Drown in My Own Tears - Shirley Horn, Glover, Henry
Hard Hearted Hannah - Shirley Horn, Ager, Milton
Georgia on My Mind - Shirley Horn, Carmichael, Hoagy
Makin' Whoopee - Shirley Horn, Donaldson, Walter
Green (It's Not Easy Being Green) - Shirley Horn, Raposo, Joe
Bye Bye Love - Shirley Horn, Bryant, Boudleaux
The Sun Died - Shirley Horn, Charles, Ray [1]
How Long Has This Been Going On? - Shirley Horn, Gershwin, George
If You Were Mine - Shirley Horn, Lewis, Jimmy [Soul]
I Got a Man - Shirley Horn, Charles, Ray [1]
Just for a Thrill - Shirley Horn, Armstrong, Lil
Light Out of Darkness - Shirley Horn, Charles, Ray [1]
Shirley Horn's tribute to Ray Charles is typically idiosyncratic yet unaffected by a need to justify the critical hype. She plays organ as well as piano while Charles Ables doubles on bass and guitar and Gary Bartz adds so... more »ulful alto-sax obliggatos. Horn's versions of "Hit the Road, Jack" and "I Got a Man" replace the gospel fire of the originals with sexy, lighthearted swing, while "Drown in My Own Tears" is more torch ballad than bluesy hymn. The album's emotional centerpiece is "Green (It's Not Easy Being Green)," a tune Brother Ray borrowed from Kermit the Frog. Amazingly, Horn finds deeper meaning in the lyric than either of them. --Rick Mitchell« less
Shirley Horn's tribute to Ray Charles is typically idiosyncratic yet unaffected by a need to justify the critical hype. She plays organ as well as piano while Charles Ables doubles on bass and guitar and Gary Bartz adds soulful alto-sax obliggatos. Horn's versions of "Hit the Road, Jack" and "I Got a Man" replace the gospel fire of the originals with sexy, lighthearted swing, while "Drown in My Own Tears" is more torch ballad than bluesy hymn. The album's emotional centerpiece is "Green (It's Not Easy Being Green)," a tune Brother Ray borrowed from Kermit the Frog. Amazingly, Horn finds deeper meaning in the lyric than either of them. --Rick Mitchell
"This is worth getting if only for her "It's Not Easy Being Green," the best reading of that song I have heard by anyone. It's one thing to read the lyrics and understand the meaning, but Shirley really makes you feel it. Just deeply beautiful. And in a perfect world, it would have ruled the radio in '93 and Ken Burns would've talked about the great Shirley Horn revival in these last 10 years. Ah, well. If the record couldn't sweep the nation, at least it could be a big hit in your house."
A Nice Tribute To Ray Charles
Robert J. Ament | Ballwin, MO United States | 07/26/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a departure from the usual material that Shirley Horn does but it comes off well. There are more uptempo tunes than she normally does and certainly, in spirit, you have to think of Ray Charles as you listen to her renditions of the songs associated with him.My favorites are the ballads because, in my opinion, that is her strength and in this area, I think she has few peers. She sings the way Miles Davis used to play a ballad with his trumpet, making extremely effective use of space within the melody. As such my two favorites on this cd are "The Sun Died" and the title song.Especially Ray Charles or Shirley Horn fans should enjoy this one."
Rare Sensibility plus a Unique Repertoire
Carlos from Rio | Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil | 07/09/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
Maybe some say it is not the most representative Ray Charles. Also maybe some say it did not tingle but Ms.Horn did hit the road and made it with the personal Ray Charles material. Great renditions of "Being Green" and Gershwin's "How Long Has This Been Going On". There is also an extraordinary rendition of "The Sun Died", a French song wonderfully recorded by Mr. Charles. Impressive!"
Wonderful Tribute
Damian P. Gadal | Santa Barbara, CA USA | 10/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The song selections and the heartfelt delivery make this a wonderful tribute to Ray Charles and his gift to the world! Add Shirley Horn to the mix, and you have an outstanding musical release!"