Ray (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Even though RAY, the 2004 biopic featuring Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, hit the theaters after the singer's death, Charles was heavily involved in the process of putting the film together, and co-produced the soundtrack. Consequently, the album functions as an extremely effective primer on the genre-transcending musical giant's career. As one might expect, it's heavy on Brother Ray's late-1950s/early-'60s salad days, digging into the gospel-inflected fervor of "I've Got a Woman," the gritty R&B of "Mess Around," and the soul-wracking distress call that is "Unchain My Heart."

A number of live cuts are included as well, demonstrating the spontaneous invention that was part and parcel of Charles's gift, as on the jubilant "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and raw, sensual "What'd I Say." Ray's majestic way with a ballad is heard on two versions of his signature tune "Georgia on My Mind," and his pioneering R&B/country crossover work is ably represented by a live take on the sorrowful Eddy Arnold tune "You Don't Know Me." While there's no shortage of extant Charles anthologies, fans of the movie who take the soundtrack route to discovering the Genius's music will certainly not be short-changed.