CHARLES BRADLEY

CHARLES BRADLEY

Changes With a remarkable voice that holds a million riveting stories, Charles Bradley continues his rise against all odds with his third album, Changes. The album opens with a personal word from Bradley about what home means to him after being away. While early tracks like “God Bless America” feel like church and relief, the album picks up in tempo by “Good to Be Back at Home.” Bradley weaves several themes throughout: “World Going Up in Flames” evokes a sense of patriotism and reflection, while soulful ballads like “Things We Do for Love” and “Crazy for Your Love” implore a sense of desperation and sensibility familiar to Bradley. The juxtaposition of patriotism, war, chaos and love feels intentional and purposeful, and it makes Changes different than its two predecessors. It’s a mix that smoothly translates to an enjoyable listen, delivering the deep soulful revivalism sound that Bradley is known to deliver, but with a slight change in tone. Bradley ef- fectively draws you in with his voice and leaves you deep in thought with Changes, all the while grooving back and forth. (Dunham, daptonerecords.com/labels/dunham-records)

THERE ARE A LOT OF SONGS ABOUT AMERICA’S CHAOS AS WELL AS LOVE ON THE ALBUM. IS THAT INTENTIONAL?

Yes. If you look around the world, one thing you can see is that we can’t learn how to get along. I don’t care what you believe in, all I know is we need to find true love and respect. We really challenged ourselves to look at the truth, and we know what sounds good and we put it on the vinyl.

YOU HAVE A SONG CALLED “THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE.” WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE DONE FOR LOVE?

That’s one of my favourites! I go completely out of my way for love, but the craziest thing, I took the pain of who done it to me and gave it to God, and not mention it to no one and let God handle it. That’s one of the craziest things I’ve done for love. YASMINE MATHURIN