The story of Charles Bradley is nothing short of extraordinary. The man who put every ounce he had in him into his passion and love for the art of music finally paid off when Daptone Records scooped him up to record an album. His debut record, No Time For Dreaming, hit the public in 2011, at this time Bradley was lingering around his late 50s. The album introduced us to the infectious passion Bradley put behind his vocals, his signature rasp sounds like sandpaper while still having a soothing aura that surrounds every breath. ‘
Two years after his debut, Bradley delivered Victim of Love (released 4/2/13), his second LP via Daptone. The album features an overabundance of soulful funk records that have the vocalist toeing the line between the past and the present. With the power of his sensational backing band, Menahan Street Band, Bradley seemingly time-traveled to capture the true essence of soul while modernizing the genre, all within 40 minutes.
It isn’t a secret that the work of James Brown had a major influence on Bradley, before Daptone he was making money impersonating the late funk legend. While Brown’s mark on Bradley’s music is still clear on Victim of Love, the album feels like the first time the artist felt comfortable in his artistic pursuits. The way Bradley approached these songs feels freeing, he isn’t shying away from truly stretching his voice to properly display the emotions explored throughout the LP. Bradley allows himself to step away from what he knows to discover a new side to his artistic identity, one that allows him to be himself to the fullest extent. He goes a whole new direction compared to the funk-driven sound of his debut LP to tap into a more soulful side of himself, this new approach gave Victim of Love its simplistic beauty. Allowing himself to find this new direction gives him the space needed to craft these magnificent love ballads that seem to be penned with golden tears rather than ink.
The heartwrenching soulful direction of Victim of Love had Bradley writing some of the best songs of his career. His bluntness on topics like love and relationships allows him to poeticize the sour parts of these human experiences and deliver them with a cautious attitude. His simplistic approach to his lyrics provides Bradley with the opportunity to say exactly what he’s feeling with as few words as possible, letting the gruffness of his voice display his emotions. The unforgettable title track of the LP is a perfect example of this, the repetitive nature of the lyrics makes the song appear simple but when those words are sung with the expansive voice of Bradley, their simplicity is redefined. His vocals deliver a similar pain to heartbreak, it almost sounds like he is fighting back tears while crooning over the sparse acoustics of the song. Bradley puts a world of effort into every note that comes out of his mouth, almost forcing you to feel the strife Bradley is tackling all over his sophomore release.
Along with Bradley, Menahan Street Band evolved in its approach as well. The band carefully created sparse arrangements that provide an edge to these otherwise lush soul records. The band brought over just enough funk from their first LP with Bradley while still allowing the vocalist to slide into a smoother sound. A song like “Hurricane” finds the perfect middle ground between these two worlds, the stuttering drum patterns give the song a hard-hitting feeling only for it to be rounded out by sweeping horn sections. This new soul-leaning sound showed the diversity of Menahan Street Band and put their chemistry with Bradley to the test where they passed with flying colors.
It’s almost impossible to not fall in love with the music of Charles Bradley. It is a victory story everyone can get behind with a soundtrack that leaps from one era to the next, Victim of Love feels like more of a victory lap than a sophomore LP. Throughout 11 songs, Bradley and his forever-impressive Menahan Street Band craft damn near perfect soul music with just enough modern tropes to keep up with the times. Victim of Love stands strong 10 years after its initial release as a snapshot of Bradley’s dreams finally being realized, he crafted an album with a sound all to his own and there is nothing anyone can do to take away from the magic of Charles Bradley’s second album.
