Ray Price's final studio album Beauty Is... The Final Sessions continues to garner praise from critics as well as the late legend's industry peers, including some who appeared as special guests on the album.
Vince Gill, who joined vocal forces with Price on the track "Beauty Lies In The Eyes Of The Beholder" recently told Rolling Stone, "Ray was one of those guys who never lost a step with his voice - even well into the end of his life, he was still singing great. You can hear that on the record: It's not manipulated, it's the real deal. Very few singers keep their voice intact like that their whole lives."
Martina McBride, who served as Price's duet partner on "An Affair To Remember" says, “I was so honored and surprised to be asked to sing with him. Ray carried himself so well and still had this amazing voice. That’s the voice that we all loved.”
Merle Haggard, who has recorded with Price in the past, calls the album “Excellence personified from the beginning to the end."
Lynn Anderson praises it as “A fitting encore for those of us who want more from the Tony Bennett of Country Music.” Anderson continues, “Among the beautiful string-laden ballads is an old-timey Shuffle with a steel guitar, a fiddle and perfectly understated harmony. Sensitively produced by Fred Foster, timeless songs sung by the best. Classic Country.”
Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel refers to Beauty Is... as “an amazing record," adding “Ray was one of my musical heroes and it’s so wonderful to hear his voice again. He proved that we can get better with age.”
Echoing the sentiments of the above-quoted stars, Music Row critic Robert K. Oermann says, “After one listen of this remarkable album, you will note that Price’s flawless phrasing, vocal resonance and burnished warmth of tone create a glow that lingers long after the final notes have sounded.”
Duncan Warwick wrote in Country Music People, “I can’t imagine liking another album more this year... and I’m not just saying that because it’s Ray Price. It’s one of the most moving listening experiences I can ever remember.”
SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse on-air talent Dallas Wayne says, “Beauty Is is not only the name of this brilliant recording, Beauty Is Ray Price.”
Produced by Fred Foster, a Grammy winner and personal friend of Ray Price, Beauty Is... The Final Sessions is available at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations as well as Hastings, Walmart and online retailers including iTunes and Amazon.
Ray Price passed away December 16, 2013 at age 87 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
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