Genius Loves Company

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genius Loves Company
Genius loves company.jpg
Studio album by
Ray Charles
ReleasedAugust 31, 2004 (posthumously)
RecordedJune 2003–March 2004
GenreRhythm and blues, soul, country, blues, jazz, pop
Length54:03
LabelConcord/Hear Music
ProducerJohn Burk
Phil Ramone
Ray Charles chronology
Strong Love Affair
(1996) 		Genius Loves Company
(2004)
Singles from Genius Loves Company
  1. "You Don't Know Me"
    Released: September 18, 2004
  2. "Here We Go Again"
    Released: 2005

Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004, on Concord Records.[1] Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004.[2] The album consists of rhythm and blues, soul, country, blues, jazz and pop standards performed by Charles and several guest musicians, such as Natalie Cole, Elton John, James Taylor, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt. Genius Loves Company was the last album recorded and completed by Charles before his death in June 2004.

The album was produced by Concord A&R man, John Burk, who approached Charles with the concept of a duets album for a collaboration of Concord Records and Hear Music, the record label owned by the coffee chain Starbucks.[3] It served as the first original non-compilation release by Hear Music,[3] as well as one of Ray Charles' most commercially successful albums. On February 2, 2005, Genius Loves Company was certified triple-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America following sales of over three million copies in the United States.[4] It also became Charles' second to reach number one on the Billboard 200, after Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962). On February 13, 2005, the album was awarded eight Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3/5 stars[5]
Robert ChristgauA−[6]
The Daily VaultA−[7]
Entertainment Weekly(C)[8]
JazzTimes(favorable)[9]
Mojo4/5 stars[10]
PopMatters(favorable)[11]
Rolling Stone3/5 stars[12]
USA Today3/4 stars[13]
The Western CourierB+[14]

Commercial performance[]

Genius Loves Company proved to be a comeback success for Ray Charles, in terms of sales and critical response, quickly becoming his first top-10 album in forty years and the best-selling record of his career.[15][16] The release of Genius Loves Company served as Charles' two-hundred fiftieth of his recording career, as well as his last recorded effort before his death on June 10, 2004.[17]

Within its first week of release, the album sold over 200,000 copies in the United States alone,[18] while it debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually ascending to #1 on March 5, 2005, becoming Charles' first #1 album since Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music in 1962.[1] Genius Loves Company also received a significant amount of airplay on jazz, blues, R&B, urban contemporary and country radio stations, as well as critical praise from well-known publications and music outlets.[17] By the first month of its release, the album had shipped over two million copies in the United States and shipped more than three million worldwide, receiving gold, silver and platinum certifications across North America, Europe and several other regions.[17] The massive commercial success of the album (over 5.5 million copies were sold worldwide up to 2007)[19] was attributed in part to it being distributed and promoted via Starbucks coffeehouses,[3] as well as the distribution and marketing relationship between Concord Records and the Starbucks Hear Music label.[17] The Starbucks Coffee Company proved to be singularly responsible for nearly thirty-percent of the total domestic sales of the album. Following several certifications of gold, platinum and multi-platinum in the United States during the fall of 2004, Genius Loves Company earned a triple-platinum sales certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 2, 2005.[4]

For the week ending September 18, 2004, Genius Loves Company sold 202,000 copies, ranking second on the Billboard 200. This was Charles' highest charting album in over 40 years and represented an opening week record for a duets album (since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking such statistics in 1991). Frank Sinatra's 1993 Duets sold 339,000 during the Christmas week, eight weeks after its 173,500-unit opening. The initial shipment of 733,000 units was an all-time record for the 31-year history of Concord Records and the sales represented a Soundscan record for the company.[20] In addition, the album placed at number five on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Charles' highest placement since A Portrait of Ray peaked at fifth in 1968.[21] These albums sales occurred despite digital singles sales that saw 12 of the 13 tracks on the album make the Hot Digital Tracks Top 50 chart. The previous record for most tracks from the same album was 9 by Neil Young & Crazy Horse with their 2003 Greendale album. "Here We Go Again" was the download sales leader among the album's tracks, but the 12 tracks totaled 52,000 digital downloads.[22][23]

