Changes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 1, 2016 | |||
Genre | Soul | |||
Label | Daptone Records/Dunham Records | |||
Producer | Thomas Brenneck | |||
Charles Bradley chronology | ||||
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Changes is the third album released by American funk/soul singer Charles Bradley, released on April 1, 2016 on Daptone Records.[1] The title track on the album is a cover of the Black Sabbath song of the same name and was first released as a Record Store Day Black Friday single in 2013.[2]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
American Songwriter | [4] |
Exclaim! | [5] |
Paste | 7.9/10[6] |
Pitchfork | 7.1/10[7] |
PopMatters | [8] |
Record Collector | [9] |
The album was released to positive critical reception with an aggregate score of 80 on Metacritic based on 17 reviews.[10]
Pitchfork awarded the album a score of 7.1, with music critic Jay Balfour describing the album as Bradley's "most straightforward and best to date".[7] AllMusic awarded the album a positive review, stating that "the rough-hewn power of Bradley's voice is at its most powerful, and there's a fierce sense of longing and need in this music that's almost tactile in its realism".[1]
The Observer's Kitty Empire awarded the album 3 stars, likening Bradley to Al Green,[11] while critic Steve Horowitz from PopMatters praised Bradley's vocal style, describing him as "the closest living equivalent to [James] Brown" and concluding that "Bradley sings of his aches and pleasures with such conviction that he makes one believe this is possible".[8]
The album also received praise from a number of other musical publications, including American Songwriter,[4] Record Collector[12] and Paste.[6]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Mojo | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 14[13]
|
Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 43[14]
|
Rough Trade | Albums of the Year | 2016 | 5[15]
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Blues Critic | Top 10 Retro-Soul/Soul Blues Albums Of 2016 | 2016 | 1[16]
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The opening title sequence for the first 3 seasons of Barry (TV series) uses the instrumental intro of Bradley's song Change For The World.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "God Bless America" | Menahan Street Band, Irving Berlin | 1:31 |
2. | "Good to Be Back Home" | Menahan Street Band, Victor Axelrod, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Homer Steinweiss | 3:04 |
3. | "Nobody But You" | Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss | 4:00 |
4. | "Ain't Gonna Give It Up" | Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss | 3:56 |
5. | "Changes" | The Budos Band, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward | 5:45 |
6. | "Ain't It a Sin" | The Budos Band, Brian Profilio | 3:52 |
7. | "Things We Do For Love" | Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, William Schalda Jr. | 3:31 |
8. | "Crazy for Your Love" | Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck | 4:21 |
9. | "You Think I Don't Know (But I Know)" (featuring The Gospel Queens) | Menahan Street Band, Victor Axelrod, Thomas Brenneck, David Guy, Leon Michels | 3:30 |
10. | "Change For the World" (featuring The Gospel Queens) | Menahan Street Band, Charles Bradley, Thomas Brenneck, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss | 3:36 |
11. | "Slow Love" | Menahan Street Band, Thomas Brenneck, Paul Schalda, Will Schalda | 3:38 |
Total length: | 40:44 |