Charles Bradley: Soul of America (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	74:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Poull Brien
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Charles Bradley Alex Everett Jonny Santos Damani H. Young
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The story itself is not that unusual. A hard-working musician from the wrong side of the tracks slogs away at making a living for years and years and finally gets his big break. What makes the story of soul singer Charles Bradley and this documentary Soul of America so fascinating is that Bradley got his big break and recorded his first album in 2011 at the merry age of 62!

     Soul of America charts the story of Charles Bradley from his ever so humble upbringing to the release of that album No Time for Dreaming which not only sold well but also found its way onto the Rolling Stone best 50 albums of 2011 list. As I write Bradley's second album Victim of Love is garnering even better notices than his first. Here's hoping that Bradley continues to have a long and varied career.

     As you can imagine it was no easy road to success for Bradley. Born into a poor family in Florida he was raised by his grandmother until the night when his mother came back from New York and took him and his two brothers to the big city. Running away from his dirt floor tenement home Bradley lived a life on the streets sleeping on trains and getting by on nothing. A series of events led to him taking up a career in music. Someone suggested he looked like James Brown and someone else asked if he could sing. So began, tentatively, a 30 year career as a James Brown impersonator under the name "Purple Velvet". The soul revival pioneered by Daptone Records and the popularity of Sharon Jones led to Bradley taking a chance and seeing if they would record him. A couple of early vinyls didn't do anything and Bradley went back to the James Brown circuit. Another chance presented itself and Bradley began to tour as a backup performer to Sharon Jones and gradually some songs came together for an album. He worked closely with guitarist Tom Brennek who often played him music over which Bradley developed the lyrics.

     During the making of this documentary Bradley is not some cashed up celebrity. He lives with his pet bird (don't ask what happened to his pet chicken) in a cramped apartment in the housing projects of Brooklyn. He regards his apartment as his sanctuary once he can get past all the dangers just outside the door. He spends the rest of his time looking after his very elderly mother staying in the basement of her house. The uneducated Bradley is learning how to read and write in order to be able to write down his lyrics.

     It is a strange year that has seen two documentaries about late success - this film and the excellent Searching for Sugarman. Both are fascinating in their own right this one will appeal to documentary fans and music fans alike, even those who are no particular lovers of soul music.

Video

     Charles Bradley: Soul of America was shot on digital video by the director Poull Bryan. It comes to DVD in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio consistent with the original cinema aspect ratio. It is 16×9 enhanced.

     Given the limitations this is a decent looking DVD. A lot of the images come from performances in nightclubs and has an understandable level of digital noise at points. However the print is clean. The colours are clear and bright and stable.

     The flesh tones are accurate and there is a pleasing level of detail. The colours are fine.

    There are no subtitles.

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Audio

     Charles Bradley: Soul of America carries an English language Dolby Digital soundtrack in 5.1 surround running at 448 Kb/s.

     Most of the film consists of fly on the wall style filming with some talking heads style interviews. Therefore the majority of the film is utilising only the centre channels. The dialogue is generally easy to understand however it must be said that Bradley is a softly spoken man who has a tendency to mumble which can make picking up the dialogue a little difficult particularly in the absence of subtitles. In fact, for reasons that are not entirely clear, there are some moments that are subtitled which appear, to my ears, no easier or more difficult to understand than the rest. It does therefore take a little perseverance to pick up all the dialogue.

     The film includes ample music from Bradley performing James Brown material as well as his own songs. Although there is a brief segment featuring a video clip for his single The World (Is Going up in Flames) the rest of the music comes from live concerts and rehearsals hence it is a little raw. This is no problem for Bradley's soul music which has intensity and emotion at the forefront over pristine sound quality.

    The surrounds and sub-woofer give depth and power to the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

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    The theatrical trailer is the only extra.

    The versions available in Region 1 and here are the same. Buy local.

     Charles Bradley: Soul of America is a great little film about one man's struggle over adversity to reach his dreams. Here's hoping he continues onwards and upwards!

    The film looks and sounds fine on DVD.

Video
Audio
Extras
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