed impervious to its machinations His best years had come in the mid d and the when he virtually invented soul and then refused to be boxed in by any single genre His voice his style his vision all were singular singular singular sin sin- gular but over t the e last 35 years of his extraordinary career the brilliant was too often overwhelmed by the mundane Charles' Charles albums and his performances became rote peppered with bright moments but sadly rou rou- tine Aside from Ill Be Good to You a duet with Chaka Khan from an star all-star album by lifelong pal Quincy Jones Charles hadn't visited the Top 20 since 1967 Yet he remained a powerful concert draw In May 2003 in Los Angeles Charles gave his concert but a month later illness forced him to cancel a tour for the first time in 53 years He died about a year later on June June 10 at 73 Now the Concord label has released Charles' Charles final studio album Genius Loves Company featuring a dozen duets recorded over a period of a year and completed in March The Genius' Genius singing partners include old friends and musical peers BB King Willie Nelson as well as asad ad admirers Elton John James Taylor Bonnie Raitt Norah Jones Some encounters sparkle too many dont And sadly Charles' Charles inexorably waning condition is often apparent The emotional power of his voice seems muted he has a hard time hitting hitting hit hit- ting high notes or sustaining long phrases He plays piano on just three tunes The album features several other dips into the Charles catalogue One of his best known songs You Dont Don't Know Me the Eddy Arnold hit Charles reinvented on classic Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is appropriately appropriately appropriately weary but falls strangely flat when shared with Diana Krall who seems overwhelmed overwhelmed overwhelmed over over- whelmed by the company And Heaven Help Us All a gospel-flavored gospel song first popularized by Stevie Wonder is revisited with Gladys Knight more than 30 years after she and Brother Ray first recorded it on his album A A Message From the People It simply feels like a too too-of too often ten heard sermon ennon Even better is Sinners Prayer II the Lowell Fulson blues standard that Charles first addressed in 1954 Almost 50 years later he revisited it with his pals Preston and venerable blues- blues man King This was one of the first studio sessions for this album and Charles still displays plenty of energy Willie Nelson another septuagenarian septuagenarian septuagenarian legend is aboard for It Was a Very Good GoodYear GoodYear GoodYear Year the haunting ray f charles f I i Jt L II 11 I. I kralI It t. t 1 qt- qt stay r gen loves company ii it f i J ff ir r r V JJ O J tion about yearning for a simpler simpler sim sim- simpler past What could have been eloquent testimony is ruined by Victor turgid orchestration though there is obvious poignancy in hearing a very weak Charles proclaim The days are short Im I'm in the autumn of my years Similar emotions attend Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Johnny Mathis Mathis is another peer his first album came out in 1956 but 1956 but his smooth sophisticated vocals seem untouched by time and its it's he who must carry the last song Ray Charles ever recorded Disappointments include the slight Sweet Potato Pie with its writer James Taylor the Carole King-Gerry King Goffin chestnut Hey Girl featuring featuring featuring ing Michael McDonald and Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word with coauthor coauthor coauthor co co- co- co author John Despite the labels label's suggestion suggestion suggestion tion Genius Loves Company is not Charles' Charles first duets all-duets album Friendship was a No 1 country album that matched Charles with Johnny Cash George Jones and Willie Nelson And Ray Charles and Betty Carter remains a classic encounter Genius Loves Company is isa isa isa a well-intentioned well effort whose best moments recall but sadly cannot match the towering legacy that Charles left behind in numerous reissues reissues reissues reis reis- sues and compilations |