Without a doubt, music really is like food for the soul.
Still, perhaps Aretha Franklin put it best:
“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, it’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.”
Although all different kinds of artists do this to some degree, soul singers are like doctors who can heal someone’s emotions all through the power of their voice. And today’s video is just another example of that.
The singer in the video is Charles Bradley, a soul singer from Florida who passed away in 2017. In 2016, he recorded a cover of the Black Sabbath song “Changes” and blew the whole crowd away. His powerful and stirring performance of the song grabbed the hearts of many—and it will definitely take you on an emotional journey as well.
Even though he wasn’t too familiar with the original group, Bradley made their song his own.
“Even today when I sing this song I get truly emotional,” Bradley says in the video as he shares his connection to the song. As it turns out, the original is actually a ballad inspired by one of Black Sabbath’s band members, William “Bill” Thomas Ward, as he was experiencing breakup with his wife.
Still, for Bradley it was a little different. Instead of connecting it to a breakup, he related it to dealing with the experience of caring for his dying mother. At first, he really did not want to perform this song as he was having a hard time accepting that his mother was near her deathbed. But when he saw her take her final breath, he said that the verses just came naturally to him and there was no need to rehearse.
As he sings, there’s a good chance you’ll have goosebumps and tears at the same time.
Bradley’s voice can pierce someone’s soul and refresh it.
His voice is angelic and truly feels like a stress reliever. Needless to say, his performance is phenomenal. His raspy voice and facial expressions throughout the performance really show the emotions he’s going through—and it’s impossible not to be affected. When he starts scream-singing, it definitely feels like he’s letting go of suppressed emotions.
Even for those who don’t know his story, Bradley’s performance speaks for itself. He is on a completely different level as a soul singer. At the very least, he made a powerful impression on the audience that day! Although he died at the age of 68 on September 23, 2017, in his lifetime, he already touched many souls with his music.
The Toronto Star posted the video of Bradley singing “Changes” on YouTube, and it has now reached 7.7 million views.
If you enjoy reading comments from the comment section, you can see that most people expressed their love, admiration and respect for his wonderful piece of art. In particular, it turned plenty of metalheads onto a new genre:
“Being a metalhead and a Sabbath fan, I have heard this song a million times. Damn, I never have been moved to tears by it. What a voice. What a talent. Hats off to you sir.”
Still, there are countless people watching this video at the moment, commemorating his greatness as one of the legends of Soul music.
Special thanks to Charles Bradley for this incredible performance! Be sure to watch the whole thing in the link below:
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
