Customer Reviews

The Best of Johnnie Ray

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Great reproduction of these old original songs by Johnnie. I still have the original 78rpm recordings of most of these songs, but this compilation cd is much better. I don't have to flip over or change records all the time of my favourite songs of his that I have loved for over fifty years. Thank you Amazon.

Johnnie Ray sang with true humanity, heart and soul; this touched his audiences everywhere and made his performances and recording special, a real treat for his fans and even newcomers! There are many fine songs on this CD; there's not a dud in the lot. The sound quality is very good as well.

"Just Walkin' in the Rain" was a hit for Johnnie; he does this panache and it's terrific to hear him do this one up right! "Hey There" gets a fine treatment from Johnnie who demonstrates he can do a sublime interpretation of a song and make it his own by playing with the tempo and keys. "Cry" was another huge hit for Johnnie Ray; just one listen will tell you why! "Such a Night" has some backup even though Johnnie never really needed it; and "The Little White Cloud That Cried" is easily another one of Johnnie's best. "Faith Can Move Mountains" is very well done while "Let's Walk That-A-Way" is a much more playful tune.

Other numbers include the heavenly "Paths of Paradise" with its lush arrangement; "Broken Hearted (Here I Am)" with Johnnie giving this a fine treatment; "Who's Sorry Now" that boasts a somewhat jazzy/big band style arrangement as Johnnie delivers this without ever letting go of a single superfluous note; the poignant "Somebody Stole My Gal;" "Hernando's Hideaway" with its great use of the strings to accompany Johnnie as he sings; a fine version of "All of Me;" "You Don't Owe Me a Thing" that Johnnie performs faultlessly with some backup to enhance the number; "Build Your Love (On a Strong Foundation)" that has Johnnie again singing from the heart; the very classic "Ain't Misbehavin'" that has Johnnie squarely front and center as he makes this his own with tempo and key changes; "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" that has Johnnie singing at his usual very best; "Please Mr. Sun" that Johnnie performed many, many times; "Yes Tonight, Josephine" with Johnnie singing this out strong; "If You Believe" that gets a most sensitive treatment; the beautiful "Look Homeward Angel" and "Song of the Dreamer;" a charming rendition of "As Time Goes By" and a solid closing number, "Walkin' My Baby Back Home."

We are all better off for Johnnie having shared his talent with us; his superlative singing is abundantly clear on this album and that's grand. I highly recommend this for any Johnnie Ray fan. Indeed, it's such a fine single CD retrospective that newcomers to Johnnie's artistry can consider this a great starter CD--they won't be disappointed!

I ordered this CD for my Grandma and she absolutely loves it. It sounds great, has all the songs she likes and through Amazon it's an easy order. Again, I can't complain my Granny loves it!