This 1992 release was Charlie Rich's last before he succumbed to a heart attack three years later. He hadn't recorded in some time and toured only sporadically, but came out of his semi-retirement with this masterful work.
PICTURES AND PAINTINGS is heartfelt and bluesy, and is the true music of his heart. Rich was no longer pressured by the Nashville marketplace (in which he was an uneasy fit at best), and it is clear that this is the music that moved him. Just as Ray Charles delighted in obscuring the lines between various musical genres, specifically country and R&B, so too did Rich. On PICTURES AND PAINTINGS, Rich's lush and emotive voice has grown even deeper. The album is a perfect introduction into Charlie Rich's because it represents his work as he wanted it to be heard.
