One of the best examples of soul-jazz crossover from the early 1960s, this record features Ray Charles in the company of members of the Count Basie band, including such soloists as trumpeters Clark Terry, Thad Jones and Joe Newman. Most of the album is instrumental and swings vivaciously, although Charles does sing on "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town" and "I've Got News for You." One of the instrumentals, "One Mint Julep," would give Charles one of his most unexpected hits. Quincy Jones wrote half of the album’s arrangements, while Ralph Burns provided the other half. It received a 4½-star rating in AllMusic. 180-gram VIRGIN VINYL LIMITED EDITION. The Complete Album + 1 Bonus Track.
