His 2015 album Coming Home was a mixture of old-school Motown and R&B styles – songs about twisting and grooving with pillowy love songs dominated that record. It was a fun exercise in nostalgia but where could Bridges go next without writing himself into a corner?
‘Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand’ is ‘70s Chicago soul with a splash of Curtis Mayfield. The next track, ‘Bad Bad News’, is a masterful funk track with some much-needed color, while ‘Shy’ begins with an interesting sampled drum beat seemingly crafted by J Dilla.
Bridges is certainly doing his best to step into the pop spotlight, most notably on ‘If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)’. It sounds like a demo from the Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic sessions. The same goes for ‘You Don’t Know’ with its playful synths and bouncy guitars.
Bridges is still going through some changes. It’s easy to tell he’s working hard on crafting his own sound and maybe with this album, he’ll shake off the Motown comparisons critics love to make.
7/10
