The first notes Charles Bradley sings on Victim of Love, his 2013 sophomore release, are not words but moaned lamentations. A drawn out “ooh” reminds listeners who we are dealing with: The Screaming Eagle of Soul, who doesn’t simply sing. Bradley wails, pleads, begs and screeches his way through Victim of Love. Many tracks are love songs, but they’d be better described as songs of longing.
Essentials
VOL № E7 — July 2013
Victim of Love
Charles Bradley
The Screaming Eagle of Soul was the seventh artist featured by VMP, and our new edition — pressed on exclusive Purple & Black A-Side/B-Side vinyl — serves as a reminder that Bradley was one of soul music’s brightest lights in the 2000s and 2010s, a one-man army keeping soul alive via his incredible shows and albums.
