The World (Going Up In Flames)
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band
7″ Single, 2007

This song is kind of a masterpiece. I’ve only had it for a few days but this isn’t one of those songs you come to appreciate after time. This song gets in your face a little bit; that slightly sour upright piano (sounding just like the piano on this track 40 years earlier) has moved into my brain and set up shop.

I honestly don’t know how they (Daptone Records out of Brooklyn, as well as Truth & Soul) are able to keep making such amazing soul. For those unfamiliar, that release year is correct, it’s not a reissue, this song was recorded in 2007. They have all of the right ingredients - analog studios, older black singers etc. - but there’s no young Isaac Hayes and David Porter as a songwriting staff (although I guess they weren’t famous when Stax came on the scene either). It just seems like they could have just as easily compiled the formula and not produced the results. I have to give credit where its due.

I was searching for an image of this 45 online and found a great-looking blog of vinyl recordings that I hadn’t seen before. When I pulled the image down, I realized by the way it was titled that it was from my favorite online store, Dusty Groove. When I went there I realized that the author didn’t only borrow the image, but also most of the review! That’s a personal affront to me as a music blogger!

Dusty Groove’s review:

Scorching raw soul from Charles Bradley — backed by the tight Menahan Street Band! “World (Is Going Up In Flames)” might be the best track yet from Bradley — an incredible groover with a heavy theme — but the apocalypse never sounded so sweet! The groove is raw and emotive, given a deeper feel thanks to some piano in the mix — with a rubbery bass line and backing vocals by the Gospel Queens! The flip “Heartaches And Pain” is another emotional workout — and has the feel of a lost southern soul scorcher, but with funkier bassline and drums! Amazing stuff!

“Dusty Nuggets’” “review”:

Scorching raw soul from Charles Bradley, a funk legend backed by the unbelievably-retro sounding Menahan Street Band. “This World (Is Going Up In Flames)” might be the best track yet from Bradley. (Which is saying a lot, because his prior 45 with the Bullets, “This Love Ain’t Big Enough for the Two of Us,” was explosive.) The groove is raw and emotive, given a deeper feel thanks to some piano in the mix, with a rubbery bass line and backing vocals by the Gospel Queens. As Charles bares down with his first wrenching moan, it is clear that this is not going to be a record made of empty gestures.

Come on homie!

>> songs are available for two weeks (192 kbps) [4.8 MB]
>> songs are available for two weeks (320 kbps) [8.0 MB]

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Music Appreciation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.