James Brown’s single ‘We Got to Change’ released 54 years after it was recorded

The Godfather of Soul is back with music that has languished in a vault for more than a half-century.

A 1970 song by the late James Brown, “We Got to Change,” has been released to the public, according to the singer’s website and social media accounts.

The song, which was released on Feb. 16, “rambles with a casual intensity, sitting in the pocket where laidback meets emphatic,” Brown’s official Facebook page noted on Wednesday.

The soul singer, who died on Dec. 25, 2006, in Atlanta at the age of 73, is famous for his hits, “I Got You (I Feel Good).” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Part 1),” “Living in America” and “Super Bad (Part 1 & Part 2).”

“We Got to Change” described by AL.com as “a funky anthem powered by Brown’s distinctive vocals,” was recorded on Aug. 16, 1970, at Criteria Studios in Miami. The song urged people to come together and have trust and love in one another, according to the news outlet.

According to a news release, the 1970 studio sessions for the song included William “Bootsy” Collins and his brother, guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins. Other musicians included singer Bobby Byrd and drummer Clyde Stubblefield.

In the news release, Bootsy Collins, 72, said that Brown “always leaned into the social tip.”

“He always was trying to keep the youngsters informed and the people informed on what’s going on,” Collins said. “The new breed was coming in and certain things were going out. He loved to inform people on what was coming and what was going to be because he felt like he was part of it, and he was.”

Brown, whose other nicknames included “Soul Brother No. 1,″ “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” and “Mr. Dynamite,” was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

“He is the indefatigable forefather of soul, funk and rap, and a performer like no other,” Brown’s Hall of Fame biography states.

Brown was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.