Ray Sings, Basie Swings - CD

To fake or not to fake: That is the question consumers must answer for themselves in assessing this feat of aural Photoshopping: an 'imaginary concert' created by combining recently discovered soundboard tapes of Ray Charles's vocals from a mid-'70s European show and newly recorded backing by the Count Basie Orchestra--the 'ghost band,' still on the road 22 years after Count's passing. Charles is in exceptional voice, singing the heck out of standards like 'How Long Has This Been Going On?,' Genius classics like 'Busted,' and pop covers like Melanie's 'Look What They've Done to My Song.' His performance is a thrilling corrective to forgettable posthumous albums like Genius Loves Company, designed to cash in on the new audience created for him by the movie Ray. But as competently as the Basie band fill in the blanks under the direction of Bill Hughes, with Joey DeFrancesco guesting on organ, most of the new arrangements are rather pallid, and the ensemble lacks the personality of both the Basie orchestra and Charles's best groups. And as attractive as Ray Sings, Basie Swings may be for the casual listener, the gimmickry will appall serious fans, particularly since neither Charles nor Basie--who never collaborated in life--was around to lend his approval. Is The Doors Sing, Woody Herman Swings next? --Lloyd Sachs