A Message from the People

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A Message from the People
Studio album by
Ray Charles
Released1972
GenreR&B, soul
LabelTangerine/ABC[1]
ProducerQuincy Jones
Ray Charles chronology
A 25th Anniversary in Show Business Salute to Ray Charles
(1971) 		A Message from the People
(1972) 		Through the Eyes of Love
(1972)

A Message from the People is a studio album by the American R&B musician Ray Charles, released in 1972.[2][3] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide called it "a protest album of sorts."[4]

The album peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard 200.[5]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Quincy Jones.[6] Sid Feller worked on some of the song arrangements.[3]

Charles opens "America the Beautiful" with the third verse of the song, and then returns to the first.[7]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Robert ChristgauB+[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[11]

Robert Christgau thought that Charles "turns Melanie's 'What Have They Done to My Song, Ma' into the outcry of black musicians everywhere—which is probably why it rocks (and swings) like nothing he's done in years."[9] Ebony praised Charles's ability to give "wholly new dynamics to those patriotic vintages 'Lift Every Voice And Sing' and 'America The Beautiful'."[12] The New York Times deemed the album "not one of his more memorable outings," writing that "the miracle of Ray Charles’ music is his constant ability to survive his material."[13] The Detroit Free Press concluded that "this is one of the best albums he's ever made, because he gets so much of himself into [the] songs."[14]

AllMusic wrote that "a gospel feel mixed with R&B locomotion is the engine that drives things here, but [Charles] also uses it to transform Melanie's 'What Have They Done to My Song, Ma' into a syncopated strut, and bring a Sunday Baptist church feel to the Dion hit 'Abraham, Martin and John'."[8] Rolling Stone stated that the interpretation of "America the Beautiful" "added gospel overtones and soulful sway to its source material, pushing Charles’ audience to view the song in a new light."[6]

In politics[edit]

The recording of "Hey Mister", a song about government ignoring the needs of poor people, was played during a 1972 Joint Hearing Before the Special Subcommittee on Human Resources and the Subcommittee on Aging of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, where it was praised by Senator Alan Cranston.[15]

Although not licensed for political use until the 2020 United States presidential campaign—when the Lincoln Project placed it in a video that urged people to vote out Donald Trump—Charles performed his version of "American the Beautiful" at the 1984 Republican National Convention.[16][17]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Lift Every Voice and Sing"3:05
2."Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong"4:10
3."Heaven Help Us All"4:05
4."There'll Be No Peace Without All Men as One"3:25
5."Hey Mister"3:54
6."What Have They Done to My Song, Ma"3:45
7."Abraham, Martin and John"4:49
8."Take Me Home, Country Roads"3:32
9."Every Saturday Night"3:22
10."America the Beautiful"3:38

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Perry, Imani (February 2, 2018). May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem. UNC Press Books – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "'Message' Album Is Released". Oakland Post. No. 8. Apr 6, 1972. p. 5.
  4. ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 105.
  5. ^ "Ray Charles". Billboard.
  6. ^ a b Crawford, Robert (June 27, 2018). "Hear Band of Heathens Update Ray Charles' 'America the Beautiful'". Rolling Stone.
  7. ^ Gardella, Peter (2013). American Civil Religion: What Americans Hold Sacred. Oxford University Press. p. 219.
  8. ^ a b "A Message from the People - Ray Charles | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  9. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: ray charles". www.robertchristgau.com.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. pp. 301–302.
  11. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 123, 126.
  12. ^ "The Enduring Genius of Ray Charles". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. October 8, 1974 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Heckman, Don (May 21, 1972). "Pop". The New York Times. p. D30.
  14. ^ Talbert, Bob (23 Apr 1972). "Ray Charles Just Gets Better". Detroit Free Press. p. 14C.
  15. ^ ACTION Act of 1972 and ACTION Domestic Programs.
  16. ^ "Bob and Ray". The Nation. June 24, 2004.
  17. ^ "Lincoln Project Uses Ray Charles' 'America the Beautiful,' First Time His Music Has Featured in Political Ad". Newsweek.
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