Changes (Charles Bradley album)
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]
| Changes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2016 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Label | Daptone Records/Dunham Records | |||
| Producer | Thomas Brenneck | |||
| Charles Bradley chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| American Songwriter | [4] |
| Exclaim! | [5] |
| Paste | 7.9/10[6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10[7] |
| PopMatters | [8] |
| Record Collector | [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]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(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 Steinweiss | 3:56 |
| 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 Profilio | 3:52 |
| 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 Brenneck | 4:21 |
| 9. | "You Think I Don't Know (But I Know)" (featuring The Gospel Queens) | Menahan Street Band, Victor Axelrod, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Change For the World" (featuring The Gospel Queens) | Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss | 3:36 |
| 11. | "Slow Love" | Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, Paul Schalda, Will Schalda | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 40:44 | ||
Personnel
- Charles Bradley – vocals
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
- 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
- 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
- Deming, Mark. "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- Blistein, Jon (8 December 2015). "Charles Bradley Preps 'Changes' LP With Powerful Black Sabbath Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- "Changes – Charles Bradley". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- Horowitz, Hal (2016-03-28). "Album Review: Charles Bradley: Changes". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- Mathurin, Yasmine (2016-03-30). "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- Danton, Eric R. (1 April 2016). "Charles Bradley: Changes Review". Paste. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- "Charles Bradley 'Changes' review". Pitchfork. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- Horowitz, Steve (31 March 2016). "Album Review: Charles Bradley - Changes". PopMatters. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- Kennedy, Jake. "Charles Bradley - Changes". Record Collector. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- "Charles Bradley 'Changes'". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- Empire, Kitty. "Charles Bradley: Changes review – heartbreak with horns". The Observer. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- Kennedy, Jake. "Charles Bradley - Changes". Record Collector. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Mojo. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- "Best Albums 2016". www.soulbluesmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.