Charles Bradley is making up for lost time. After spending 40 years banging out soul music in bars from New York to Alaska with no real return, Bradley caught a break when Daptone's Gabriel Roth and Menahan Street Band's Tom Brenneck came along.
Victim of Love
picks up the narrative from where his 2011 introduction (
No Time for Dreaming
) left off. Bradley oozes soul and emotional power as the Menahan players keep things tight in the musical department. Bradley's voice reflects those decades of struggle, and he's in his element with the title track, the swaying
You Put the Flame on Me
, and the grandstanding
Let Love Stand a Chance
. That voice can also work on more complex fare, as
Confusion
and
Through the Storm
demonstrate. It's fast becoming the case that there's no show like a Charles Bradley show.
thecharlesbradley.com
Download:
Victim of Love, Through the Storm, Let Love Stand a Chance