Crying Time – RAY CHARLES****

Crying Time/No Use Crying/Let’s Go Get Stoned/Going Down Slow/Peace Of Mind/Tears/Drifting Blues/We Don’t See Eye To Eye/You’re In For A Big Surprise/You’re Just About To Lose Your Clown/Don’t You Think I Ought To Know/You’ve Got A Problem

Crying Time was Ray Charles's final US top twenty album. The title track was a No. 6 US hit single and won a Grammy for best R & B record. His LPs would continue to make the lower reaches of the US album chart for another decade. (US:15)

"Without a doubt, Crying Time is my all time favourite Ray Charles album. This one is pure blues from start to finish. Not a pop re-working, or country & western song in sight. Not that Ray didn't work magic with every style he touched with his voice, but when Ray sang the blues, the results were simply without equal. This is Ray at his best, and absolute living proof that when folks called Ray 'the genius', they were telling the truth. Just like Ray does on every song on this album."

"Crying Time, a 1966 album, contains a few hits, like Let's Go Get Stoned, Goin' Down Slow and the title track. The title guides a lot of the other selections, like No Use Crying. What makes the album especially rewarding is that it is a mix of country, blues, and rhythm and blues. There are tracks visiting many of Ray's varied styles, including a Nat Cole like ballad. The pleasant surprise is that there are some straight blues pieces here."

"This is Ray in his mid-30s, already a veteran of more than fifteen years in the business. He'd already fused gospel and R & B, and country and R & B. By this time, his voice was changing with more grit and a stronger lower register. Contrast Hit The Road Jack with Let's Go Get Stoned, about five years difference, and you can hear the way his voice had changed."

"Tears Have To Fall, a ballad with a lush (syrupy) string and vocal backing, nevertheless works because of the great vocal. It holds together because Ray imposed his forceful personality on the music."

"Charles' influences were diverse. He could play R & B, jazz, gospel and even country & western. While his hits dropped off as the sixties wore on, his influence on other artists continued."