Ray by Original Soundtrack (CD, Oct-2004, Atlantic USA)

Ray, the biopic movie of Ray Charles, is said to be one of the movie highlights of 1994. Even if the movie didn't live up to the hype, this soundtrack is about as close as it gets to a "must have" for all soul music aficionados. Thankfully, the record company hasn't gone down the suicidal route of either commissioning re-recordings or assuming that just because Jamie Foxx is a dead ringer for Charles, he can sing like him too. Instead they asked Ray Charles himself to choose the material before his death, resulting in a 17-track collection that spans his career from the early club scene of the early 50s to the arena tours of the mid-70s. Even though all the best-known songs are here ('Georgia on My Mind', 'Hit the Road Jack', etc.), it's not quite a complete collection on his greatest hits - it's too short for that. It is, however, the perfect introduction for anyone who's aware of Charles's legendary reputation and would like to know what all the fuss is about. It's quite frankly...sublime stuff.