“I could have sung ‘Row, row, row your boat’ with him and been thrilled.”įor other artists, it was the chance to work with an old friend. He chose the artists he worked with based on either previous pairings, such as King, and those whose work he enjoyed but had never met, Burk said.įor example, Charles was “so turned on” to the idea of recording with Bonnie Raitt, Burk said he was sure the two must have known each other.īut Raitt - who says her own music was influenced by the way Charles blended blues and country - met him for the first time in the studio the day they recorded “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” a bittersweet love song that Charles first recorded in the 1980s. Others were songs by artists that I really liked,” Charles said before his death. Some were all-time favorites of mine that I’d never recorded. “Some of the songs I have been playing for years. It includes such guest stars as Norah Jones, Diana Krall and Johnny Mathis as well as King. Much like Charles’ career, “Genius Loves Company” spans soul, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, country, jazz and blues. “The fact that it’s his last record is a very sad thing for the music world.” “We wanted to make a record that would bring him back into the spotlight,” said producer John Burk, who worked with Charles on the duets album. It’s one of 12 star-studded pairings on “Genius Loves Company,” Charles’ final album, which was released posthumously Tuesday by Concord Records and Hear Music. Their song, “Sinner’s Prayer,” a plea to God to forgive their trespasses, captures what neither could have known. It was the last time they would talk - or perform - together.Ĭharles died a short time later of acute liver disease. I remember he said, ‘If we had known we were going to live this long, we would have taken better care of ourselves,’ ” King says. King were readying to record a bluesy number that married one’s piano playing with the other’s guitar picking when they took a few minutes to catch up. It was a quiet moment in a recording studio between two old friends - the genius of soul and the king of blues.
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