Less modern for its country-R&B blend (Elvis Presley and company did it in 1955) and lushly produced C&W tone (the Nashville sound cropped up in the late '50s) than for its place as a high-profile crossover hit, Modern Sounds in Country and Western fit right in with Ray Charles' expansive musical ways while on the Atlantic label in the '50s. In need of even more room to explore, Charles signed with ABC Paramount and eventually took full advantage of his contract's "full artistic freedom clause" with this collection of revamped country classics. Covering a period from 1939 to the early '60s, the 12 tracks here touch on old-timey fare (Floyd Tillman's "It Makes No Difference to Me Now"), honky tonk (three Hank Williams songs), and early countrypolitan (Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You"). Along with a Top Ten go at Eddy Arnold's "You Don't Know Me," the Gibson cover helped the album remain at the top of the pop charts for nearly three months and brought Charles international fame. Above a mix of swinging big band charts by Gerald Wilson and strings and choir backdrops from Marty Paich, Charles' intones the sleepy-blue nuances of country crooners while still giving the songs a needed kick with his gospel outbursts. No pedal steel or fiddles here, just a fine store of inimitable interpretations.

(by Stephen Cook, All Music Guide)

Country and soul were deeply entangled traditions, and Charles was hardly the first to make the connection. But Modern Sounds extended his pop portfolio, which he'd perfected two years earlier with "Georgia on My Mind." He covered three Hank Williams songs and recast Eddy Arnold's lover's lament "You Don't Know Me" in the light of the civil-rights struggle. Full of lush string arrangements and gospel grit, Modern Sounds became the most popular album of Charles' career: several months atop the charts and four hit singles, including "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Born to Lose."

Total album sales: 500,000

Peak chart position: 1