Grammy Awards[]

In December 2004, announcements were made that the album had earned ten Grammy Award nominations.[24] At the 47th Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005, Genius Loves Company led the annual ceremony with a total of nine awards, including Album of the Year, while its hit single "Here We Go Again" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Awards won are as listed below:[25]

  • Grammy Award for Album of the Year: John Burk, Phil Ramone, Herbert Waltl, Don Mizell (producers), Terry Howard (producer & engineer/mixer), Robert Fernandez, John Harris, Pete Karam, Joel Moss, Seth Presant, Al Schmitt, Ed Thacker (engineers/mixers), Robert Hadley, Doug Sax (mastering engineers)
  • Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album: Ray Charles and various artists
  • Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Robert Fernandez, John Harris, Terry Howard, Pete Karam, Joel Moss, Seth Presant, Al Schmitt & Ed Thacker (engineers)
  • Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album: John Burk (Producer), Al Schmitt (surround mix engineer), Robert Hadley & Doug Sax (surround mastering)
  • Grammy Award for Record of the Year: John Burk (producer), Terry Howard, Al Schmitt (engineers/mixers), Ray Charles & Norah Jones for "Here We Go Again"
  • Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals: Ray Charles and Norah Jones for "Here We Go Again"
  • Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals: Ray Charles and Elton John for "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (nominated)
  • Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance: Ray Charles & Gladys Knight for "Heaven Help Us All"
  • Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): Victor Vanacore (arranger) for "Over the Rainbow" performed by Ray Charles & Johnny Mathis

The Album of the Year award was presented to coproducer John Burk, who accepted on behalf of himself and coproducer Phil Ramone, who was unable to make the trip to Los Angeles for the Grammy ceremony. The cover featured an iconic image by photographer Norman Seeff.

Track listing[]

In UK, this album was also published as LP record, where track 1 to 7 were on side A and the rest of tracks were on side B.[26]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Here We Go Again" (with Norah Jones)Don Lanier, Red Steagall3:59
2."Sweet Potato Pie" (with James Taylor)James Taylor3:47
3."You Don't Know Me" (with Diana Krall)Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker3:55
4."Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (with Elton John)Elton John, Bernie Taupin3:59
5."Fever" (with Natalie Cole)Eddie Cooley, John Davenport3:30
6."Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" (with Bonnie Raitt)Billy Burnette, Michael Smotherman4:34
7."It Was a Very Good Year" (with Willie Nelson)Ervin Drake4:59
8."Hey Girl" (with Michael McDonald)Gerry Goffin, Carole King5:15
9."Sinner's Prayer" (with B.B. King)Lowell Fulson, Lloyd Glenn4:25
10."Heaven Help Us All" (with Gladys Knight)Ronald Miller4:32
11."Over the Rainbow" (with Johnny Mathis)Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg4:54
12."Crazy Love" (with Van Morrison)Van Morrison3:42
10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Mary Ann" (with Poncho Sanchez)Ray Charles5:05
14."Unchain My Heart" (with Take 6)Teddy Powell, Bobby Sharp4:06

Chart history[]

Singles[]

Single Chart (2004) Peak
position
"You Don't Know Me" U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 21
"Here We Go Again" French Singles Chart 51
Austrian Singles Chart 52

Certifications[]

