The tracks on these albums stem from the period between 1948, the year Ray first entered a recording studio, and 1952, when he signed to Atlantic. Some are relatively polished material for the Californian cocktail crowd, but others present a rawer, more emotional Charles. Either way, it’s hard to appreciate that the performances feature a young man barely out of his teens. All in all, both long-time fans and newcomers to the man they call Genius will find much to delight them on this 3LP set.