Charles Bradley, "Changes"

Charles Bradley

“CHANGES”

Daptone Records

Charles Bradley is the closest living equivalent to James Brown today. He’s a dynamic performer whose style is purposely reminiscent of the Soul King. We live in an age when Black Lives Matter operates as a battle cry rallying against the injustices of racism in contemporary society. Bradley’s no fool. He knows what’s going on. But like Brown, he’s on the side of peace.

He opens his new album with the patriotic Irving Berlin hymn “God Bless America” by talking to his listeners over an organ accompanist. Then he starts to sing the song made famous by Kate Smith.

The point is, Bradley understands that while life is hard, real change comes from love.

But this is not an album of social protest as much as it is the individual instinctual cry of one trying to find his place in the world.

The most affecting track on the album is the title tune, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.” He transforms the song into a slow-burning gospel-style number about personal loss. Back in the day, heavy metal bands turned black blues into hard rock crunchers. By reversing the process, Bradley shows the commonality of human experience. Everybody hurts, as R.E.M. famously noted.

ON TOUR: May 19, 2016 — McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, Portland; www.etix.com.

— Steve Horowitz,

PopMatters.com

Allen Stone

“RADIUS” (DELUXE EDITION)

ATO Records

Following the organic fusion of rootsy rock and soul that garnered him acclaim between his first two albums’ worth of material, the 2015 release “Radius” is a soul record that still wears Allen Stone’s most obvious influences on its sleeve, but with the added bonus of a bigger budget.

Whether that bonus was also a benefit depends on whom you ask. For every appreciator of “Radius” and what it introduces to Stone’s encompassing sound, there are those who would rather he remain in the precious bubble of years past.

Underneath all of the studio magic remains the same old Stone, appreciator of good soul music and curator of some decent tunes himself. This is reflected in the seven bonus tracks, which comprise the 2016 deluxe edition of “Radius.”

“Loose” comes roaring through with all of the modesty of charging elephants, a bombastic, danceable track that exemplifies Stone’s vocal strengths and showmanship. In contrast, “Voodoo” is a slow-burning, Southern-drenched type of soul, Stone maintaining a pleasing swagger and a masterful command of rhythm that makes it infectiously listenable.

These seven songs serve themselves well as must-have additions to Stone’s overarching catalog — perhaps even better than the original whole of “Radius” itself.

— Jonathan Frahm,

PopMatters.com

Parker Millsap

“THE VERY LAST DAY”

Thirty Tigers

On “The Very Last Day” Parker Millsap pours intensity into his songs, regardless of whether he’s rocking out with his band, quietly accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, or playing the blues as slow as molasses.

Stylistically, Millsap embraces the same sort of anything goes Americana as genre stalwarts like Jason Isbell or the Lone Bellow. “The Very Last Day” features strong songwriting, insightful lyrics, and successful dabbling in several different musical styles. But his intensity may be the quality that sets him apart.

Opener “Hades Pleads” displays this with its hard-hitting country-rock arrangement. Bluesy acoustic slide guitar is buttressed by chunky electric guitar and down and dirty fiddling from Daniel Foulks. “Pining,” the jaunty second song, provides contrast without sacrificing energy. The acoustic and chunky electric guitars remain, but Millsap swaps the fiddle for a boogie-woogie piano, giving the song a much more bouncy feel.

Closing track “Tribulation Hymn” is string band-style music that’s very much in the spirit of an old acoustic hymn. But once again, the lyrics turn the song sideways, as Millsap takes on a character whose sister has been taken away in the rapture.

“The Very Last Day” is full of material like this, and Millsap’s intense delivery keeps even the more pedestrian songs from getting tiresome. Millsap’s smart musical choices on this album bolster his reputation as one of the fresh young voices in the Americana genre.

— Chris Conaton,

PopMatters.com