My World (Ray Charles album)
1993 studio album by Ray Charles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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| My World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Genre | Soul, contemporary R&B | |||
| Length | 44:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Ray Charles chronology | ||||
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The album peaked at No. 145 on the Billboard 200.[5] "A Song for You" won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male".[6]
Production
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, Eric Clapton, Abe Laboriel, Brenda Russell, Jeff Porcaro, Paulinho Da Costa, Randy Waldman, Steve Gadd, and Vinnie Colaiuta contributed to My World.[10][11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Chicago Tribune | [13] |
| Robert Christgau |  [14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
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."[16] Ebony stated that Charles "continues to infuse his music with social messages, smooth productions and rhythmic funk."[17]
The Chicago Tribune noted that "producer Richard Perry inexplicably insists on separating the Genius from his keyboards; that's a cardinal sin."[13] Newsday called the album "surprisingly potent, awash in rhythms and production techniques not even imagined when Ray first entered a studio."[18] 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."[19]
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."[12]
Track listing
| 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 |