Tangerine Records announces the upcoming re-release of Ray’s remastered 2004 hit duets album Genius Loves Company, one of the most popular and most commercially successful albums of Ray Charles’ illustrious career. Genius Loves Company reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200, selling over 200,000 copies in the US in its first week and quickly achieving Gold and then multi-Platinum status. The album also won a record 8 Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. This iconic album will be available once more on CD and Vinyl on October 21st.
Stream & Pre-Order "Genius Loves Company" HERE
Genius Loves Company garnered critical acclaim immediately upon its release. NPR All Things Considered hailed, “It’s got flashes of fire you wouldn’t expect from such a setting, gems of phrasing that remind you how Ray Charles transformed the wreckage of heartbreak into poignant sound,” and Rolling Stone added, “the tone is reverential and warm, as the Genius sings…”
This turned out to be the final album Ray Charles ever recorded and came to be when producer John Burk, then chief creative officer of Concord Records, approached Charles with the idea of making a duet record. Together, Charles and Burk and co-producer Phil Ramone curated a list of artists and matched them with specific songs. The record features collaborations with some of the biggest names in music like Norah Jones, Elton John, James Taylor, BB King, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and more, all performing with Charles.
Burk recalls, “Working with Ray Charles in making this album was a dream come true, especially when it became the most successful album of an incredible career. All of us at Exceleration are extremely happy and excited to make this seminal album available once again, this time on Ray’s own label, Tangerine Records.”
The album’s 8 Grammy Awards include; Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record Of The Year, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Here We Go Again” with Norah Jones, and Best Gospel Performance for “Heaven Help Us” with Gladys Knight.
"Genius Loves Company" Tracklist:
1. Here We Go Again (with Norah Jones)
2. Sweet Potato Pie (with James Taylor)
3. You Don’t Know Me (with Diana Krall)
4. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (with Elton John)
5. Fever (with Natalie Cole)
6. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind (with Bonnie Raitt)
7. It Was A Very Good Year (with Willie Nelson)
8. Hey Girl (with Michael McDonald)
9. Sinner’s Prayer (with B.B. King)
10. Heaven Help Us All (with Gladys Knight)
11. Over The Rainbow (with Johnny Mathis)
12. Crazy Love (with Van Morrison)