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Reviews

Charles Bradley, ‘No Time for Dreaming’ (Dunham)

It’d be easy to mistake Charles Bradley’s debutalbum for a lost soul classic, from the throwback cover art to the Otis Redding- and James Brown-inspired songs. But this 62-year-old Brooklynite isn’t making a comeback; he’s just touching down. Discovered and backed by the Daptone crew — specifically note-perfect stylists the Menahan Street Band — Bradley re-creates the sound of his youth, with a gorgeously weathered voice. No Time for Dreaming wails in a world of “Heartaches and Pain” (see the memorable closing track), but Bradley’s despair is never less than stirring.