Ray Charles / Betty Carter – Ray Charles and Betty Carter (Full Album)

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Ray Charles and Betty Carter is a 1961 album by Betty Carter and Ray Charles. The pair’s recording of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” on the album topped the R&B charts.

AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell:
This pairing of two totally idiosyncratic vocalists acquired legendary status over the decades in which it had been out of print. But the proof is in the listening, and frankly it doesn’t represent either artist’s best work. There is certainly a powerful, often sexy rapport between the two — Charles in his sweet balladeering mode, Carter with her uniquely keening, drifting high register — and they definitely create sparks in the justly famous rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The main problem is in Marty Paich’s string/choir arrangements, which too often cross the line into treacle, whereas his charts for big band are far more listenable. Moreover, Charles’ sweetness can get a bit cloying, too, although some of the old grit emerges on “Takes Two to Tango.” [Some reissues add the great, rare B-side to the “Unchain My Heart” single, “But on the Other Hand Baby,” and two excellent if unrelated album cuts, “I Never See Maggie Alone” (1964) and “I Like to Hear It Sometime” (1966)(https://goo.gl/dD3DRf).

Track listing:
Original LP release[edit]
“Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” (Cole Porter) – 4:41
“You and I” (Meredith Willson) – 3:28
Intro: “Goodbye”/”We’ll Be Together Again” (Gordon Jenkins)/(Carl T. Fischer, Frankie Laine) – 3:20
“People Will Say We’re in Love” (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 2:51
“Cocktails for Two” (Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston) – 3:15
“Side by Side” (Harry M. Woods, Gus Kahn) – 2:23
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (Frank Loesser) – 4:10
“Together” (Lew Brown, Buddy De Sylva, Ray Henderson) – 1:35
“For All We Know” (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis) – 3:44
“Takes Two to Tango” (Al Hoffman, Dick Manning) – 3:22
“Alone Together” (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) – 4:45
“Just You, Just Me” (Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages) – 2:04

Personnel:
Betty Carter – vocals
Ray Charles – vocals, keyboards
Hank Crawford – alto saxophone
David Fathead Newman – tenor saxophone
Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone
Bill Pitman – guitar
Edgar Willis – bass
Mel Lewis, Bruno Carr – drums
The Jack Halloran Singers – background vocals
Marty Paich – arranger, conductor
Sid Feller – producer

Recorded – United Studios, Hollywood on June 13–14, 1961.

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Released: August 1961
Recorded: August 23, 1960 – June 14, 1961
Length: 41:38
Label: ABC
Producer: Sid Feller