Leon

About

When Leon Bridges made his debut in 2015 with <i>Coming Home</i>, critics and peers alike were amazed by his velvety retro-soul stylings reminiscent of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Widening his horizon, his third album <i>Gold-Diggers Sound</i> showcased a different side of the Texas crooner, leaving behind the ’50s and ’60s vibe that helped propel him to stardom for a mix of ’80s and ’90s R&B mixed with lush, jazz-inspired live instrumentation. “I kind of always felt like a lone wolf in the industry, and ye, my music is under the umbrella of R&B, but I’ve always felt like I was never fully embraced in that community,” Bridges tells Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “And so it was kind of a thought that ‘Leon’ is the genre, and as far as the whole album is kind of like a window into who I am.” Now, with his self-titled album, Leon Bridges is ready to reintroduce himself and invite his fans into his world. <i>Leon</i> is an intimate and revealing love letter to the singer-songwriter’s hometown, his upbringing, and the stories that helped shape him into the artist he is now. “Prior to this one, I’ve definitely scratched the surface of it,” he say. “This one digs into a lot of my experiences as a kid growing up in Fort Worth, and it really talks about the things that I’ve valued most in this life, which are family and home.” Bridges is vulnerable as he faces his fears on the smooth and serene album opener “When a Man Crie,” while on the breezy, guitar-laced track “Panther City,” he is nostalgic, reminiscing on hazy summer days growing up, with references to Nintendo 64 and going down to the local community center. .

via Apple Music

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