Love & Peace (Ray Charles album)

Love & Peace
Studio album by
Ray Charles
Released1978
GenreR&B
LabelAtlantic
ProducerRay Charles
Ray Charles chronology
True to Life
(1977) 		Love & Peace
(1978) 		The Early Years
(1978)

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

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Robert ChristgauB−[11]
Journal HeraldD[9]
Omaha World-Herald[12]
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteC[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

No.TitleLength
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

  1. ^ Harrison, Jeanne (31 Aug 1978). "Platter patter". The Staunton News-Leader. p. 24.
  2. ^ Becker, Bart (11 Oct 1978). "Streetnoise". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Ray Charles". Billboard. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  4. ^ Gold, Aaron (18 Sep 1978). "Ticker Bits". Chicago Tribune. p. 3.4.
  5. ^ Graham, Chuck (17 Oct 1978). "Records in review". Tucson Citizen. p. 6B.
  6. ^ Lydon, Michael (2004). Ray Charles: Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition. Routledge.
  7. ^ a b McNally, Joel (13 Oct 1978). "Ray Charles' White Audience". Argus-Courier. Summit Press Syndicate. p. 6C.
  8. ^ White, Bill (25 Nov 1978). "Records". Weekender. The Morning Call. p. 45.
  9. ^ a b Lawson, Terry (16 Dec 1978). "Love and Peace". Journal Herald. p. 28.
  10. ^ a b "Love & Peace Review by Richard S. Ginell". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Ray Charles". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Will (17 Oct 1978). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 11.
  13. ^ a b Kalina, Mike (4 Oct 1978). "'Love and Peace', Ray Charles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14.
  14. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 124, 126.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 59.
  16. ^ "Shades of Blue". Bay State Banner. No. 10. 14 Dec 1978. p. 15.
  17. ^ Morse, Steve (25 Sep 1978). "Ray Charles: Not a night to remember". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 21.
  18. ^ "Rhythm and Blues Show Ray Charles at Singing Best". The Kansas City Star. 27 Sep 1978. p. 6C.
  19. ^ Bustard, C. A. (5 Oct 1978). "Stylists' Malady: Two Symptoms". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. C6.