The Screaming Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley, had a lot on his mind when he recorded “Lucifer” in the final days of the Obama presidency. A stomach cancer diagnosis in the Fall of 2016 forced him off the road at the peak of his career. Weakened by months of chemotherapy, facing a life-threatening surgery and confronting his own mortality in a moment of political upheaval and uncertainty, Bradley was filled with ideas and energy when he stepped into a Queens home recording studio and spontaneously created “Lucifer” and “Lonely as You Are.” 

In contrast to the heartrending “Lonely,” “Lucifer” finds Bradley in familiar territory — a soaring, uptempo soul jam filled with his trademark scream and joyful lyrics that combine the spiritual and physical: “When I look into your eyes and saw the great star, I knew I had a love right there. I wanna love you, love you, love you, love you.”

“Charles knew what he wanted to say and he said it quickly. He wore his heart on his sleeve. A true singer.” said James Levy, who co-wrote “Lucifer” and “Lonely as You Are” with Bradley and also co-produced the tracks.

The Bradley recordings lead to a further collaboration between Levy and Defiglia, who recently released “Songs of Love” the first single from upcoming album Somebody. Levy this week also released a new Reputante EP in celebration of Cult Records’ 10 year anniversary.