One of the less recognized aspects of the crate digging, retro-mining times in which we find ourselves living is that the constant search for the good old stuff has stoked the desire for brand new retro sounds. It’s what Daptone has built their house on: young guys taking inspiration from the old school. But they’ve also found forgotten voices and given them new light. Most famously is how Sharon Jones came into our lives, but the label has also begat Charles Bradley. Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth discovered Bradley while he was performing as a James Brown impersonator under the name of Black Velvet. Roth brought him into the fold, releasing a series of singles before compiling some of them for Bradley’s debut album. That record, 2011’s No Time for Dreaming, set up the template for a Bradley record: soul testifying, unabashed love songs, and slice of life narratives. Victim of Love followed in 2013, adding some ’70s funk and Motown into the mix. Right on schedule Bradley has returned with his third album, Changes (Daptone Records).

At this point, you know what you’re getting when it comes to a Bradley record. Yet Bradley and producer Thomas Brenneck aren’t afraid to push at the margins of what’s expected. Changes steps away from the psychedelic soul injections of the previous album to settle into a comfortable and confident groove. Backed by The Menahan Street Band, as well as the Budos Band and members of Bradley’s Extraordinaires touring band, the singer goes deep into a mid-60s groove. The musicians and Bradley are locked in so cohesively that the album seems more like the work of a band rather a friendly but arranged marriage.

But the record lives and dies on the strength of Bradley’s performance and he’s more than up to the task. What makes Bradley a singer of note is that he seems to deeply mean every single note he sings. So something like the opening 1-2 punch of “God Bless America” and “Good to Be Back Home,” which would be corny in nearly anyone else’s hands, works because of Bradley’s sincerity. When he says, ”America you’ve been real, honest, hurt, and sweet to me but I wouldn’t change it for the world,” you believe him.

An even greater example of Bradley’s convincing performance is the title track, a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.” He converts the song from a tale of a failed marriage into a slow-burning, heart-wrenching tribute to his deceased mother. While Bradley has earned his moniker, “The Screaming Eagle of Soul,” there’s no denying his deft ability to interpret and deliver a song with a light touch belied by emotional intensity. If there were any lingering doubts of Bradley’s abilities, Changes proves he’s the real deal.