Album Review: Leon Bridges – 'Gold-Diggers Sound'

Groomed in grassroots retro soul venues in the country music hotbed of Fort Worth (home to Townes Van Zandt, John Denver and T-Bone Burnett) Leon Bridges has always done things his own way. His Grammy-nominated 2015 debut Coming Home drew comparisons with musical greats like Otis, Aretha and in particular, the genius of Sam Cooke on songs like ‘River’ and ‘Lisa Sawyer’. His second record, Good Thing, introduced a more eclectic approach, flinging down the funk on ‘If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)’, digging disco on ‘You Don’t Know’ and revealing a jazz touch on ‘Georgia To Texas’.

Gold-Diggers Sound is a modern R&B-soul album – with sprinkles of country twang. It captures all-night jam sessions at the East Hollywood speakeasy and studio of the same name, most vividly in the Ink collab ‘Don’t Worry’. True to form, Bridges has his own unique take on R&B style. The Anderson .Paak-directed music video to lead single, ‘Motorbike’, features a Bonnie and Clyde-esque adventure, culminating in a Pulp Fiction-style diner hold-up. ‘Sweeter’ is a grievous reflection on police brutality and racism released after the murder of George Floyd. And ‘Born Again’ features genre-smashing pianist Robert Glasper. Worth hearing.

Listen to the album below.