Charles Bradley is a mysterious, loving force, and his music is a beautiful thing to take in. When he rose to stardom in 2011 with his jaw-dropping debut “No Time For Dreaming” and heavily buzzed-about cover and complete re-imagining of Nirvana’s “Stay Away”, it made me feel deep joy, because not all is as it seems in life or in the music industry. Nothing’s gone to the dogs, and nothing’s hopeless. Each of us are responsible for our own natural ethics in the way we create relationship with the world as a whole. People like Charles Bradley achieve success for the right reasons, and you can bet that love is involved in the demand for more material from this man. With the success of artists like Bradley, Janelle Monae, and Jimmy Cliff, it seems there is a revitalized audience for honesty and soul, and that’s a beautiful thing.
He’s still doing the festival/live circuit at the moment but let’s hope for a new Charles Bradley album in 2013. Until then, enjoy this performance of “No Time For Dreaming” below.