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By Dave Miller

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"There's been times in my life when the world was so cold," Charles Bradley sang as he joined his band onstage at Lincoln Hall Sunday night. "Can't find a friend anywhere at all."

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If that wasn't downhearted enough, Bradley was just getting started in "Heartaches And Pain." Soon he was singing through tears about waking up to police lights flashing and his mother crying, and learning his brother had been murdered.

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Yes, Bradley has lived a hard life. His bio states that he spent his childhood living on the streets of Brooklyn. As a young teen, his love of music was inspired when his sister took him to see James Brown at the Apollo Theater, but his pursuit of a performing career was pushed aside when members of his band were drafted into the Vietnam War. He learned how to cook through a jobs program for the underpriviledged, and found work preparing food at a hospital for the mentally ill. After returning a new Ford to the dealer because he couldn't make the payments, Bradley hitchhiked across the country and eventually wound up in Canada and Alaska before settling into a job as a chef in California. He spent more than 20 years there and dabbled in music on the side. Just as he was about to put a down payment on a house, he was laid off from his job of 17 years, causing him to re-evaluate his life. He drove back to New York in his truck containing the music gear he collected over the years, and he decided to pursue his passion while working as a handyman.

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Bradley imitated James Brown under the moniker "Black Velvet" in Brooklyn clubs. Just when he was finding himself in a good place, his brother was shot and killed. That left Bradley wondering whether life was worth living anymore. Finally, he caught a break when Daptone Records' Gabriel Roth discovered him performing his Godfather of Soul impersonation. Eventually Bradley discovered his own songwriting voice with the help of young guitarist and songwriter Thomas Brenneck.

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At 62, Bradley released his debut album, No Time For Dreaming, to critical acclaim in 2011. His live performances are even better. People who've seen him will tell you, "You need to see Charles Bradley!"  

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Now I know why. Thanks to his Daptone association and James Brown backstory, I was prepared for a revivalist act. What I witnessed was Bradley in the moment, his moment, burning up the stage with a personal soul and funk revue fueled by his lifelong blues. It wasn't a singer performing songs per se, but a survivor living and breathing his story before your eyes, turning despair into hope, pain into joy, heartbreak into celebration. Watching Bradley was a transformative experience. Most of all, it was an affirmation of the capabilities of the human spirit.

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Bradley's physicality onstage is like an instrument, especially when he's dancing, caught up in the excitement of the music. He dropped to his knees clutching the microphone stand near the end of "Heartaches And Pain" in a classic soul pose, but I never got the feeling he was mimicking Brown. But he showed himself to be related to Brown as well as Otis Redding in the tradition of soul music. His gritty voice is filled with so much emotion that it's understood what comes out of his mouth is the truth, even on a couple covers, Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" and Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." And his multitude of joyous moves, including some sexual ones, seem to be made up on the spot, though his microphone stand theatrics undoubtedly come with lots of practice.

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Bradley's band, His Extraordinaires, contained six musicians, including Brenneck on guitar, two horn players and an organist. The drummer and bassist kept the funk quotient high, and the outfit played in the sweet spot between professional tightness and, importantly, improvisational looseness, which resulted in an inspiring conversation between the music and Bradley throughout the night. The soul man and his band responded to each other's surprises.

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Bradley has made regular stops in Chicago, and the city has embraced him, showing up this time for two concerts at Lincoln Hall including the next night on New Year's Eve. "Chicago, every time I come here, you touch me," he said early in in the show. "Thank you, Chicago." The pleading "Golden Rule" ended the main set, which saw Bradley genuflect before leaving the stage. He returned for a new song called "Crying in the Chapel," which will be on his next album scheduled for a May release, and finished with the autobiographical "Why Is It So Hard?" Bradley concluded singing and announced, "I want to leave a piece of my heart with you," and hopped off the front of the stage. He hugged one person after another as he slowly worked his way through the crowd. When the band finished, Bradley was still hugging people in the back of the room. This was not your typical performance. It emanated love.

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The setlist:

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instrumental*

instrumental*

Heartaches And Pain

No Time For Dreaming

Lovin' You, Baby

The World (Is Going Up In Flames)

How Long

Slip Away

instrumental*

Heart Of Gold

This Love Ain't Big Enough For The Two Of Us

I Got The Love

Golden Rule

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Crying In The Chapel

Why Is It So Hard?

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*with Bradley offstage

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Start: 9:57 p.m./Finish: 11:32 p.m.
Totals: 15 songs, one hours 35 minutes

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Photo Gallery

Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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Charles Bradley

December 30, 2012 @ Lincoln Hall

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