Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
New Ground
Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise (Vanguard)
Detroit’s Robert Bradley, a blind 52-year-old who once performed on the streets, has an amazingly light soul touch and a few good ideas. His half-spoken “life and times” story of “Lindy,” which slams electric pianos, fuzzy guitar solos and barking-dog noises against one another in the background, still manages to sound floaty and effortless–too effortless. Blackwater Surprise seems so focused on building an easygoing production that nobody gives the talented front man much opportunity to cut loose.