This three-disc set collects Ray Charles' early sides for Atlantic Records, beginning in 1952. Charles' first recording sessions from the late '40s and very early '50s show an artist heavily influenced by Nat King Cole and Charles Brown, and working in a pronounced pop direction; the first two discs here present a smooth jazz blues artist who crooned way more than he shouted. The third disc, however, finds Charles starting to find the signature synthesis of R&B, gospel, and country fusion that led to what would become known as soul. This is where the groundbreaking early singles like "What'd I Say" and "I Got a Woman" finally take hold, and when the dust of history cleared, Charles was roundly lauded as one of the most important and influential figures in pop and soul music history. The historical transformation is well-documented here.