甫于六月去世的灵魂乐传奇大老雷查尔斯（Ray Charles）的最后遗作“真情伙伴（Genius Loves Company）”，一进榜就获得亚军的专辑收录了这位影响超过半世纪的伟大歌手与其他艺人像是诺拉琼丝（Norah Jones）、艾尔顿强（Elton John）、威利尼尔森（Willie Nelson）、娜塔莉高（Natalie Cole）....等等不同畛域知名歌手合唱的作品，这些与雷查尔斯合唱的歌手总计赢得过79座葛莱美奖，再加上这是雷查尔斯生前最后一张作品，因此一推出就让乐迷争相购买收藏。
好的音乐是没有类型限制，没有所谓的主流或是跨界之类的区隔，只要是传达歌者灵魂深处的情感的歌声就是好的音乐，能做到此一境界的艺人并不多见，Ray Charles肯定是其中之一，传奇巨星法兰克辛纳屈尊称他为“天才The Genius”，乐坛给予他“开创灵魂乐的先锋”的定位，乐迷推崇他是“当代最伟大的流行艺人”、“最真实的美国音乐原味”，听过他那综合了节奏蓝调与福音感觉的灵魂乐嗓音，你会发现，最虔诚的灵魂乐莫过于此。
2004年6月10号，Ray Charles因肝病的并发症病逝于加州，享年73岁。灵魂乐教母Aretha Franklin闻讯后，感慨的表示，‘一个伟大的灵魂将受到永远的爱戴…他有一副让人终身难忘的歌声。’出生于乔治亚州的Ray Charles，6岁时因发生青光眼症状导致终身失明，童年在一个乡村、蓝调、灵魂、爵士、Big Band音乐五味杂陈的音乐环境下长大，1954年，他所灌唱的歌曲“I Got A Woman”无疑就是他接受音乐环境薰陶的最佳写照，而这首歌后来就被乐界视为首支灵魂乐作品，1979年，他所灌唱的老歌“Georgia On My Mind”被选为乔治亚州的州歌，1986年入选摇滚名人堂，1988年获颁葛莱美奖的终身成就奖，表彰这位灵魂之父在他的演唱中将灵魂乐的真实本质全然的个人化，2004年，洛杉矶宣布将Ray Charles的录音室规划为历史地标。无论是百事可乐广告片中那位坐在钢琴边说出“you've got the right one baby, uh-huh!”的老顽童，还是在援非饥荒义唱曲“We Are The World”中与工人皇帝Bruce Springsteen神情专注的对唱，或是他赢得个人第12座葛莱美奖时的得奖作品“A Song For You”，Ray Charles歌声中的灵魂本质永远是那么触动人心，他的歌声启发了披头四、史提夫汪达、乔库克以及无数的灵魂乐手，简单的说，听Ray Charles的音乐，就像是听一个心无杂念的灵魂在唱歌一样，世上再也没有什么比这样的感觉更动人的了!
“打从我出生，音乐就在我的内在滋长，音乐就是我身体的一部分，像是我的血液一样。”Ray Charles曾在自传中作出如此的表述，而这样的精神一直贯穿到他生前的最后一张遗作“Genius Love Company”，藉由这一张与多位不同世代、不同类型音乐领域歌手合作的作品，我们更可以听见Ray Charles非常个人化的灵魂乐神采的穿透力。面对此张专辑中合作的歌手总计赢得过79座葛莱美奖的惊人资历，Ray Charles的神奇唱功依然是那么生动、自然，根本难以界定所首歌的类型，譬如在与Norah Jones、Diana Krall分别合作重唱乡村经典作“Here We Go Again”、“You Don't Know Me”时，你会听到在乡村乐与灵魂乐之间流动的福音音乐感觉;而在与蓝调国宝B. B. King合作的“Sinner's Prayer”中，你可以听到Ray Charles的钢琴与B. B. King的吉他Lucille精采的乐器对话;跟著自己所尊敬的音乐人Nat King Cole的女儿Natalie Cole合唱“Fever”时，你可以听到灵魂乐与节奏蓝调之间的微妙关系;当Ray Charles分别与创作歌手Elton John、James Taylor灌录他们的创作曲“Sorry Seem To Be The Hardest Word”、“Sweet Potato Pie”时，你可以在舒服悦耳的歌声中，感受到Ray Charles的知音情怀。
“Genius Loves Company”让我们感受到--流行音乐没有所谓的跨界与否的问题，完全在乎于你有没有唱出你的灵魂罢了!　　　　---------------copy自verycd

Before the legendary Ray Charles passed away last year, he laid out plans to use a set of recordings produced in 1998 to create an album of superstar duets with some of his favorite contemporary artists. It was among his last requests to his management that the project be completed and released. Now the Genius must be smiling up above as this stunning collection, finding him in tremendously strong voice on a lineup of memorable songs, is released on Rhino. Produced in conjunction with Ray Charles Enterprises and Ray's fellow music legends Ahmet Ertegun and Phil Ramone, Genius & Friends follows on the heels of the phenomenally popular Genius Loves Company, and it shines throughout as Charles and an all-star roster of vocal partners serenade in sublime harmony.

Commencing an extensive Ray Charles reissue program in 2009, Concord Records presents a 21-song anthology of hits titled Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection. The volume compiles Charles’ most influential recordings for the Atlantic and ABC-Paramount labels including 1955’s “I Got a Woman” plus “Busted,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” concluding with his signature 1972 rendition of “America the Beautiful.” All are digitally remastered from the original tapes.
Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection chronicles the high points in Charles’ catalog. As noted jazz writer Don Heckman writes in his liner notes, “The first feeling that comes to mind after even a short glance at the titles included here is a sense of wonder. The diversity of the material is impressive in its own right — blues, of course, transformed gospel songs, country tunes, an American Songbook standard, a Beatles classic and a climactic American anthem. But more than that, it’s what he does with all these variegated numbers. Good singers can do great interpretations. Great singers like Charles possess the material in a way that makes a song their own, while remaining true to the essence of each.”
The album contains 21 of Charles’ biggest hits, each within its own unique history and meaning. “Hit the Road Jack,” penned by Percy Mayfield, a #1 pop hit and a 1961 Grammy winner for Charles, opens the collection. Also included are “What I’d Say (Part 1),” ranked #10 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; the classic “Busted”; “I Can’t Stop Loving You” from the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which reached #1 on R&B and pop charts; the Bobby Sharp composition “Unchain My Heart”; Charles’ signature rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind, another #1 pop hit; “I Got a Woman” which was Charles’ first #1 R&B hit and was later sampled by Kanye West; “You Are My Sunshine,” the Jimmie Davis standard that Charles brought to #1 R&B; a soulful edition of Hank Williams’ “Take These Chains From My Heart”; the offbeat “Hide Nor Hair”; Ashford & Simpson’s “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” a #1 R&B hit by Charles; “You Don’t Know Me,” earlier a hit for Jerry Vale, which charted #2 pop; “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” originally a gospel hymn; “Crying Time,” a Buck Owens song which Charles brought to #6 on the pop charts; the funky “I’m a Fool for You,” which charted #1 R&B; “One Mint Julep,” Charles’ version of The Clovers’ hit with a big band arrangement by Quincy Jones; “Here We Go Again,” sung as a duet with Betty Carter; “Yesterday,” the Lennon/McCartney classic, in which Charles, according to Heckman, “embraces the song’s deep inner heart”; and finally his 1972 signature recording of “America the Beautiful,” the perfect ending and relevant once again.
Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection will be packaged in a handsome embossed digipack and presented with a 24-page collectors’ book of rare photos and Heckman’s notes.