I have always admired Ray Charles. What a towering, soulful voice the man had, not to mention his brilliant keyboard playing. And, of course, all those great hit songs. But it wasn't until I saw the movie about Charles' life, simply called "Ray," that it dawned on me what a true innovator Charles was also. He really did lay down the blueprint for many soul acts to follow, doing things with the musical form that no one else had done before. This CD, "The Very Best Of Ray Charles," is a brilliant overview of Ray's most beloved work. These are fabulous songs, all of them, including classics like "I Got A Woman," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "(Night Time Is) The Right Time" (a winning blues-popper featuring Margie Hendricks on co-lead vocals), "Hit The Road Jack," and the full-length version of the call-and-response smash "What I'd Say," with a brilliant performance from Charles on vocals and on his newly-acquired Wurlitzer keyboard. But it doesn't stop there---there's also the lovely ballads "Georgia On My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," an amazing soul re-working of the standard "You Are My Sunshine," the sultry "Unchain My Heart," the lyrically-daring "Let's Go Get Stoned," and a hot instrumental showcase for Charles, "One Mint Julep," with a scorching performance on organ. If you're new to Ray Charles' music, "The Very Best Of Ray Charles" is the perfect CD to start your collection with. God bless you, Brother Ray.

Hats off to Rhino for another winning single disc anthology that more than lives up to its title. There was a time I had about ten Ray Charles CDs and felt that, while all were worthy, it sure would have been great to have all the best key cuts from the length of his career on one convenient disc. And...here it is! Thankfully, Rhino opted to include the full-length version of "What'd I Say". The cool part about this set is the way you go from "I've Got A Woman" to "Georgia On My Mind" to "Hit The Road Jack" to "Unchain My Heart" in one sitting! Solid notes, decent remastering, all the key hits. What more could anyone ask for? The first and best place to get into Brother Ray's genius...

Ray Charles is one of those artists who are a little bit of everything. Equally at home with jazz, pop, r&b and soul, a terrific pianist, vocalist and composer he is the ultimate artist. This album touches on 16 of his best songs, from the years 1954 to 1984. But of course, this is just a small amount of his greatest, but as much as one album can do. The 16 page booklet is great, with a 6 page essay about Ray and these songs which is very informative. Plus, a few photos and song track notes. A must have for all fans of Ray Charles.

Though I am sceptacle about using the term "genius" for any historic musician, because I feel it takes away from the real essence of the music. But as with most of you out there, I do not feel compelled to call the "innovator of soul," a genious.

The man combined jazz and rhythm and blues, which was called soul, a term associated with mostly jazz musicians up to the time Ray Charles came on the scene.

I always loved Ray Charles. Being a jazz fan, I like so many others respected and loved this great man; for his music and love. But it wasn't until the movie which I wanted to go out and buy every Ray Charles disk available. I'm not done with that enormous job, but I'm starting here.

Ray Charles, who was featured on the Ken Burns Jazz Documentary, combined music from the church, with blues and popular music, which was frowned upon in the mid 50's; the time when he started making his great masterpieces. But Ahmet Ertegun and Atantic Records released it all, and had so much faith in Ray Charles, and his music.

This compilation is a great place to start. This disk has it all. What Did I Say, Georgia On My Mind, Unchain My Heart, Hit The Road Jack, I Got A Women, I Can't Stop Loving You, and One Mind Julep are worth the price alone.

This is music that has stood the test of time. It was revolutionary at the time and it still is. This is where it all started for the soul artists. Aretha Franklin, The Surpremes, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Booker T Jones, it all comes from Ray Charles. Honor this great man. Listen to his work, and respect his essence. Ray Charles, you will be missed, but not forgotten!

If only this collection had included "Crying Time" & "America the Beautiful", I could have easily given it 5 stars. Otherwise, a great collection of The Genius's work.