Music / Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

I Can't Stop Loving This Album!

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a 1962 music album by Ray Charles. Released through ABC-Paramount Records, it is often regarded as one of the best — if not the best — of his studio efforts. At the time, however, it was considered to be somewhat of a risk, because of fears that Charles' experimentation with Country Music would alienate his older fans. The Cover Album nevertheless became a critical and commercial success and broke down racial barriers between white and black audiences, as well as between fans of either only country and R&B.

Charles released a follow-up album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two, later that same year.

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Bye Bye Love" (2:09)
2. "You Don't Know Me" (3:14)
3. "Half as Much" (3:24)
4. "I Love You So Much It Hurts" (3:33)
5. "Just a Little Lovin' (Will Go a Long Way)" (3:26)
6. "Born to Lose" (3:15)

Side Two

7. "Worried Mind" (2:54)
8. "It Makes No Difference Now" (3:30)
9. "You Win Again" (3:29)
10. "Careless Love" (3:56)
11. "I Can't Stop Loving You" (4:13)
12. "Hey Good Lookin'" (2:10)

The CD release added three bonus tracks: "You Are My Sunshine" (3:01) from Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two (1962), "Here We Go Again" (3:18) from Ray Charles Invites You to Listen (1967), and "That Lucky Old Sun" (4:21) from Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (1963).

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Modern tropes in Ray Charles' music...

• Alliterative Title: "Bye Bye Love".
• Born Unlucky: "Born to Lose".
  Born to lose, I've lived in vain
• Break-Up Song: "Born to Lose" and "Bye Bye Love".
  There goes my baby with-a someone new
  She sure looks happy, I sure am blue
  She was my baby till he stepped in
  Goodbye to romance that might have been
• Country Music: Charles covered several country songs on this album, which made the genre more acceptable in circles with R&B and soul fans.
• Cover Album: All songs are covers.
• Face on the Cover: Ray playing piano.
• Love Hurts: Many songs are about unrequited love or breakups.
• New Sound Album: The album was a considerable departure from Charles' previous musical recordings. As Billy Joel put it: "He sang white man's country in a black R&B style."
• Non-Appearing Title: At no point does the phrase "modern sounds in country and western music" ever appear in the song lyrics or song titles.
• Obsession Song: "I Love You So Much It Hurts".
  I love so much it hurts me
  And there's nothing I can do
• The Power of Love: "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Hey Good Lookin'", "Careless Love", "Just a Little Lovin'.

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