Charles Bradley: Victim of Love [DAPTONE]

Why you'll love it

This Daptone and Dunham LP comes in its stereo mix with a coupon for an MP3 download. Victim of Love scored 81 on Metacritic, and Under the Radar called it an album for the ages.

This edition

• Stereo mix
• Download coupon included

About the album

Charles Bradley waited a long time for his turn, and Exclaim! put it neatly when it called this record a continued opportunity for a sexagenarian to finally get his chance in the soulful sun. Two years after his debut, he came back with the Menahan Street Band and producer Thomas Brenneck, and a set AllMusic called more diverse than his first, with a sound not heard before on Daptone.

The barrelling horns and gritty grooves are all present and correct. The Guardian singled out the gorgeous swoon of "Let Love Stand a Chance" and the tense funk of "Where Do We Go From Here?", The Boston Globe heard him at the peak of his powers on the title track, and his take on "Crying in the Chapel" is pure testimony. Rolling Stone summed it up simply: it's Bradley's voice that seals the deal.

Gabriel Roth and Sugarman executive produced, and the credits list one Ron Wolf on egg shaker for "Strictly Reserved for You," recorded in one take. We admire the efficiency, and we'd quite like him to have a word with our stockroom.

Also at Kops: more Charles Bradley on vinyl · browse 70s Soul On Up

Tracklist

Listen

On Dunham / Daptone (cat# DUN-1004), the 2013 album.