Charles Bradley - "Changes" (2016) - Daptone Records
Hello Friends,
Dim the lights and break out the malt liquor, things are about to get sweaty & soulful!
The last thing we thought we needed in our lives was another James Brown/Al Green/Otis Redding-sounding soul singer with a backing band vaguely reminiscent of Booker T. & the MGs. Boy were we WRONG! This record was one of our favorites from 2016!
Charles Bradley (who, incidentally, once made a living as a James Brown impersonator named "Black Velvet") holds the pain of the world in the lines on his face, the sweat from his brow and in the quiver of his voice.
Backed by a bunch of white Brooklyn hipsters (pretty much the Daptone Records' house bands), Changes, is an instant classic! His third full length record, its as authentic and heart-breaking as they come!
The heartbreak starts right away with Bradley declaring that life's treated him pretty hard... "America, you've been real honest, hurt, and sweet to me"... before breaking into a refrain of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America".
Throughout the album Bradley documents his struggles; his longing to go home again and to be a good and "righteous" man. No matter how many times the world may shit on him, Charles Bradley bounces back. His faith and talent and super-human resilience will help carry him though.
Undoubtedly, the album's highlight is Bradley's take on the Black Sabbath classic, "Changes" which becomes a tearjerking ode to his recently departed mother, whom Bradley only re-connected with (and took care of) as an adult.
Man, he takes this heavy metal ballad to a Whole New Level. If the tiny hairs on your arms don't move just a little while listening to this, you may have to check your pulse!
RATING: 5 all my days are filled with tears wish I could go back and change these years out of 5
The last thing we thought we needed in our lives was another James Brown/Al Green/Otis Redding-sounding soul singer with a backing band vaguely reminiscent of Booker T. & the MGs. Boy were we WRONG! This record was one of our favorites from 2016!
Charles Bradley (who, incidentally, once made a living as a James Brown impersonator named "Black Velvet") holds the pain of the world in the lines on his face, the sweat from his brow and in the quiver of his voice.
Backed by a bunch of white Brooklyn hipsters (pretty much the Daptone Records' house bands), Changes, is an instant classic! His third full length record, its as authentic and heart-breaking as they come!
The heartbreak starts right away with Bradley declaring that life's treated him pretty hard... "America, you've been real honest, hurt, and sweet to me"... before breaking into a refrain of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America".
Throughout the album Bradley documents his struggles; his longing to go home again and to be a good and "righteous" man. No matter how many times the world may shit on him, Charles Bradley bounces back. His faith and talent and super-human resilience will help carry him though.
Undoubtedly, the album's highlight is Bradley's take on the Black Sabbath classic, "Changes" which becomes a tearjerking ode to his recently departed mother, whom Bradley only re-connected with (and took care of) as an adult.
Man, he takes this heavy metal ballad to a Whole New Level. If the tiny hairs on your arms don't move just a little while listening to this, you may have to check your pulse!
RATING: 5 all my days are filled with tears wish I could go back and change these years out of 5
