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Brooklyn-native funk/soul singer Charles Bradley has been making quite a name for himself these days. Having spent the last twenty years performing as a James Brown…
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The Screaming Eagle of Soul sure does know how to drum up the excitement. Tuesday night at the Cedar Cultural Center, after excellent opener Paul and His Tall Trees exited the stage, folks were getting a little impatient waiting for soul maestro Charles Bradley to appear. There was definitely the feeling that the sold-out, all ages crowd were in for a real treat and as the minutes seemingly crawled by, a fevered anticipation set in. Tom Petty said that “waiting is the hardest part,” but pay-off that night was nothing short of extraordinary.
Bradley’s impressive backing band The Extraordinaires leapt on stage first, warming up the crowd with some fierce instrumentals including a cover of Lovin’ Spoonful's “Summer in the City.” The keys player stepped out from behind his instrument and strolled over to the silver mic and, sounding like Wolfman Jack, provided a stellar introduction for Bradley. Walking on stage clad in a black suit with a shimmery, sequined vest and gold decals on his shoulders and pant-legs, Bradley soaked in the love, arms outstretched and then wrapped over his chest, trying to embrace the whole room. And with a gentle melodic jingle from the guitar, the show took off.
For the next hour and a half, Bradley howled and crooned, sweat streaming down his face like tears, making his passionate wails more powerful. Songs like “The World (Is Going Up in Flames)” soared and Bradley rightly shouted, “Do you want to go to church tonight?” He also danced about doing “the Robot”, dropping to his knees twice and seductively swishing his hips around - his energy was unbelievable! This man is 64-years-old! After a triumphant “Slip Away,” he disappeared from the stage momentarily but returned with a new outfit: a blaze orange jumpsuit with little sequined designs and a slinky, red sheer wrap. The band kicked in to “No Time for Dreaming” with Bradley singing almost like it was painful, his face creased in a grimace. But when he looked out the adoring crowd, the gratitude and warmth just radiated from his smile. He even made a point to say that he didn’t consider the audience his fans, but rather his “brothers and sisters.”
As if he couldn’t wow us with his singing and dancing alone, Bradley broke out a tannerin (electro-theremin) during a crazy-funky “This Love Ain’t Big Enough for the Two of Us.” He created some insanely wild noises while busting out some slick moves. The fiery vintage soul kept coming: “Where Do We Go From Here,” saw Bradley pleading that “we all gotta make a change.” Before we knew it, though, the band was leaving the stage. In response, the entire room exploded into stomping, clapping and yelling - people were not quite ready to leave yet. Luckily, Bradley and the band wanted to stick around as well. The Extraordinaires graced the stage once again and kicked into a sweet instrumental cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” the insistent organ part played flawlessly. As the band played, the keys player stood in front of the mic for a second time and grilled the audience’s devotion. “Do you want more Charles Bradley? Here he is: the Screaming Eagle of Soul, the Victim of Love and the baddest motorbike around... Mr. Charles Bradley!” Bradley walked back out in a gold, velvet jacket and black leather pants and he and the band killed it with a smoldering “Victim of Love” and “Why Is It So Hard?” The show ended with Bradley wading into the audience; a remarkable man being overwhelmed by the love of his brothers and sisters.
Bradley’s impressive backing band The Extraordinaires leapt on stage first, warming up the crowd with some fierce instrumentals including a cover of Lovin’ Spoonful's “Summer in the City.” The keys player stepped out from behind his instrument and strolled over to the silver mic and, sounding like Wolfman Jack, provided a stellar introduction for Bradley. Walking on stage clad in a black suit with a shimmery, sequined vest and gold decals on his shoulders and pant-legs, Bradley soaked in the love, arms outstretched and then wrapped over his chest, trying to embrace the whole room. And with a gentle melodic jingle from the guitar, the show took off.
For the next hour and a half, Bradley howled and crooned, sweat streaming down his face like tears, making his passionate wails more powerful. Songs like “The World (Is Going Up in Flames)” soared and Bradley rightly shouted, “Do you want to go to church tonight?” He also danced about doing “the Robot”, dropping to his knees twice and seductively swishing his hips around - his energy was unbelievable! This man is 64-years-old! After a triumphant “Slip Away,” he disappeared from the stage momentarily but returned with a new outfit: a blaze orange jumpsuit with little sequined designs and a slinky, red sheer wrap. The band kicked in to “No Time for Dreaming” with Bradley singing almost like it was painful, his face creased in a grimace. But when he looked out the adoring crowd, the gratitude and warmth just radiated from his smile. He even made a point to say that he didn’t consider the audience his fans, but rather his “brothers and sisters.”
As if he couldn’t wow us with his singing and dancing alone, Bradley broke out a tannerin (electro-theremin) during a crazy-funky “This Love Ain’t Big Enough for the Two of Us.” He created some insanely wild noises while busting out some slick moves. The fiery vintage soul kept coming: “Where Do We Go From Here,” saw Bradley pleading that “we all gotta make a change.” Before we knew it, though, the band was leaving the stage. In response, the entire room exploded into stomping, clapping and yelling - people were not quite ready to leave yet. Luckily, Bradley and the band wanted to stick around as well. The Extraordinaires graced the stage once again and kicked into a sweet instrumental cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” the insistent organ part played flawlessly. As the band played, the keys player stood in front of the mic for a second time and grilled the audience’s devotion. “Do you want more Charles Bradley? Here he is: the Screaming Eagle of Soul, the Victim of Love and the baddest motorbike around... Mr. Charles Bradley!” Bradley walked back out in a gold, velvet jacket and black leather pants and he and the band killed it with a smoldering “Victim of Love” and “Why Is It So Hard?” The show ended with Bradley wading into the audience; a remarkable man being overwhelmed by the love of his brothers and sisters.
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Charles Bradley and the Extraordinaires at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (05/07/13) |
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