Charles Bradley: Live from the House of Soul

Daptone recording artist Charles Bradley stars in this inaugural edition of the label's concert series in which artists offer separately-taped comments between each song. For the seven-song set, the “Screaming Eagle of Soul” is accompanied by the eight-member Menahan Street Band in the courtyard of the Brooklyn label's tenement offices. Drummer Homer Steinweiss's Nordic sweater, quilted vest, and woolly scarf indicate a relatively cold day. Other players include Thomas Brenneck (guitar), Nick Movshon (bass), Mike Deller (piano and organ), Dave Guy (trumpet), Leon Michels (saxophone), and Paul and Bill Scalda (backing vocals). A former James Brown impersonator, 67-year-old Bradley sings in a rough and ready voice over the group's brass-saturated backing. About the song “Confusion,” which borrows funk moves from Edwin Starr and the Temptations, Bradley notes that he “can't be anybody but Charles," perhaps a reference to his evolution from copyist to one-of-a-kind. Although there's no audience, Bradley still busts out the screams, gestures, and old-school dance moves of his popular stage show. The original compositions illustrate his familiarity with the soul music of the 1960s and ‘70s, but the inclusion of one of his slow-burn rock-and-roll covers would have been ideal, particularly Black Sabbath's “Changes," off his new album of the same title, or Nirvana's “Stay Away" from a 2011 SPIN compilation. Presented in stereo, extras include four music videos. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)