The Last Soul Man has given us another soul classic, but in an unflinchingly modern package.
While The Bravest Man In The Universe bears little surface relation to Womack’s best-known music, it is—like “Stylo”—in line spiritually with what Womack’s all about.
The Bravest Man impresses on a steadily rising graph as Womack's soul-soaked voice humanises the machinery in ways rarely heard these days.
The album posits Womack as a restless spirit, ever expository, invigorated and emboldened by age and experience.
The strongest moments of The Bravest Man in the Universe brought me to tears.
Although not quite the greatest release that Womack’s name has been stamped on, The Bravest Man will, with some luck, serve as a pleasant and uplifting gateway to Womack’s imperative back catalogue.
Few voices have been able to reach the emotional heights of Bobby Womack's, and he infuses The Bravest Man in the Universe with every ounce of his lost time
Bobby Womack's time has come once again, and he's still got it.
While The Bravest Man is a skeletal affair with the spotlight keenly trained on Womack's cracked vocals, it doesn't attempt to sound like "classic" Bobby Womack, for better or worse.
Like Scott-Heron's 'I'm New Here', I'm not sure these minimalistic contemporary arrangements work 100% percent of the time, however, even in his late 60's, Womack has plenty of heart wrenching vocal emotion to make up for the empty spaces.
Track Picks: 'The Bravest Man In The Universe', 'Dayglo Reflection', 'If There Wasn't Something There'
Womack’s cameo appearance on ‘Gorillaz’s 2010 track album ‘Plastic Beach’ began what would be a fruitful collaboration with Damon Albarn which would result in this his final ever release. Supplying backing electronic beats to Womack’s delivery adds more relevance to modern audiences, but at times the great soul singer appears to be guest appearing in his own record. Perhaps, the greatest mistake was in trying to add dance elements to one of Womack’s ... read more
Bobby Womack always had one of the great soul voices even if at times some of his recordings were a bit MOR, the Bravest Man In The World is a swan song that returns to his best. Working with Damon Albarn and Richard Russell to merge his magnificent soul voice with clever edgy techno beats and sounds to create a fantastic album. Somehow it seems to reach out across the years to Across 110th Street to bookend the life and voice of one of the last soul men. The fact that it is his last album ... read more
1 | The Bravest Man In The Universe 3:52 | |
2 | Please Forgive My Heart 4:30 | |
3 | Deep River 1:49 | |
4 | Dayglo Reflection 4:18 feat. Lana Del Rey | 93 |
5 | Whatever Happened To The Times 4:08 | |
6 | Stupid Introlude 0:21 feat. Gil Scott-Heron | |
7 | Stupid 3:51 | |
8 | If There Wasn't Something There 4:38 | |
9 | Love Is Gonna Lift Up 3:43 | |
10 | Nothin' Can Save Ya 3:47 feat. Fatoumata Diawara | |
11 | Jubilee (Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around) 2:07 |
#1 | / | Clash |
#10 | / | The Guardian |
#16 | / | MOJO |
#18 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#34 | / | Uncut |
#36 | / | Rolling Stone |
#42 | / | AllMusic |
#46 | / | NME |
#48 | / | No Ripcord |
/ | NPR Music |