Leon Bridges: LEON
Texas native Leon Bridges began his career by paying homage to a beloved classic sound: His 2015 debut Coming Home felt like a companion album to a Sam Cooke classic. But the honey-voiced singer-songwriter didn’t stay put within that nostalgic vibe. Rather, with each album, it seems like he’s zeroing in on his own iconic style. Maybe that’s why he named his fourth record Leon; this 13-track collection is refreshingly personal and astonishingly beautiful. Bridges traveled to Mexico to lay down these warm, airy R&B tunes, which are lit up with fluttering live instrumentation. Simply put, Bridges is among the best at what he does. You won’t find soul music that feels as unique, authentic and damn good as this anywhere else in 2024. Bridges’ 2020 collaboration with groove-masters Khruangbin leaves its imprint here as well— second single “Laredo” paints an impressionistic evening in the Texas town, the singer vibing with a new lover over a heartbeat-bassline and twirling flute. “[She] grew up in a border town, took me to an empty dive/ Such a pretty silhouette, show me how to two-step,” he coos. “What if I stayed in Laredo just one more night?” It’s sexy, it’s catchy, it’s magic. On Leon’s first track, “When a Man Cries,” Bridges opens his chest and lets his heart spill out over echoing piano and a steady beat: “Turn my pain into power/ My fear into desire.” This opening salvo carries through the album—a once in-a-generation talent facing self-doubt and showing his true colors. It’s a spectacular beginning to an album that weaves between uplifting soul ballads (“Never Satisfied”) and undulating grooves (“Peaceful Place”).
