MOG Editorial Review

Few artists put out their debut album at the age of 62, but Charles Bradley isn't your average artist. Despite hopes of becoming a soul singer in the '60s like his hero James Brown, Bradley instead suffered a series of setbacks that led to a life of constant obstacles and hardship, including the death of his brother, which ends up inspiring some of No Time for Dreaming's finest tracks. Tracks like opener "The World (Is Going Up in Flames)" feature the voice of a man who has suffered serious pain throughout his life, the kind of inflection that many try and fail to manufacture. This is a record that believes in second chances, in light at the end of the tunnel no matter how bleak things seem, and thanks to a backing band that includes members of the Budos Band and the Dap-Kings, Bradley has experienced these very things, and he's ready to share them with you.