Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise

Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, Robert Bradley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 2011)
• Original Release Date: September 17, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA Records Label
• ASIN: B000002WZ1
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,257 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The former members of the Detroit alternative rock band Second Self were working on demos for a new record deal in 1992 when they stumbled across a blind street singer a few blocks from their studio. The young musicians were so struck by the older man's raspy, booming, soulful voice that they invited him into the studio to record a few tracks. The resultant quintet, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is named after the veteran busker and is dominated by his anachronistic, bluesy growl and his eccentric songwriting. Like the late street-singer-turned-major-label artist Ted Hawkins, Bradley is not a blues traditionalist. He loves the soul music of the '60s and '70s, but the experience of playing that material on an acoustic guitar on sidewalks created a hybrid sound that's neither old folk nor new pop. And when he started writing his own songs in this weird genre, he came up with arrestingly personal testimony, like his plea to the "Governor" to turn his electricity back on before the singer's woman walks out on him. Or his memories of his youth "Once Upon a Time" when Marvin Gaye sang and the world was full of dreams that slipped through our hands. Because Bradley's bandmates come out of a different tradition, they avoid the usual R&B clichés. They also provide surprisingly sympathetic, admirably restrained backing to his peculiar vision. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't this used to be the Motown sound?, January 7, 2001

By 

Michael Poland "Bonsai Cacti" (Las Cruces, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise (Audio CD)

The first word that popped into my mind when I heard this album (completely by accident) was "funky!" An amazing rhythm and sound that any blues lover shouldn't do without! Who's responsible for hiding these guys from the general public??

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rootsy Soulful Rock, January 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise (Audio CD)

I saw this group years ago on MTV but forgot their name. Then one day, I remembered and ordered the CD. This hasto be one of my all time favorite albums. The voice and songwriting of Robert Bradley comes straight from the soul. You actually feel like he is putting all he has into each song. His style is bluesy yet has definite soul music influences. The rest of the band are talented as well. The album isn't overproduced and doesn't take away from Bradley's rough yet soulful sound. The standout tracks are "Once Upon A Time" and "California". But the whole album is great.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues/Rock fusion at its finest., July 16, 2002

By 

Kelly (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise (Audio CD)

Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is just that, a surprise. I first caught RBBS on Mtv a few years ago, when the video for "California" was being played.(Back when Mtv actually played music with out intrusive artist voice-overs or worthless man-on-the-street shout outs taking up 25% of the screen!) I became absolutely enthralled with this music. In this age of rap/rock [copiers] and divas screaming out re-hashed versions of songs that [stunk] the first time around, RBBS is a refreshing trip back to the days when music was about expression and storytelling, not money. I HIGHLY recommend this album, and all the other albums this band has released, to anyone interested in finding out what music was like before musicians were required to pump out as much radio-friendly drivel as possible to fulfill their contractual obligations.