Sales certifications for Genius Loves Company
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[65] Platinum 40,000^
Australia (ARIA)[66] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[67] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[68] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[70] Gold 148,100[69]
Germany (BVMI)[71] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[72] Gold 7,500^
Japan (RIAJ)[74] Gold 126,900[73]
Netherlands (NVPI)[75] Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[76] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[77] Gold 20,000*
Portugal (AFP)[78] Gold 20,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[79] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[80] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[82] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[83] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Billboard.com: Discography - Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
  2. ^ allmusic: Genius Loves Company overview. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Genius Loves Company - Rick VanderKnyff Archived 2007-04-23 at the Wayback Machine. MSN Money. Retrieved on 2005-02-06.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b RIAA Searchable Database: Gold & Platinum Archived 2007-06-26 at the Wayback Machine. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2008-15-08.
  5. ^ "Allmusic review".
  6. ^ "Robert Christgau review".
  7. ^ "The Daily Vault review".
  8. ^ "Entertainment Weekly review". 2004-09-03.
  9. ^ "JazzTimes review". Archived from the original on 2009-02-15.
  10. ^ "Mojo review". Archived from the original on 2008-12-08.
  11. ^ "PopMattes review".
  12. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  13. ^ "USA Today review". 2004-08-31.
  14. ^ "Western Courier review". Archived from the original on 2008-12-08.
  15. ^ 'Genius Loves Company': Charles' Parting Gift : NPR Music. NPR. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
  16. ^ Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company. EMI Catalogue. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Sales Blizzard: Consumers Taking It Home for the Holidays 11/24/04 Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine. Ray Charles Enterprise, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
  18. ^ Ray Charles Scores First Platinum Recording of Career; ``Genius Loves Company Is Music Legend's. Business Wire. Retrieved on 2008-12-26.
  19. ^ Beyond the coffee market. Starbucks becomes an influential cultural tastemaker - Susan Chandler[permanent dead link]. Chicago Tribune. 2007-03-17.
  20. ^ "Everyone Loves 'Company'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 116 (38): 65. 2004-09-18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  21. ^ Mayfield, Geoff (2004-09-18). "Over The Counter". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 116 (38). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
  22. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio, Minal Patel and Wade Jessen (2004-09-18). "'Bowling' For a Chart Breakthrough". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 116 (38): 72. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2011-05-10.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "September 18, 2004 Billboard Hot Digital Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 116 (38): 73. 2004-09-18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
  24. ^ BNET: Ray Charles' Multi-Platinum Genius Loves Company Nominated for 10 GRAMMY Awards. CBS Interactive, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
  25. ^ CBS News: 2005 Grammy Award Winners, Complete List Of 47th Annual Grammy Awards Winners. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved on 2008-11-15.
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  28. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  31. ^ "Ray Charles Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  32. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  34. ^ "Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  35. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  37. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  38. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  39. ^ "Charts.nz – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  40. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  41. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  43. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  44. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  45. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  46. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  47. ^ "Ray Charles Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  48. ^ "Ray Charles Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  49. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  51. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2004" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  52. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  53. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  54. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  55. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2005". austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  56. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2005". Ultratop. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  57. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2005". Ultratop. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  58. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2005". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  59. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2005" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  60. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  61. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005". hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  62. ^ "ChartsPlusYE2005" (PDF). UKchartsplus.co.uk. Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  63. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  64. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  65. ^ "Estadísticas – Discos de Oro y Platino" (in Spanish). Camara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  66. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  67. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Love Company" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  68. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Music Canada. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  69. ^ "Les Meilleures Ventes de CD / Albums "Tout Temps" – Debut 3100" (in French). Institut français d'opinion publique. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  70. ^ "French album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Love Company" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  71. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ray Charles; 'Genius Loves Company')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  72. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  73. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970 – 2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  74. ^ "Japanese album certifications – レイ・チャールズ – ジーニアス・ラヴ～永遠の愛" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2 March 2021. Select 2005年03月 on the drop-down menu
  75. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 2 March 2021. Enter Genius Loves Company in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  76. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  77. ^ "Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2005 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  78. ^ "Top Oficial AFP – Top 30 Artistas – Semana 10 de 2005" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  79. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Lista de los títulos más vendidos del 06.03.06 al 12.03.06 – Sem. Actu. 97" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  80. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Ray Charles; 'Genius Loves Company')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  81. ^ "British album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  82. ^ "American album certifications – Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  83. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2006". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2021.

References[]

  • Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard; Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. excerpt by Douglas Wolk. Simon and Schuster, USA. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""