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Robert Bradley & Blackwater Surprise
Still Lovin' You
Vanguard Records
By Steve Cooper
 On
his fourth release, Robert Bradley finally gets it right. On
his three previous efforts, he was a pretty good blues singer.
On this album, he is a quirky-but-great soul singer. This is
his niche. He should sound more like Ted Hawkins than Muddy
Waters because, like Ted, he was a street singer for quite a
few years. Bradley himself has said that his era was '60s soul,
not '50s blues. Quite naturally, when he was discovered, a blind
street singer, producers assumed he was a blues singer. But,
this blind singer owes more to Ray Charles than to Willie McTell.
It's not an easy task to describe Bradley's voice to the uninitiated.
The closest comparison would be Ray Charles at his youngest
and rawest. There's a slight, soulful flatness to his singing,
not unlike Nina Simone. Bradley's low, rasp of a voice also
brings to mind Taj Mahal in its "natch'l-ness," but
he has more of a cry in the voice than Taj. It's the type of
voice that, presented correctly, would have captured '60s radio,
in a Chambers Brothers/Alex Chilton & the Box Tops kind of
way.
What makes Bradley a double threat is he writes most of his
songs. In fact, Bradley wrote all of the tunes on this release
with the exception of a fine take of the Hayes/Porter classic
"I Thank You" (originally done by Sam & Dave).
His songwriting, at least here, is solidly in the Dann Penn/Spooner
Oldham School of the Plaintive Soul Cry. Take, for instance,
the wondrous "When You Love Something." The song could
very easily be a cut from a Percy Sledge album. It has that
same weeping, swaying rhythm, with the saxophones moaning in
accordance. The only way to listen to it is to gently rock the
head left to right and back again. Imagine Ray Charles keeping
time by contorting and weaving his body back and forth on the
piano stool and you'll have some idea of the groove here. It
is a great, deep soul song; the kind they don't write anymore.
The title track is a soul ballad with a slight, jump beat.
It is more in an early '70s soul mode, perhaps a Harold Melvin
& the Bluenotes era Teddy Pendergrass. In other words, Gamble/Huff
stuff. Bradley scorches the vocal, with a natural grit you can
almost taste. Again, the instrumental break instrument of choice
is the saxophone, as it is with most gutbucket soul. The Blossoms-style
back-up singers help to put this soul ready-made over the top.
"Pretender" is soul, but with a more singer/songwriter
approach. The organ and piano backing bring to mind a "Highway
61-era" Bob Dylan, in fact there is a bit of a "Like
a Rolling Stone" riff that repeats. If Ray Charles were
to cover "Queen Jane Approximately," he might sound
something like this.
"Anna" is a moody, moaning wonder. It is a song,
a plea, by Bradley to his daughter. A plea for reconciliation:
"Please tell Anna I miss her/As you travel down life's
road/Please tell Anna I miss her/Way down in my soul."
The arrangement is sparse, a smoky, piano lounge. Bradley's
raw, mournfully mumbling moan is the substance that produces
spine shivers. When Bradley raises his head and shouts in is
sadness "And I miss you Annnnahhhh!!!", he supremely
connects song to emotion.
Bradley's homage to "Virginia" is so convincing
one would think he's a native of the state, though he was born
in Alabama and has spent much of his adult life in Detroit:
"Night time in Virginia/The stars shining bright/The right
time in Virginia/To fall in love tonight." This cut is
soul firmly planted in '90s Americana. Bending Fender strings
and bellowing concertina contribute to giving the song a front
porch, "Oh, Brother" vibe. Imagine John Hiatt in his
best "Crossing Muddy Waters" clothing and you'll have
some idea of the feel of "Virginia."
"Don't Take Your Love Away" is a quirky, soul/blues
with a simplistic, haunting piano lick traversing its length.
This is ragged, soul crying at its best, with a playful-yet-complementary
arrangement. Kind of Randy Newman meets Solomon Burke. And,
did I mention how damn deep Bradley's sound cuts? We're talking
soul chops with bone at the base.
Contact Steve Cooper at: cooper-at-rockzilla.net
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