"Gold-Diggers Sound", the return of Leon Bridges

Texas soul believer builds bridges

With forays into funk-pop and disco, soul revivalist Leon Bridges nurtured retro-fetishism into new blooms on his second album, Good Thing (2018). Bridges nudges ever onwards with his third, spanning vintage and modern sounds with fluent detours into smooth R&B and psychedelia. 

While jazzy influences creep into Stevie Wonder-ish spiritual Born Again, Motorbike’s modern R&B surfaces gleam, all fresh curves slickly navigated. Steam veers into buoyant pop, though Bridges’ laid-back voice also makes alluring work of sultry slow jams Details and Don’t Worry, the latter echoing his recent collaborations with Houston psych-dub explorers Khruangbin. And he digs ever deeper with tender meditation Sweeter, released last year after the murder of George Floyd. Between Bridges’ sacred roots sounds and modern purchase, there’s gold to be found here.

(Kevin Harley - Record Collector)