Leon Bridges

Leon Bridges’ tradition-rooted modern R&B is characterized by experiential songwriting and an uncommonly poised yet impassioned voice. The native Texan’s first strides prompted comparisons to legends like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but he quickly came into his own with the remarkably refined Coming Home (2015) and Good Thing (2018), Top Ten albums that resulted in four Grammy nominations and a win in the category of Best Traditional R&B Performance (for “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand,” off the latter). Bridges soon expanded his audience with featured appearances on songs by artists ranging from Nick Waterhouse and Kacey Musgraves to Macklemore and Lecrae. One-offs such as these, two EPs recorded with psych synthesists Khruangbin, and Gold-Diggers Sound (2021), his Top 20 third album, demonstrated that he is no mere throwback stylist. Bridges continued to draw inspiration from his childhood on the especially personalized Leon (2024). The singer, songwriter, and guitarist born Todd Michael Bridges honed his talent performing in and around his native Fort Worth, and stirred up music industry interest with SoundCloud uploads of analog recordings produced by Niles City Sound’s Joshua Block and Austin Jenkins, then of White Denim. Signed to major-label Columbia, Bridges’ first singles, including a rich ballad written about his mother, appeared in February 2015 with a sound that evoked mid- to late-’60s soul. His debut album, Coming Home, followed four months later. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Album. During 2016 and 2017, Bridges was active primarily as a performer and collaborator. He co-wrote and was featured on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Kevin,” Nick Waterhouse’s “Katchi,” and Kacey Musgraves’ “Present Without a Bow.” Additionally, he recorded “On My Own” with Lecrae (for Birth of a Nation: The Inspired by Album) and connected twice with Gary Clark, Jr., as heard on Live North America 2016, and on a collaborative cover of Neil Young’s “Ohio.” Work with Aminé and ODESZA was also out by the end of 2017. Early in 2018, Coming Home was certified gold by the RIAA. Shortly thereafter, Bridges released “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and “Bad Bad News,” and then “Beyond,” as the first three songs off his comparatively contemporary and stylistically broader second album, Good Thing, which followed that May and hit the Top Ten. “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” also earned Bridges his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance. The intermediary single “That Was Yesterday” was released in 2019. Texas Sun, a four-song collaboration with fellow Lone Star State natives Khruangbin, followed in February 2020. Throughout the year, Bridges either headlined or co-headlined singles with the likes of John Mayer (“Inside Friend”), Terrace Martin (“Sweeter,” written in response to the murder of George Floyd), and Lucky Daye (“All About You”), and appeared on the Avalanches’ We Will Always Love You. In 2021, Bridges and Keite Young issued a cover of Pastor T.L. Barrett’s deep gospel gem “Like a Ship.” That May, the lasting appeal of Bridges’ recordings was proven when “Coming Home” and “River” were awarded respective gold and platinum RIAA certifications. Preview tracks of his third album followed shortly thereafter, and in July, he offered the Grammy-nominated Gold-Diggers Sound, titled after the Los Angeles complex where it was made. Among the album’s contributors were previous Bridges collaborators such as Nate Mercereau, Ricky Reed, and Dan Wilson, along with We Are King’s Paris Strother (“Motorbike”) and Robert Glasper (the Grammy-nominated “Born Again”). The set entered the Billboard 200 at number 17. Bridges and Khruangbin reconnected for another EP, Texas Moon, released in February 2022. The singer was featured on Miranda Lambert’s “If You Were Man” and Olivia Dean’s “The Hardest Part” in 2023. Early the following year, Bridges contributed “Redemption Song” to Bob Marley: One Love [Music Inspired by the Film]. The cover was produced by Ian Fitchuk, who along with Daniel Tashian had co-written “Sho Nuff” for Gold-Diggers Sound. Known for their work on Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour (among many other sessions separately), Fitchuk and Tashian co-produced Bridges’ fourth LP, Leon, released in September 2024. ~ Andy Kellman