Ray Charles was American pop’s great amalgamator. On Atlantic Records in the 1950s, he put gospel piano vamps behind lusty blues lyrics, then stirred up the combo with Latin rhythms. Moving to ABC-Paramount in the ’60s, he turned country songs into plush, cinematic pop and poured brilliant idiosyncrasies into Tin Pan Alley standards like “Georgia on My Mind.” This anthology includes tracks from both labels, and while it makes some omissions—where’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Betty Carter or “What’d I Say (Part 2)”?—it’s a solid selection. Whether he was singing comedy or cries from the heart, Charles used the grain in his voice to tuck amusement alongside despair and melancholy under euphoria. Even when his ’60s productions swaddled him in easy-listening strings and choirs, his voice leaped out with anarchic savvy. He made every song soulful.

Download “Drown in My Own Tears,” “Unchain My Heart,” “Busted”