''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two'' is a 1962 album by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. It is the second volume of country and western recordings by Charles following his landmark

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

. Following the surprising success of '' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'', an album of country music covers, which sold over a million copies, Charles and producer

Sid Feller Sidney Feller (December 24, 1916 – February 16, 2006) was an American conductor and arranger, best known for his work with Ray Charles. He worked with Charles on hundreds of songs including ''Georgia on My Mind'' and worked as Charles' conduc ...

decided to do a follow-up. Unlike the previous album, where slow and fast tracks more or less alternated, this one features one side performed by the Ray Charles Big Band with

the Raelettes The Raelettes (or occasionally The Raelets or The Raeletts) were an American girl group formed in 1958 to provide backing vocals for Ray Charles. They were reformed from the group The Cookies. Between 1966 and 1973, the Raelettes recorded on T ...

, while the other side features a string section and the Jack Halloran Singers. The album has been reissued on CD, coupled with Volume 1, and is also featured on ''The Complete Country & Western Recordings: 1959-1986'' Box Set which also features the first ''C & W'' volume and many of Charles' later country recordings.

Critical reception

In ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' (1992), J. D. Considine regarded the second ''Modern Sounds'' album as superior to the first, "because its balladry is smoother (as with his version of Williams's 'Your Cheatin' Heart') and because the blues tunes rock harder (check his smouldering rendition of Gibson's 'Don't Tell Me Your Troubles')."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Richard S. Ginell said it "defied the curse of the sequel and was just as much of an artistic triumph as its predecessor, if not as immediately startling".

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, on the other hand, preferred the first volume, writing in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' that the second was a "half a step down".

Track listing

Singles

References

External links

Album overview at ArtistDirect
* Complete C & W Recordings review at AMG {{DEFAULTSORT:Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Volume Two 1962 albums Ray Charles albums Albums arranged by Gerald Wilson Albums arranged by Marty Paich Albums conducted by Gerald Wilson Albums conducted by Marty Paich Albums produced by Sid Feller ABC Records albums Country albums by American artists