Charles Bradley

[bold992006]

not sure if there has been a thread on him but I felt he needs one.  Saw him Saturday...sold out show and I can honestly say i've never seen anything like it.  He was so appreciative and it was not an act.  You can feel that he honestly is just so unbelievably happy to be doing what he is doing and people are loving it.  He just killed.  His band is amazing...He suddenly went to the top of my list for Forecastle...I had to believe JJ is aware and loves him.

[oistheone]

Forecastle NEEDS Charles Bradley. He seems to be on the festival circuit this summer, so I'm praying he will be there. The man is a treasure.

[Penny Lane]

Forecastle NEEDS Charles Bradley. He seems to be on the festival circuit this summer, so I'm praying he will be there. The man is a treasure.

i agree!

[bold992006]

Forecastle NEEDS Charles Bradley. He seems to be on the festival circuit this summer, so I'm praying he will be there. The man is a treasure.

He really is...his story is amazing.

[oistheone]

I'd kill to go to SXSW to see the new documentary about his life story. With films like this, you really need to jump on any opportunity to see them, because the damn things never seem to get released on DVD. I'm hoping this one is different, because there's no way I can make it to Austin this year!

Here's the trailer:

Charles Bradley: Soul of America OFFICIAL FILM TRAILER

[ALady]

I'm planning to see it there.  Will report back.

Love Charles Bradley.   

[wolof7]

Amazing man, Amazing Voice, Amazing album....had no idea of the doc...very excited, hope all the best for this man 

[bluesky]

WOW!!! Maggie we might need you to bootleg it~ ;)

[ALady]

Maybe he'll show up and perform like Jim and Preservation Hall did last year   ;)

[oistheone]

GODDAMN I am absolutely HEAD OVER HEELS in love with the lead single off the next album. Bradley's guitarist/producer/co-writer/all-around partner in funk Thomas Brenneck mentioned that this record would be a departure for Charles, as some gritty psychedelic textures would be added to the sweet soul sound they perfected on the first record. And judging from the first single, MAN did he ever deliver on that statement!

You can download "Strictly Reserved For You" here:

http://kutx.org/song-of-the-day/charles-bradley-strictly-reserved-for-you

BE WARNED -- once you play this track, it's hard to stop. I've had this on repeat for the last day and I'm up to 21 listens on my iPod already. KILLER vocals by Charles, searing axe-work by Brenneck, some of the funkiest bass runs I've ever heard and top it all off with some PERFECT harmonies that drive home the hook. Makes for a killer track. I said GODDAMN this song is good!

[Penny Lane]

Last weekend I found a 45 with CB's cover of Rodriguez's I'll slip away on one side and the Rodriguez version on the other. Very pumped to find it.

[wolof7]

Alexis and I are catching him at the Paradise in Boston...any others?

[Jeff Murray]

Thanks for the link on the new song.  I got tix to see him in Nashville during my Rock and Soul vacation! 

[capt. scotty]

His song The World (is going up in flames) was the itunes free song of the week a year or maybe a little longer ago, I instantly downloaded it, Love it. Had no clue about his story until reading this thread. Makes me that much more interested to hear the rest of the album.

Love that new single a lot too, although the psychedelic aspects are a little exagerrated as Id say it sounds pretty still within the realm of soul for the most part. Either way, it sounds awesome!

[oistheone]

WARNING: Long post. Saw Charles Bradley last night and I'm still flyin' from this show.

Man, Charles Bradley just keeps getting better. His BAND just keeps getting better. Everything about their soul revue act is just so goddamn FUN. No pretensions, just AWESOME musicians matched with a performer so charismatic that you couldn't dislike him even if you tried. Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaires have gotta be one of the best damn acts on the live music circuit today.

I just came back from Montreal where I saw them live for the first time on this tour, and there were SEVERAL moments throughout the show where I was just in awe of how tight and note-perfect Charles and his band are. I usually rate concerts by how many "OH MAN" moments I have during the show, and this show generated so many OH MANs that I just stopped counting -- I had already hit ten, so I knew this show was something special.

Speaking of something special, Thomas Brenneck is the most underrated musician on the planet. GODDAMN that guy can play the guitar! How is he not more widely appreciated as the funky axe wizard that he is? He ripped licks on a Grammy-winning album by Amy Winehouse, he co-wrote the music to the tune Rolling Stone called the BEST SONG of 2007 -- "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z -- and he helped found the entire Daptone industry; how am I the only one talking about how immensely talented this guy is?! Brenneck is a musician that stands almost peerless in the today's world of soul guitar.

While it was hard to take my eyes of Brenneck's hands, I always watch for inter-band communication when I'm at a show. Last night, the Extraordinaires read each other's minds perfectly. If this band was any tighter, they'd snap. The show was marred by many irritating technical problems, ranging from a keys that disappeared from the mix, to a microphone that flat-out broke by the encore. I could see that the band was having to stretch out more than normal to make up for these issues. But like the pros they are, they kept the crowd moving. Charles admitted that these glitches were making this become a "bad day", but the crowd loved Bradley so much that some guy in the crowd actually shouted "ain't no mic problems gonna bring us down! We love you Charles!"

When it seemed Charles was finally fed up enough to call it a night, Brenneck urged Bradley to wait until the problems were fixed before launching into the finale. Charles got through a verse of "Why Is It So Hard?" before hopping into the crowd to do his thing as the band played him off. The band actually finished and left the stage while Charles stayed in the crowd for a good five minutes, giving his usual hugs before being hauled off by a tour manager. Right before he went back through the stage door, I looked Charles in the eye and told him that even on his worst days, you still make people like me happy. He put his arm on my shoulder, looked right into my eyes, and said "thank you" as genuinely as someone possibly could. From a man as authentic as Charles Bradley, would you expect any different?

[wolof7]

My wife and I are seeing him Saturday, can't wait