Rare Genius, a new Ray Charles compilation now available on iTunes, features among its other treats a previously unreleased duet between Charles and country legend Johnny Cash. The song, a cover of Kris Kristofferson's gospel classic "Why Me, Lord?", was recorded for Cash's 1981 album The Baron, but never saw the light of day for murky reasons. Cash sings lead and Charles provides the gospel back-up vocals and keyboards on the track, which was found in a New York warehouse after the chairman of the Ray Charles Foundation ran across an enigmatic reference to it in the archives. In his typically self-effacing style, Cash wrote that he hoped Charles liked the recording, even though "I realize that the orchestration isn't big and I don't sing very good," but he felt "the thing has a feeling and a quality that the fans would really enjoy." Finally, those fans will have a chance to show if Cash was right.
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