1. It Should Have Been Me
2. Don't You Know
3. Blackjack
4. I've Got a Woman
5. What Would I Do Without You
6. Greenbacks
7. Come Back Baby
8. A Fool for You
9. This Little Girl of Mine 1
10. Hallelujah, I Love Her So 1
11. Lonely Avenue 1
12. It's All Right 1
13. Ain't That Love 1
14. Swanee River Rock (Talkin' 'Bout That River) 1
15. That's Enough 1
16. What'd I Say, Pt. 1 ; 2 1
17. The Right Time 1
18. Drown in My Own Tears 1
19. Tell the Truth (With Introduction) [Live at Alonzo Herndon Stadium, Atlanta, Ga, 5/28/1959] 2
20. Just for a Thrill
There was simply no one else like him. His tenure at Atlantic Records began in the Spring of 1954. At the time, Ray Charles' previous recordings were similar of the King Cole Trio, but Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler would scrap that sound and opt instead for a more jazz and blues oriented approach. The decision would pay immediate dividend and Ray Charles would become a fixture on the R&B charts for the balance of the decade with tunes like "I've Got A Woman", "Fool For You" and of course one of his all-time biggest singles, "What I'd Say".
The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years, brings together twenty of his best songs from his years at Atlantic Records representing the crucial and groundbreaking period when he defined soul music, even though at the time, that term wasn't even used when these songs were recorded. Ultimately, there is no other greater word than soul, that better describes the music of Ray Charles.