Concert showcases soulful vocal talents

The Ray Charles show Friday was a real treat. The kind of treat where audience members just feel privileged to be in the presence of greatness. And Charles wasn't even the only source of greatness, the whole night was full of it. \nThe opening act, the African American Choral Ensemble, under the direction of James Mumford, showcased three separate groups, the all-female Sojourner, God's Progress and the all-male Soul-ACE. Some songs were sung with the full force of the 22 singers, others were presented in the smaller, distinctive groups. All of the songs featured vocals that make you remember what singing is all about. \nSojourner, named after abolitionist Sojourner Truth, gave the most outstanding performance with its bluesy-gospel ballad "Nothing to Lose," but the entire ensemble finished its performance up with an amazingly powerful "You Can Lean on Me." \nAfter the break, it was time for Charles to take the stage, but he didn't actually set foot on the stage until a full 20 minutes of his set had passed. Instead, the audience was treated to a classy old-school big-band set up where The Ray Charles Orchestra was allowed center stage. One by one, trumpet, saxophone and baritone saxophone soloists moved to the microphone at center stage to feature some world class jazz. \nThe band was very nice, indeed, but it was obvious that members of the crowd were restless to get the man himself up there. A standing ovation greeted the legend as he positioned himself behind the keyboard. (As a sidebar, this was one disappointing aspect of the show. You expect to see Ray Charles behind a grand piano as big as a boat, not behind a small, albeit technically impressive, keyboard). \nHe began the show by playing "Black Top Highway," and it was clear that all trademark Ray Charles moves were very much intact. The arch of the neck, the cock of the head, the wild, dancing feet and the huge smile continued throughout the performance. \nCharles got into full groove only during his third song, the classic, highly recognizable "Georgia on My Mind." Although his voice does not have quite the staying power to hold out the harder, longer notes of the song's original incarnation, Charles proved throughout the night that his voice could be strong and clear as a bell when he needed it to be. \nThe multitudes of couples gravitated even closer to each other and the sweetness of the atmosphere was magnified even more during the lovesick ballads of "Till There Was You" and "Can't Stop Loving You." \nCharles, his band and audience members all got rocking during renditions of "Shameless" and "They Don't Need No Band to Keep Time." Charles often rocked and swayed, rapidly jumping off his seat into a playful crouched standing position. When the "Raelettes" took the stage, Charles joked about their scene-stealing nature. Although the Raelettes gave flawless performances and elevated the energy level a bit, it was still quite clear that one of life's certain impossibilities is stealing a stage away from Ray Charles. \nSadly, just when the show was reaching its peak, with the wildly popular rendition of "What'd I Say," the concert was over. Charles thanked and said goodbye to the standing ovation of his extremely appreciative audience who would have begged for more had the lights not promptly gone on. \nBy the end of the show, there seemed to be a pervasive opinion of "Man, I just feel so lucky to have been here tonight," among the audience. Perhaps it is the fact that Charles is 70 years old. Perhaps it is the fact that he has more money than God and really has no reason to give his all to a Bloomington audience. Most likely, though, it is simply the fact that watching a man like this perform inevitably gives everyone a massive inferiority complex.