Charles Bradley's "No Time for Dreaming" is the culmination of a life for the singer in which he had to work hard for everything. Before returning to his hometown of Brooklyn, he was forced into a tedious nomadic existence for decades, literally making his way from Maine to Alaska with various day labourer jobs. He sang and made music in his spare time. Bradley's experiences are unmistakable in the unmistakable timbre of his voice, every note and every tone a reflection of a long and often rocky life. A singer whose performance exudes both raw energy and poignant beauty.
The Menahan Street Band (an all-star assembly of the Dap-Kings, The Budos Band, Antibalas, El Michels Affair and Lee Fields and the Expressions) are experienced in handling these contrasts, supporting Bradley's reverie with unerring attention to detail and composure. "No Time for Dreaming" - an interplay of imposing performance, precise arrangements and songs so fundamental that steel could be forged on them.
Recorded at Dunham Studios and mixed at Daptone Records' internationally esteemed House of Soul.