Changes (Charles Bradley album)

Last updated
Changes
Charles Bradley Changes cover.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)
Genre Soul
Label Daptone Records/Dunham Records
Producer Thomas 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]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
American Songwriter Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Exclaim! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Paste 7.9/10 [6]
Pitchfork 7.1/10 [7]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [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

PublicationAccoladeYearRank
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
14 [13]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 20162016
43 [14]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year2016
5 [15]
Blues CriticTop 10 Retro-Soul/Soul Blues Albums Of 20162016
1 [16]

In Other Media

The opening title sequence for the first 3 seasons of Barry (TV series) uses the instrumental intro of Bradley's song Change For The World.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."God Bless America" Menahan Street Band, Irving Berlin 1:31
2."Good to Be Back Home"Menahan Street Band, Victor Axelrod, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Homer Steinweiss 3:04
3."Nobody But You"Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss 4:00
4."Ain't Gonna Give It Up"Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss3:56
5."Changes" The Budos Band, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward 5:45
6."Ain't It a Sin"The Budos 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)Menahan Street Band, Victor Axelrod, 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

The Budos Band

The Gospel Queens

Additional Musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want You (She's So Heavy)</span> 1969 song by the Beatles

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song closes side one of their 1969 album Abbey Road and features Billy Preston playing the organ. It was the first song recorded for the Abbey Road album but one of the last songs to be finished; the band gathered in the studio to mix the song on 20 August 1969, marking the final time that all four Beatles were together in the studio.

<i>Naturally</i> (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings album) 2005 studio album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Naturally is the second album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released on January 25, 2005 on Daptone Records.

The Budos Band is an American instrumental band from Staten Island, New York, formed in 2005. AllMusic describes the group as a "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch" that joins "musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk to '70s hard rock and late-'60s soul." They have described themselves as "70's Psychedelic Instrumental Music," and "Afro-soul inspired by Ethiopian music with a soul undercurrent" and "sprinkled a little bit of sweet 60's stuff on top." One reviewer described the band as “sounding as if Quentin Tarantino was the music supervisor for a Bond film". Their more recent albums have incorporated sounds from 1970s jazz, funk, Afro-Beat, underground rock, and proto-metal. They have been signed to Daptone Records throughout their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menahan Street Band</span> American instrumental band

Menahan Street Band is a Brooklyn, New York–based instrumental band formed in 2007, that plays funk and soul music. The band features musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and the Budos Band. The group was founded by Thomas Brenneck while living in an apartment on Menahan Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Their debut album, Make the Road by Walking, was released in 2008 on Dunham, a sublabel of Daptone Records and was followed by The Crossing in 2012.

<i>All in One</i> (Bebel Gilberto album) 2009 studio album by Bebel Gilberto

All in One is a studio album by Bebel Gilberto, released on 29 August 2009 by Verve Records.

<i>All Things Will Unwind</i> 2011 studio album by My Brightest Diamond

All Things Will Unwind is the third studio album from the American rock group My Brightest Diamond.

<i>With Light and with Love</i> 2014 studio album by Woods

With Light and with Love is the eighth studio album by the American band Woods, released on April 15, 2014 on Woodsist. The album is the band's first following the departure of bass guitarist Kevin Morby.

<i>Django and Jimmie</i> 2015 studio album by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Django and Jimmie is the sixth and final collaborative studio album by American country music artists Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It was released on June 2, 2015, by Legacy Recordings. The album was Haggard's final studio album prior to his death of pneumonia in April 2016, 10 months after its release.

<i>Man About Town</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Mayer Hawthorne

Man About Town is the fourth studio album by American singer Mayer Hawthorne. It was released on April 8, 2016, by BMG Rights Management and Vagrant Records.

<i>Upland Stories</i> 2016 studio album by Robbie Fulks

Upland Stories is an album by American country musician Robbie Fulks, released on April 1, 2016 on Bloodshot Records. It was produced by Steve Albini. Upland Stories was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and the song "Alabama at Night" was nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song.

<i>50 Song Memoir</i> 2017 studio album by The Magnetic Fields

50 Song Memoir is the eleventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released on March 10, 2017. 50 Song Memoir is an autobiographical concept album that chronicles the first 50 years of lyricist Stephin Merritt's life, with one song for each year that he has lived.

<i>Encore</i> (Anderson East album) 2018 studio album by Anderson East

Encore is the fourth studio album by American musician Anderson East. It was released in January 2018, under Elektra Records. "All on my Mind" earned East his first Grammy Award nomination for Best American Roots Performance.

<i>Soul of a Woman</i> (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings album) 2017 studio album by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Soul of a Woman is the seventh and final studio album by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, released on November 17, 2017. Sharon Jones had died from cancer the previous year and the album features her final studio recordings.

<i>Black Velvet</i> (Charles Bradley album) 2018 studio album by Charles Bradley

Black Velvet is the fourth and final studio album by American funk/soul artist Charles Bradley, released on 9 November 2018. The album release was preceded by two singles, "Can't Fight the Feeling" and "I Feel a Change". The name of the album comes from Bradley's stage name during his time as a James Brown impersonator. The album consists of songs originally recorded for Bradley's three previous studio albums, and was compiled by producer Thomas Brenneck after Bradley's death from cancer in September 2017. Included are covers of "Stay Away" by Nirvana and "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young.

<i>Up and Rolling</i> 2019 studio album by North Mississippi Allstars

Up and Rolling is the tenth studio album by American band North Mississippi Allstars. It was released on October 4, 2019, through New West Records, making it their first album for the label.

<i>Fat Pop (Volume 1)</i> 2021 studio album by Paul Weller

Fat Pop is the sixteenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Paul Weller. It was released on 14 May 2021 through Polydor Records and Solid Bond, in both a standard and deluxe edition. It was supported by the single "Shades of Blue".

<i>Stand for Myself</i> 2021 studio album by Yola

Stand for Myself is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Yola. It was released on 30 July 2021, through Easy Eye Sound and distributed by Concord Records. The album debuted at number 196 on the Billboard 200 chart and at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart chart, being her first entry on both charts. The album was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

<i>The Crossing</i> (Menahan Street Band album) 2012 studio album by Menahan Street Band

The Crossing is the second full-length studio album by American rhythm and blues group Menahan Street Band. It has received positive reviews from critics.

<i>The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band</i> 2021 studio album by Menahan Street Band

The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band is the third full-length studio album by American rhythm and blues group Menahan Street Band.

<i>Goin Platinum!</i> 2017 studio album by Robert Finley

Goin' Platinum! is a 2017 studio album by American blues musician Robert Finley. The release is Finley's first of several collaborations with Dan Auerbach and has received positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Danton, Eric R. (1 April 2016). "Charles Bradley: Changes Review". Paste . Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  7. 1 2 "Charles Bradley 'Changes' review". Pitchfork . 31 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 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.