Charles Bradley is making up for lost time. After spending 40 years banging out soul music in bars from New York to Alaska with no real return, Bradley caught a break when Daptone's Gabriel Roth and Menahan Street Band's Tom Brenneck came along. Victim of Love picks up the narrative from where his 2011 introduction ( No Time for Dreaming ) left off. Bradley oozes soul and emotional power as the Menahan players keep things tight in the musical department. Bradley's voice reflects those decades of struggle, and he's in his element with the title track, the swaying You Put the Flame on Me , and the grandstanding Let Love Stand a Chance . That voice can also work on more complex fare, as Confusion and Through the Storm demonstrate. It's fast becoming the case that there's no show like a Charles Bradley show.
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Download: Victim of Love, Through the Storm, Let Love Stand a Chance