“If You Give Me Your Heart”
Song by Ray Charles
“If You Give Me Your Heart” is a tender, gospel-ish duet with Peggy Adams Scott from Ray Charles’ 1996 album Strong Love Affair. As was much of his music around this time, “If You Give Me Your Heart” is performed mostly on synthesizers, including Ray on a piano-sounding keyboard. It was written by Ray’s great lifelong musical partner Jimmy Lewis.
The weird, wavy, psychedelic-funk keyboard solo is a fun and refreshing surprise on “If You Give Me Your Heart”. Ray also drops in some unusual low bleeps at random underneath some of the verses. Overall the song has a sweeping, theatrical feel; cementing this impression is the choir that joins the two vocalists and elevates the performance into a galvanizing anthem. As usual Ray’s presence makes the dramatic believable, and the digital analog.
“If You Give Me Your Heart” closes Strong Love Affair on a suitable note: it’s tender and soulful, but aggressively modern and even experimental. Ray’s warm humanity is as reliable as always – just like his musical restlessness.
Listen to “If You Give Me Your Heart”
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