Love & Peace (Ray Charles album)
Love & Peace | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1978 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Ray Charles | |||
Ray Charles chronology | ||||
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Love & Peace is an album by the American musician Ray Charles, released in 1978.[1][2] It peaked at No. 35 on Billboard's Top Black Albums chart.[3] Charles supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Charles.[5] He used a 24-track machine, picking and mixing his favorite rhythm and horn parts; due to the pervasiveness of disco, he somewhat reluctantly added layers of synthesizers to some of the tracks.[6] "Riding Thumb" was written by Seals and Crofts.[7] "We Had It All" was written by Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts.[7] The Raelettes backed Charles on "Take Off That Dress".[8] "Give the Poor Man a Break" is addressed to President Carter.[9]
Critical reception
[edit]Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Robert Christgau | B−[11] |
Journal Herald | D[9] |
Omaha World-Herald | [12] |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | C[13] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [15] |
The Bay State Banner wrote that "the album works because Ray knows how to fit a tune or a lyric into his own unique method, and his strong singing remains impressive."[16] Robert Christgau noted that, "with a filler from his publishing subsidiary at a redundant nadir, the same old horn charts and obligatory big productions really begin to grate."[11] The Boston Globe called the album "a hard-hitting affair where he tackles contemporary R&B trends and proves conclusively that he is no bygone relic."[17]
The Kansas City Star determined that "it occasionally sounds a little heavy-handed and overpowering, but most of the time that pounding sound fits right in with the overall effect Charles seems to want."[18] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette panned Charles's selection of "mediocre" material.[13] The Richmond Times-Dispatch concluded that Love & Peace "is what happens when an exceptional blues and jazz interpreter attempts to sing down to the common denominator."[19]
AllMusic wrote: "His powers of expression as a vocalist and keyboardist are undiminished on the second album of his return to the Atlantic fold; he could still squeeze some soul out of anything... But his ability to choose great, good, or even merely appropriate material had deserted him."[10] The Rolling Stone Album Guide labeled "You 20th Century Fox" "a genuine hoot."[14]
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "You 20th Century Fox" | |
2. | "Take Off That Dress" | |
3. | "She Knows" | |
4. | "Riding Thumb" | |
5. | "We Had It All" | |
6. | "No Achievement Showing" | |
7. | "A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy" | |
8. | "Is There Anyone Out There?" | |
9. | "Give the Poor Man a Break" |
References
[edit]- ^ Harrison, Jeanne (31 Aug 1978). "Platter patter". The Staunton News-Leader. p. 24.
- ^ Becker, Bart (11 Oct 1978). "Streetnoise". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 20.
- ^ "Ray Charles". Billboard. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Gold, Aaron (18 Sep 1978). "Ticker Bits". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.4.
- ^ Graham, Chuck (17 Oct 1978). "Records in review". Tucson Citizen. p. 6B.
- ^ Lydon, Michael (2004). Ray Charles: Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition. Routledge.
- ^ a b McNally, Joel (13 Oct 1978). "Ray Charles' White Audience". Argus-Courier. Summit Press Syndicate. p. 6C.
- ^ White, Bill (25 Nov 1978). "Records". Weekender. The Morning Call. p. 45.
- ^ a b Lawson, Terry (16 Dec 1978). "Love and Peace". Journal Herald. p. 28.
- ^ a b "Love & Peace Review by Richard S. Ginell". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Ray Charles". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Smith, Will (17 Oct 1978). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 11.
- ^ a b Kalina, Mike (4 Oct 1978). "'Love and Peace', Ray Charles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 124, 126.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 59.
- ^ "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 10. 14 Dec 1978. p. 15.
- ^ Morse, Steve (25 Sep 1978). "Ray Charles: Not a night to remember". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 21.
- ^ "Rhythm and Blues Show Ray Charles at Singing Best". The Kansas City Star. 27 Sep 1978. p. 6C.
- ^ Bustard, C. A. (5 Oct 1978). "Stylists' Malady: Two Symptoms". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. C6.