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Critic Reviews
90
Bradley effectively draws you in with his voice and leaves you deep in thought with Changes, all the while grooving back and forth.
10y
80
There may not be many moments here that couldn’t have been included on his other two albums, but when an artist finds his pocket and groove as perfectly as Bradley has, that’s an insignificant detail.
10y
80
Changes could make even the meanest person soft. America could learn plenty from Bradley.
10y
80
The power of Bradley's voice comes not just from the lyrics, but the fact that you can feel the truth of every moment he sings about.
10y
80
Changes shows Bradley still has plenty of new ground to explore at the age of 68.
10y
80
Times are tough, but we have each other. We should let our good feelings conquer the negative ones. That’s the only way to make positive changes in the world. Bradley sings of his aches and pleasures with such conviction that he makes one believe this is possible.
10y
79
Like its predecessors No Time for Dreaming and Victim of Love, Changes is a strong entry into the canon of modern soul with a vintage heart. Even better is what the album represents for Bradley: after decades of struggle, the Screaming Eagle of Soul has come fully into his own.
10y
75
Ultimately the Screaming Eagle of Soul continues to soar, and despite all of the changes, the reasons to fall for Charles Bradley remain constant.
10y
75
With no trace of the irony or detachment that's prevalent in so much modern music, Bradley and his band come up with yet another album that sounds like it was dug up by some reissue label specializing in obscure '60s and '70s soul.
10y
71
Changes, his third album, feels like his straightforward best to date, the result of an improved dynamic between the singer and his band.
10y
70
It’s this righteous conviction that gives Bradley’s music its gut-punch force but you don’t have to be religious to appreciate testifying this fervent.
10y
70
Changes continues to find him doing what he does best — performing chicken-scratch rave-ups in a raw and unkempt emotional squall, and finding unexpected meaning in authoritative cover songs.
10y
70
It seems that, as well as wanting to make people dance, Bradley wants to make them think.
10y
60
While it’s virtually impossible for music this life-affirming to ever appear stale, it’s also difficult for it to truly sing from within the confines of a disc, and that leaves ‘Changes’ feeling more like a lovingly crafted, elongated promo for Bradley’s tour than anything more freestanding.
10y
Charles Bradley's most recognizable body of work due to the self titled track being featured in some shows, and the rest of the album follows in the same suit as that powerful deep soul reminiscent of 70's soul with some impressive vocals and some great cuts for a consistent and passionate listen, one filled with bitter sweet lyrics of romance.
Track Review
God Bless America 6.5/10
Good to Be Back Home 7.5/10.
Nobody but You 8/10
Ain't Gonna Give It Up7.5/10.
Changes 9.5/10
Ain't It a Sin ... read more
I love me some darn soulful music. This goes very hard at times, particularly the title track. I needn't explain why it's such a banger. His voice carries this, because there are a few moments where the instrumentation doesn't work particularly well for me, but overall it is certainly a solid project
2016 retrospective, #48 (follow me on TikTok for more)
This is the story of the Screaming Eagle of Soul. Charles Bradley was inspired by James Brown, yet possessed by stage fright: It took years for him to develop his singing talent. He wrote songs, recorded singles, released some; and eventually the Daptone label allowed him to release full-length studio albums: 2016's Changes is named after his haunting rendition of Black Sabbath's song. It's powerful, sincere and optimistic, ... read more
My fav album outside of rap very good songs emotionally
You can relate in many cases also very good level of pure music sound highlight title song bc it is from big mouth
“I’m going through changes, in my life”
Charles Bradley was someone who I was extremely unfamiliar with, but my god after listening to this all I can say is that he has a killer voice. The vocals of him screaming ‘my home’ in the intro track sound so fucking powerful. But apart from that this is pretty enjoyable, I wouldn’t say it’s anything that special but it has great production and some pretty bittersweet lyrics.
Stand out track:
Good to Be Back ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | God Bless America 1:31 | 95 |
| 2 | Good to Be Back Home 3:04 | 92 |
| 3 | Nobody But You 4:00 | 90 |
| 4 | Ain't Gonna Give It Up 3:56 | 87 |
| 5 | Changes 5:45 | 99 |
| 6 | Ain't It a Sin 3:52 | 94 |
| 7 | Things We Do For Love 3:31 | 88 |
| 8 | Crazy for Your Love 4:21 | 88 |
| 9 | You Think I Don't Know (But I Know) 3:30 | 88 |
| 10 | Change For the World 3:36 | 96 |
| 11 | Slow Love 3:38 | 92 |
Total Length: 40 minutes
Year End Lists
| #5 | / | Rough Trade |
| #14 | / | MOJO |
| #20 | / | Fopp |
| #22 | / | Esquire (US) |
| #39 | / | Gigwise |
| #39 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
| #41 | / | PopMatters |
| #43 | / | Paste |
| #66 | / | Uncut |
| #79 | / | Piccadilly Records |
| / | AllMusic |
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