Black Velvet

Description

Black Velvet is a celebration of Charles Bradley, lovingly assembled by his friends and family at Dunham/Daptone Records. Though chronologically the material spans Charles entire career, this is no anthology, greatest hits or other shallow rehashing of the songs that already made him famous. Rather, this album is a profound exploration through the less-travelled corners of the soulful universe that Charles and his longtime producer, co-writer and friend Tommy TNT Brenneck created in the studio together over their decade-long partnership.

It features new songs recorded during the sessions from each of his three albums, heard here for the very first time in all their scorching glory: Cant Fight the Feeling, Fly Little Girl and the heart-wrenching single I Feel a Change; hard core rarities like his funk-bomb duet with LaRose Jackson, Luv Jones, the psychedelic groover, (I Hope You Find) The Good Life and the ever-illusive alternate full band electric version of Victim of Love; sought-after covers of Nirvanas Stay Away, Neal Youngs Heart of Gold and Rodriguezs Slip Away; and the title track Black Velvet, a stirring Menahan Street Band instrumental to which Charles was never able to cut a vocal.

Charles was truly a transcendent singer who led a remarkable life, overcoming unimaginable adversity to achieve great success and international acclaim very late in his life. What was really special about him and made him different from everybody else in the world was how he understood his pain as a cry for universal love and humanity. He felt that if he loved enoughif we all loved each other enoughwe could take away the worlds pain and sadness. That is why he jumped off the stage and literally tried to hug everybody he could. Its why he took such great care of a mother that had abandoned him. Its why he sang and danced like a lunatic. Its why he screamed like an eagle. And thats why we love him.

Black Velvet is a celebration of his life, and is destined to join Charles first three albums alongside the cannon of essential soul records for the ages.