In discussing Ray Charles, local trumpeter Frank Mitchell once stated, “I don’t know who first called him ‘The Genius,’ but they sure hit the nail on the head.” That quality of ‘genius’ is fully evident on these previously unreleased sides just as it was on most of his music released during his lifetime. Charles is simply Ray here. He’s equally sad, happy, sassy, humble and always a playful perfectionist. He touches several style bases along the way, including blues, country, pop, jazz, funk and swing.  Oddly though, many of the songs have a common theme: squandered love and the squandering of love.