We were decidedly blown away by Charles Bradley when we last caught his act at Soho in the summer of 2011.  It did not hurt Bradley that he was brilliantly backed by one of the best R&B bands we’d ever heard–The Menahan Street Band.  To put it simply, they rolled the joint; but effortlessly and without being peacocky (the tendency of some backup bands). While Bradley worked on new material last year, the Menahans took time to record and release their critically-acclaimed album The Crossing on Daptone Records (naturally).  To get a better feel for the band and album, check out two performances by the band of songs off of The Crossing for KEXP.  The first, Lights Out, features heralding horns followed by ’60s organ and ravishing guitar-play.  Below it, Three Faces starts and ends with Latin swagger, but in between and strewn throughout are some fantastic wah-wah and surf-guitar sounds.  That’s what you want–right there.

Lights Out:

Three Faces: