In Praise Of Charles Bradley

charles bradley, Cliff, daptone, town ballroom —

In Praise Of Charles Bradley

I am so excited about seeing "the screaming eagle of soul" Charles Bradley at the Town Ballroom this Saturday that I'm doing a preview for the preview of the show. I am beyond stoked. This really is a show that at the very least I've been waiting for since last February when Charles Bradley opened for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at the Ballroom. When people talk about that show, they have no choice but to use superlatives to describe it and rightly so. Indeed Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings were on fire, raining down their mighty soul on the crowd like Ali body blows, and damn, that crowd was jumping. But truth be told, the crowd was tenderized in advance by the Buffalo debut of one Charles Bradley.

You see, Charles Bradley truly is a national treasure. Seriously. I am not shitting you on this one (not that I ever shit you, you can trust me implicitly). Charles Bradley is the inheritor of the legacies of both James Brown and Otis Redding, and he does both icons of American music proud. You never thought that there'd be an heir apparent, but there is, and here he is....

And let me tell you another thing about Charles Bradley: his is a beautiful soul, and he, is a beautiful man. Whether you're listening to him on CD, seeing him live, or getting his autograph after the show, you can't help but feel the goodness in his soul. Maybe it's because he's getting his big break now, or perhaps it's because of the trials and tribulations he had to get through to get to this point, I don't know, but I do know that this man radiates grace, sincerity, and thankfulness.

I felt like I was in the presence of a holy man... and I'm looking forward to basking in that soul this Saturday night.