Welcome to the church of classic gospel soul with your reverend, Leon Bridges, and his debut LP, Coming Home. For the past couple of years, the 25 year old singer from Fort Worth, Texas has been converting crowds across the US and earning his place behind the pulpit. Tickets to his shows are currently moving faster than a church collection plate in Balaclava.
Produced by Austin Jenkins and Josh Block of Austin psych-rock outfit White Denim, Coming Home is everything you’d expect from a ‘50s-inspired soul record. It’s a time warp – nothing new in terms of themes or style, but it’s distinguished by Bridges’ sensual execution and illustrative lyrics. He gives a fresh tint to music from a bygone era, tipping his hat to such greats as Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole and Otis Redding.
The record showcases an array of soul styles, which are united by Bridges’ timeless voice. Better Man isa song about trying to get your girl back – apparently Bridges would swim across the Mississippi River for his. I’d recommend trying at Lake Itasca, where the river is about 30 feet wide.
Brown Skinned Girl makes me giggle. Perhaps it shouldn’t, but it talks of brown skinned girls with pearls around their neck and big brown eyes. Lisa Sawyer, about his mother’s river baptism, cuts to the core, while Smooth Sailing channels a little of Pharrell’s Happy (you choose whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing). Flowers is the pick of the bunch, getting the parish on its feet, praying for salvation.
BY LEE SPENCER-MICHAELSEN
