There’s few who could deny the pure entertainment value of Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires.
You’ve got a soul singer with a very special voice belting out classic Motown and Stax type numbers of yesteryear. You’ve got a band that are superior to most with their instrument of choice. You’ve got a frontman that is ever endearing with his energetic moves either originating or ending at the pelvis. And you’ve got the feel good story.
The story of Charles Bradley. The one filled with homelessness and violence. The one of wearying jobs and aimlessness. The one where a soul singer is on his last legs, but releases his debut album at the age of 62, despite all that bad luck and trouble.
It’s truly a story of triumph over tragedy and you can see it in the man’s performance. It’s the raspy but tender voice – the gritty and gravely delivery with a pained and weathered face – all in his twilight years.
But lyrically most would agree that it was well trodden ground with all the soul-isms you could possibly shoehorn into an evening. That’s why ‘The World (Is Going up in Flames)’ and ‘Why Is It So Hard’ were the hits of the evening because they harnessed that fantastic performer with enough substance to be moving. Written by David Rowley
Photos: Lachlan Douglas
