“The Jealous Kind”
Song by Ray Charles
After being recorded by Ray Charles protégé Joe Cocker, “The Jealous Kind” was selected by Ray himself for the excellent 1977 album True To Life. In an onomastic coincidence, “The Jealous Kind” was written by Bobby Charles, real name Robert Charles Guidry – strikingly similar to the professional name change undertaken by one Ray Charles Robinson in the late 1940s.
Ray’s stately version of “The Jealous Kind” is the second song in Side 1 of the LP, and was never released as a single A- or B-side. Still, it’s a highlight of the album, and deserved its prominent position in the track listing.
Plodding along with a relaxed demeanor and led by Ray’s sparkling electric piano, which is mixed low enough to become part of the bedrock of the song and not a more showy aspect of it, “The Jealous Kind” maintains its compelling atmosphere throughout. The lovely vocal melody suits Ray’s voice particularly well, in the high side of his middle range, and he does a fantastic job singing it. Words in the lyrics are elongated here, growled there, but often smooth; the versatility in the singing helps infuse the performance with its significant drama.
A tad unusually for a Ray Charles song, there is a shimmering guitar throughout “The Jealous Kind”, and even more noticeably and unexpectedly, occasional fuzzy lead guitar solos. Slow and sparse, choosing its notes carefully, this distorted guitar somehow manages to simultaneously fit in with the other instrumentation stand in opposition to it. It was an especially inspired choice by arranger Sid Feller.
Ray lets his vocals wander through a range of emotions during the performance, with most of the first parts of the song delivered with a gentle, composed touch. It’s only towards the end that he starts to channel not only the lyrical text of jealousy but the sound of it: angry and then wailing, it’s a wonder to behold, as he mimics a muted trumpet and then (as if nothing had happened) comes over all cool with his woman, cooing believably, “That’s all right baby.” His infectious chuckle at the very end doesn’t even spoil the mood.
Copies of the True To Life LP, Ray’s first after moving back to Atlantic Records for the first time in 18 years, are easy to locate in online sales listings. It’s highly recommended, being full of inspired and well-designed music as heard on tracks like “The Jealous Kind”.
Listen to “The Jealous Kind”
Songs on True To Life