Kevin Bronson on May 13th, 2011

1

By JD Reinholdz

Marvin Gaye was The Man. Otis Redding? Of course. And James Brown basically wrote the rulebook. Tough. Passionate. Soulful. The songs coming from deep, deep, down in the well. Songs that just had to burst into existence and be screamed, yelped, shouted out in a sweaty exorcism of soul.

And Charles Bradley? He qualifies too. For starting his “career” at age 62. For the fly-looking cream-colored military style jacket (complete with gold epaulettes) he sported onstage on May 4 at the Echo. For his humble attitude and effusive thanks to the fans here. For the black jumpsuit zipped open to the waist, which he wore during the encore. And, of course, for opening his mouth and wowing the crowd with his soulful roar. But especially, Bradley qualifies by becoming, without a doubt, the first AARP-aged performer to crowd-surf at the Echo. Charles Bradley. The Man.

And while he may not radiate the aura of some of those exalted names above – Bradley is quite a diminutive figure on stage, looking like Al Green or William Bell, but just that bit rougher around the edges – once he opens his mouth and preaches the gospel, he is faced with a room full of believers. The crowd at the Echo seemed just as grateful for his presence as he seemed to be of theirs. I guess after a life of hard times and bad breaks, which Bradley relayed on the track “Why Is It So Hard?,” nothing is taken for granted, and every day is one to rejoice in. And for the fans, the feeling was mutual.

And so they were forgiving of any flaws. Soul music, after all, is not about the “American Idol” ideal of perfection; it’s about living the moment. Bradley’s voice may have been a bit hoarse and rough around the edges, but thanks to the success of his album “No Time for Dreaming” this is a singer who is just now opening himself up to the endless slog of touring. On this night, the imperfections just added authenticity.

Bradley’s backing musicians, the Menahan Street Band, might seem a bit pedestrian – Booker T and the MG’s (the Stax house band) they certainly are not – but they did the job adequately. And without their discovery of Bradley doing his James Brown routines in a club in Brooklyn, the story as it stands now would not be complete. His cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” might have been misstep, but the sentiment behind the song excused it. Bradley’s dancing on stage was at times goofy and awkward, but talk to any soul devotee and they’ll tell you Otis – the Big O – couldn’t dance for shit.

So here was Bradley. Preaching the gospel. Having fun. Doing it for the love. He knelt onstage, shook the hands of everybody in sight, thanked the crowd a million times. And, yes, he stage-dove. Fans passed him across the room, and then back to the stage, almost levitating Bradley with their reverence.

While a lot of his peers are looking to days spent golfing and the 4:30 dinner special at the Olive Garden, Bradley, at 63, is living out a fairy tale. And yes there is a lesson to be learned here. Live life, look on the bright side, as you never know just what’s around the corner. And believe in fate. Charles Bradley does. And he is The Man.

Photo by Debi Del Grande

JD Reinholdz is an L.A.-based writer.