My World is an album by the American musician Ray Charles, released in 1993.[2][3] Charles incorporated elements of gospel, funk, and New jack swing.[4]
| My World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Length | 44:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Ray Charles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 145 on the Billboard 200.[5] "A Song for You" won a Grammy Award, in the "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male" category.[6]
Production edit
The album was produced by Richard Perry.[7] Charles covered Leon Russell's "A Song for You" and Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years".[8] Mavis Staples duetted with Charles on "Love Has a Mind of Its Own".[9] Billy Preston and Eric Clapton also contributed to My World.[10]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| Chicago Tribune | [12] |
| Robert Christgau |  [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
Rolling Stone wrote: "Over the years, a benign, grandfatherly quality has crept into Charles's singing. In bringing this amused overview to 'Still Crazy', Charles turns the Simon gem into a jubilant, frisky declaration of independence by a proud eccentric."[15] Ebony stated that Charles "continues to infuse his music with social messages, smooth productions and rhythmic funk."[16]
The Chicago Tribune noted that "producer Richard Perry inexplicably insists on separating the Genius from his keyboards; that's a cardinal sin."[12] Newsday called the album "surprisingly potent, awash in rhythms and production techniques not even imagined when Ray first entered a studio."[17] The Baltimore Sun concluded that "what Brother Ray needs first and foremost are songs, and when you hear how much he makes of a classic, Paul Simon's 'Still Crazy After All These Years', it suddenly becomes obvious how cut-rate the rest of the writing here is."[18]
AllMusic wrote that the album "marked an attempt to somewhat 'modernize' Ray Charles by incorporating elements of hip-hop and New Jack swing into his trademark sound."[11]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My World" | 4:01 |
| 2. | "A Song for You" | 4:12 |
| 3. | "None of Us Are Free" | 4:59 |
| 4. | "So Help Me God" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Let Me Take Over" | 5:25 |
| 6. | "One Drop of Love" | 4:22 |
| 7. | "If I Could" | 4:52 |
| 8. | "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" | 4:06 |
| 9. | "I'll Be There" | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Still Crazy After All These Years" | 4:58 |
References edit
- ^ "Ray Charles Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (August 4, 1993). "Review/Music; Plumbing the Soul of Jazz" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Thompson, Clifford (October 7, 2020). "Contemporary World Musicians". Routledge – via Google Books.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (4 Apr 1993). "From Two Great Voices, a New Message". The New York Times. p. A32.
- ^ "Ray Charles". Billboard.
- ^ "All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Ray Charles". Recording Academy. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ Saxberg, Lynn (10 Apr 1993). "Legends live up to expectations". Ottawa Citizen. p. E3.
- ^ "Popular music - My World by Ray Charles". Stereo Review. 58 (8): 83. Aug 1993.
- ^ a b "My World". EW.com.
- ^ "Ray Charles sings 'My World' to show concern for families and peace". Jet. 84 (1): 54. May 3, 1993.
- ^ a b "My World - Ray Charles | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b Dahl, Bill (15 Apr 1993). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. Tempo. p. 7.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Ray Charles". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Holden, Stephen (May 13, 1993). "My World". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Norment, Lynn (Jun 1993). "Sounding Off". Ebony. 48 (8): 18.
- ^ Tamarkin, Jeff (30 July 1993). "The Genius on CD: A Selected Guide". Newsday. Weekend. p. 69.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (19 Mar 1993). "Quality is in the voice, not material on Ray Charles' latest". The Baltimore Sun. Features. p. 5.