Emmanuel Elone: “Change for the World” perfectly recreates the R&B and soul of the ’60s and ’70s. Organ swells, minor key guitar arpeggios and moaning horns all swirl around Bradley’s raspy, passionate voice. The pro-black, world peace issues that he addresses are not only powerful, but also well done, educating without being too preachy. Charles Bradley proves that modern music can be more than good-sounding radio hits; they also have the potential to change our minds and our world. [8/10]
Jonathan Frahm: The guy’s been in the business for two solid decades now, emanating the grooves and vibes of the seminal soul-men musical eras before his own, and yet, Bradley couldn’t feel any more relevant when performing this song. Acting as yet another rallying anthem to stir the emotions of the people in these rising times against the nefarious tinges of the socio-political world that still haunt us, Bradley commands “Change the World” with all of the verve of a regular Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett while maintaining a timeless voice for the people in his evocative lyric and music video that showcases discrimination of all types, and throughout the past several decades. We’ve seen tons of fantastic movement music going viral from out of the hip-hop scene again, but to see it coming from out of another black roots genre and making the rounds gives me even more of a glimmer of hope for the modern world. Really, there couldn’t have been a better moment for something from a performer like Bradley to release this track. Addressing the elephant in the room here, too — nice job tossing Donald Trump into the mix. [10/10]
Pryor Stroud: “Change for the World” isn’t a retro-soul Stax wannabe that wallows in its own anachronism; it is a deeply agonized R&B cut that has convinced itself it’s being released in the early ’60s and that, likewise, is absolutely sure of its own profundity. Bradley’s gut-deep quaver is half-Al Green and half-Otis Redding, but, despite the validity of any comparison to a ’60s soul star you want to make, the track sounds too retrospective — both vocally and instrumentally — for the admirable progressivism of its message to really have much of an impact. [6/10]
Robert Inglis: Here we have a classic black protest song in the tradition of James Brown. Backed by a plaintive horn section, Charles Bradley sings with a Pentecostal fervour. All the fury of hellfire is invoked as he renders the world a distinctly capricious place. “Heaven is crying / The world is shaking,” he sings. “God is unhappy / The moon is breaking.” Bradley’s sermonising is so sincerely apoplectic that you can’t help but feel you should be running immediately to lie prostrate at his altar. [8/10]
Chris Ingalls: Bradley’s world weary soul shouting is a tonic for our times, bridging the gap between the social consciousness of Curtis Mayfield and our current social and political climate, as if to demonstrate how little things have changed. The horns, the backing vocals, Bradley’s impassioned plea for change – everything works. [7/10]
Chad Miller: Wonderfully soulful and even provides some solutions to the problems he tackles. The music is that of the past, but it’s a sound that still sounds fresh today. It all reminds you that we might not be as far past the times that Bradley is bringing us back to as we might have thought. And with his excellent vocal performance, he does so with ease. [8/10]
Charles Bradley‘s new album Changes releases April 1st via Daptone Records.
SCORE: 7.83