If you've been paying attention to our posts over the past week, then you are well aware we are fans of Charles Bradley. His performance at the Town Ballroom on Saturday was excellent and already in the running for concert of the year. At the show, Bradley performed his version of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" and it was great. Listen to the studio version below.
Last night, the crowd at the Town Ballroom was treated to an incredible and memorable night of pure American music courtesy of the UK's Little Barrie and the "Screaming Eagle of Soul" and "Soul of America" Charles Bradley. We got it all last night: rock, soul, church, philosophy, and unstoppable mojo.
I'll admit it, I got a little panicked when I surveyed the thin crowd that was there for show opener Little Barrie. Was Buffalo gonna sleep on and thus let down Charles Bradley? I didn't think it was possible, and thankfully my fears were entirely unfounded. A mighty crowd was indeed there for Charles Bradley, and all was well... except for the fact that many people missed out on an exceptional opening set from Nottinghamshire, UK's Little Barrie. I know I'll probably catch some shit for going there but to hell with it- watching them I easily thought of (in no particular order) Cream, The Who, Sabbath, Zepp, and Paul Weller. And it's not like Little Barrie was specifically referencing any of those bands, far from it, rather their heavy, heavy duty r&b effortlessly channeled all of those legendary British bands, bands that frankly and implicitly fetishized American black culture and music (with the exception of Sabbath, who fetishized darkness and dark blues riffs).
Little Barrie was awesome, and I had no problem parting with $10 to get their cd at the merch table. In fact I did so with joy in my heart.
Of course, the crowd that was there (eventually) was there for Charles Bradley... and he did not disappoint. After a short soul interlude warm-up from his rainbow coalition Extraordinaires, the Man himself took the stage, crushed "Heartaches and Pain," the climax of his debut album No Time For Dreaming, and immediately established a connection with the audience that he maintained and built on throughout his blistering set. The Town Ballroom crowd reacted emphatically to the utter lack of artifice, the power of the music, and the fact that he was leaving it all on the stage, and that only drove Mister Bradley harder. I was curious to see how the Extraordinaires matched up with the Menahan Street Band / Dap-Kings who backed him last year when he opened for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and was gratified to see that they were more than up to the task, bringing a sense of heft to the already mighty soul music of Charles Bradley.
Good news for Prince and Prince fans: when Prince is in his early 60's his sexy moves onstage will still work, judging from Charles Bradley's emergence as a sex god and the reaction that he got from the ladies in the audience. I didn't remember the whole sex god thing from his opening set last February, and being near the front I was more bemused than anything else, but the crowd behind me went nuts. Charles Bradley and his mojo could do no wrong, and he didn't, whether he was ripping up material off his debut album (No Time for Dreaming, on Daptone Records), the early Daptone single "This Love Ain't Big Enough For The Two Of Us" or Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." His life is in his music, his music is his life, and he nakedly gave us his all, plus some hard won wisdom about loving each other and this planet.
Exhibit A:
Charles Bradley gave us his love, and we gave him ours right back. Until next time, to quote Don Cornelius: "Peace, love, and soul."
Tonight sees the return of Charles Bradley to Buffalo when "the Screaming Eagle of Soul" & His Extraordinaires play the Town Ballroom. I kind of went nuts the other day singing the man's praises, and there ain't that much more I can say, but I will try...
In short: Charles Bradley is the inheritor of the legacies of James Brown and Otis Redding; his debut album No Time For Dreaming was one of the best albums of 2011 and an instant soul classic; the man is getting his much deserved big break now in his 60's; and his inspirational life story will be coming soon to a theater near you:
It should also be noted that Daptone Records is one of the best damn record labels on the planet. Sharon Jones, The Budos Band, Naomi Shelton, and now Charles Bradley... they've got their own mini universe of living classic soul spinning down in Brooklyn. For my part, I think every Buffalo music fan needs a copy of Bob & Gene's If This World Were Mine in their collection (to go alongside their Rick James), and the fact that it's even available is down to Daptone's respect for the music. As an added Saturday bonus, some Buffalo soul music. Northern soul indeed:
Tickets for "the soul of America" Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires are $20. Little Barrie is opening, and doors open at 7 PM. If his opening set for Sharon Jones last year is any indication, it's going to be a fantastic and life affirming night of soul music at the Town Ballroom. I can't wait.
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.
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires play the Town Ballroom this Saturday, February 25. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 day-of. Be there.
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