Leon Bridges
Coming Home
Columbia Records
There’s a fine line between throwback andtimeless. Leon Bridges, an old soul at just 25 years, has decidedly walked the line on his debut album, Coming Home. Produced by Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block of Texan rock band White Denim, they used an array of vintage gear, analogue equipment and similar reference catalogue to create 10 tracks of smokey, soulful jukebox-ready tunes.
The album’s title track kicks things off with a dissonant doo-wop beat met by Bridges playful melody. It could easily be a long lost Sam Cooke standard, as could “Smooth Sailing," a song perfectly constructed for Ice Cream Social domination, complete with a female call-and-answer vocalist and surf guitar solo.
Coming Home is pure sonic pleasantry. The songs are nice, his voice even nicer, and the production gives you a retro-soul hug to fill the void left by Amy Winehouse. All the elements of a great record are here, but unlike Winehouse, Bridges lacks that authentic angle in which to deliver his craft. It's a fine balance, one he has not mastered quite yet.
Rating: ★★★
