Pictures & Paintings

Charlie Rich | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 1992)
• Original Release Date: April 14, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LR8
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,786 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On Pictures and Paintings, Charlie Rich got the chance before he died to make the jazz record he always had in him, though of course, this is Charlie Rich, so even when he's doing Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," it's never just jazz. Always a singer's singer, Rich slides gracefully here--in the same song, sometimes even in the same phrase--from jazz and blues to pop and gospel, his gruff vocals straining, sighing, tearing, pausing, living in these songs until you'll swear you've lived them too. Backed by a swinging combo that includes his own Stan Getz-influenced piano, Rich is flawless throughout, whether he's laying down a definitive "Am I Blue" or revisiting his own "Feel Like Going Home." --David Cantwell

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

Charlie Rich, a 1970s country-music star, has harbored blues feeling in his singing voice since the 1950s, when he recorded for Sam Phillips's label. On track again after a long quiet period, Rich brings a sure sense of dramatic pacing to the eleven attractive songs on this new recording. His wistful nature is revealed in his selection of subtle variations in shades of color, and he evokes glows of pleasure in the listener while his low spirits stir the soul. As a pianist, Rich-along with his polite jazz workmen-knows how to warm the cockles of one's heart without straying into precious sentimentality. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Rich" it is!!, September 5, 2002

By 

Bill Taylor (Romney,WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pictures & Paintings (Audio CD)

This set of laid back combo type jazz/blues was Charlie Rich's swan song,and these pieces reveal THE REAL CHARLIE RICH,the soulful jazzman who got stuck in the country rut and never found his way home,until this magnificent set of piano blues. The title song,"Pictures and Paintings" is such a haunting,achingly beautiful piece of music that anyone who has ever lost a love can identify with. I first heard this set in 1994 when it first appeared,it grabbed me then,and it still does." Don't Put No Headstone On My Grave","Mood Indigo","JuiceHeaded Baby" are all stellar,as are the other cuts.Charlie left a real statement as to who he truly was with this offering,and I for one was left wanting more.Give it a spin.Oh yeah,his version of "You Don't Know Me" has got to be THE definitive one,it grabs you way down deep and doesn't let go...

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars charlie rich sings late nite jazz, blues, standards and r&b, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Pictures & Paintings (Audio CD)

the original "sun records" eclectic sings laid back, late night jazz, blues, standards and r&b. not a country album - charlie rich sings and plays the piano in a small combo setting. his last album a masterpiece and harkens back to his jazz and soul beginnings. if you like a great voice and very nice piano work, try this one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitely a desert island disk, March 24, 2002

By 

m_noland "m_noland" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pictures & Paintings (Audio CD)

The Memphis-based Rich embodied the confluence of that city's multiple currents of American music. The result is genre-busting American popular music integrating country, jazz, blues, R&B, and even gospel into a seamless whole. Most of the tracks feature a piano/guitar/bass/drum line-up augmented by horns on half the cuts; the selections range from public domain blues ("Juice Head Baby"), to Rich originals, standards ("Mood Indigo"), and the songs by other accomplished songwriters (the title track by Doc Pomus and Dr. John). The final cut, "Feel Like Going Home," is a fitting epitaph for Rich who died not long after its release. Definitely a desert island disk.