Eastside Radio’s Album of The Week is ‘Black Velvet’ by Charles Bradley on the Daptone Records label.
November 5th, 2018 would have been Charles Bradley’s 70th birthday. ‘Black Velvet’ is the artists last album and contains a compilation of songs recorded earlier.
Black Velvet is a celebration of Charles Bradley, lovingly assembled by his friends and family at Dunham/Daptone Records. Though chronologically the material spans Charles’ entire career, this is no anthology, greatest hits or other shallow rehashing of the songs that already made him famous. Rather, this album is a profound exploration through the less-travelled corners of the soulful universe that Charles and his longtime producer, co-writer and friend Tommy “TNT” Brenneck created in the studio together over their decade-long partnership. It features new songs recorded during the sessions from each of his three albums, heard here for the very first time in all their scorching glory: “Can’t Fight the Feeling,” “Fly Little Girl” and the heart-wrenching single “I Feel a Change”; hard core rarities like his funk-bomb duet with LaRose Jackson, “Luv Jones,” the psychedelic groover, “(I Hope You Find) The Good Life” and the ever-illusive alternate full band electric version of “Victim of Love”…; sought-after covers of Nirvana’s “Stay Away,” Neal Young’s “Heart of Gold” and Rodriguez’s “Slip Away”; and the title track “Black Velvet,” a stirring Menahan Street Band instrumental to which Charles was never able to cut a vocal.
Album: Black Velvet
Artist: Charles Bradley
1.Can’t Fight The Feeling
2.Luv Jones
3.I Feel A Change
4.Slip Away
5.Menahan Street Band – Black Velvet
6.Stay way
7.Heart of Gold
8.(I Hope You Find) The Good Life
9.Fly Little Girl
10.Victim of Love
Musicians:
- Backing Vocals – Bobbie Jean Gant (tracks: 7, 9), Cynthia Langston (tracks: 7), Edna Johnson (tracks: 7, 9), Kristine Johnson Ashby (tracks: 9), Paul Schalda (tracks: 8, 10), Will Schalda (tracks: 8, 10), Bill Schalda* (tracks: 8, 10)
- Baritone Saxophone – Freddy DeBoe (tracks: 4)
- Bass – Nick Movshon (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 8, 10), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 4, 6, 9)
- Congas – Fernando Velez (tracks: 2)
- Cover, Design [Custom Lettering] – Dan Gneiding*
- Drums – Homer Steinweiss (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 7, 10), Mickey Post (tracks: 9), Nick Movshon (tracks: 4), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 8)
- Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Mike Deller (tracks: 10)
- Executive-Producer – Gabriel Roth, Neal Sugarman
- Featuring – Menahan Street Band
- Guitar – Thomas Brenneck
- Mastered By – J.J. Golden*
- Mixed By – Gabriel Roth (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7, 9, 10), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 10)
- Organ – Charles Bradley (tracks: 9), Leon Michels (tracks: 1, 3, 5), Mike Deller (tracks: 2, 8), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 6)
- Percussion – Nick Movshon (tracks: 4), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 2, 4, 6)
- Photography By – Kisha Bari
- Piano – Leon Michels (tracks: 1), Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 9), Victor Axelrod (tracks: 7)
- Producer – Dukes (7) (tracks: 6), Homer Steinweiss (tracks: 6), Tommy ‘TNT’ Brenneck*
- Recorded By – Thomas Brenneck, Wayne Gordon (2) (tracks: 9)
- Tambourine – Dave Guy (tracks: 7)
- Tenor Saxophone – Leon Michels
- Trombone – Aaron Johnson (tracks: 7, 10)
- Trumpet – Billy Aukstik (tracks: 4), Dave Guy (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10)
- Vibraphone – Thomas Brenneck (tracks: 7)