With the ninth anniversary of Charles Bradley’s passing coming up on 23 September, I thought this week’s Song Selection would be a good opportunity to pay a small tribute to one of the great soul voices of recent times.
I’ve featured Charles on the blog before – back in 2013 with “Confusion” – but this time I’ve gone for what is probably my favourite track of his, and one that perhaps isn’t as well known as some of his bigger songs: “Ain’t It A Sin.
The track originally appeared on the flip of a special 7″ released for Record Store Day’s Black Friday in 2013. The A-side was Bradley’s now-famous cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes”, while “Ain’t It A Sin” was tucked away on the other side. Only 1,000 copies were pressed, making it one of the harder – and more valuable – Charles Bradley 45s to find. Both tracks would later appear on his Changes album in 2016.
For me though, as good as “Changes” is, it’s the flip that wins it. “Ain’t It A Sin” is Charles Bradley at his rawest and most powerful – a fantastic slab of hard, gritty soul with an absolutely killer guitar riff and is still my favourite recording of his.