Changes (Charles Bradley album)

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Changes
Charles Bradley Changes cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Charles Bradley
ReleasedApril 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)
GenreSoul
LabelDaptone Records/Dunham Records
ProducerThomas Brenneck
Charles Bradley chronology
Victim of Love
(2013) 		Changes
(2016) 		Black Velvet
(2018)

Changes is the third album released by American funk/soul singer Charles Bradley, released on April 1, 2016 on Daptone Records.[1] The title track on the album is a cover of the Black Sabbath song of the same name and was first released as a Record Store Day Black Friday single in 2013.[2]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[1]
American Songwriter4/5 stars[4]
Exclaim!9/10 stars[5]
Paste7.9/10[6]
Pitchfork7.1/10[7]
PopMatters8/10 stars[8]
Record Collector4/5 stars[9]

The album was released to positive critical reception with an aggregate score of 80 on Metacritic based on 17 reviews.[10]

Pitchfork awarded the album a score of 7.1, with music critic Jay Balfour describing the album as Bradley's "most straightforward and best to date".[7] AllMusic awarded the album a positive review, stating that "the rough-hewn power of Bradley's voice is at its most powerful, and there's a fierce sense of longing and need in this music that's almost tactile in its realism".[1]

The Observer's Kitty Empire awarded the album 3 stars, likening Bradley to Al Green,[11] while critic Steve Horowitz from PopMatters praised Bradley's vocal style, describing him as "the closest living equivalent to [James] Brown" and concluding that "Bradley sings of his aches and pleasures with such conviction that he makes one believe this is possible".[8]

The album also received praise from a number of other musical publications, including American Songwriter,[4] Record Collector[12] and Paste.[6]

Accolades[]

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
14[13]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
43[14]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
5[15]
Blues Critic Top 10 Retro-Soul/Soul Blues Albums Of 2016 2016
1[16]

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."God Bless America"Menahan Street Band, Irving Berlin1:31
2."Good to Be Back Home"Victor Axelrod, Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Homer Steinweiss3:04
3."Nobody But You"Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss4:00
4."Ain't Gonna Give It Up"The Budos Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss3:56
5."Changes"Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward5:45
6."Ain't It a Sin"Menahan Street Band, Brian Profilio3:52
7."Things We Do For Love"Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, William Schalda Jr.3:31
8."Crazy for Your Love"Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck4:21
9."You Think I Don't Know (But I Know)" (featuring The Gospel Queens)Victor Axelrod, Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels3:30
10."Change For the World" (featuring The Gospel Queens)Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss3:36
11."Slow Love"Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, Paul Schalda, Will Schalda3:38
Total length:40:44

Personnel[]

Menahan Street Band[]

Main article: Menahan Street Band
  • Victor Axelrod – piano/vibraphone
  • Thomas Brenneck – guitar/bass guitar/organ/percussion
  • Nick Movshon – bass guitar
  • Homer Steinweiss – drums
  • Michael Deller – organ
  • David Guy – trumpet
  • Leon Michels – saxophone/organ/flute

The Budos Band[]

Main article: The Budos Band
  • Jared Tankel – baritone saxophone
  • Thomas Brenneck – electric guitar
  • John Carbonella Jr. – congas, drums
  • Mike Deller – organ
  • Daniel Foder – bass guitar
  • Andrew Greene – trumpet
  • Rob Lombardo – bongos, congas
  • Brian Profilio – drums
  • Dame Rodriguez – percussion

The Gospel Queens[]

Main article: Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens
  • Naomi Shelton – leading vocals
  • Cliff Driver – pianist
  • Bobbie Jean Gant – background vocals
  • Edna Johnson – background vocals
  • Gabriel Caplan – guitars
  • Fred Thomas – bass
  • Michael Post – drums

Additional Musicians[]

  • Raynier Jacildo – Organ on “God Bless America”
  • William Schalda Jr. – Piano, Organ & Mellotron on "Things We Do For Love"

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Deming, Mark. "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  2. ^ Blistein, Jon (8 December 2015). "Charles Bradley Preps 'Changes' LP With Powerful Black Sabbath Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Changes – Charles Bradley". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Horowitz, Hal (2016-03-28). "Album Review: Charles Bradley: Changes". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  5. ^ Mathurin, Yasmine (2016-03-30). "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Danton, Eric R. (1 April 2016). "Charles Bradley: Changes Review". Paste. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Charles Bradley 'Changes' review". Pitchfork. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Horowitz, Steve (31 March 2016). "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". PopMatters. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Jake. "Charles Bradley - Changes". Record Collector. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  10. ^ "Charles Bradley 'Changes'". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  11. ^ Empire, Kitty. "Charles Bradley: Changes review – heartbreak with horns". The Observer. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Jake. "Charles Bradley - Changes". Record Collector. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  13. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  14. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  16. ^ "Best Albums 2016". www.soulbluesmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
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