Leon Bridges - Leon

  by Zena Grieg

published: 17 / 4 / 2025

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Receiving widespread critical acclaim for his 2015 debut album ‘Coming Home’, Grammy award-winning black Texan singer-songwriter Leon Bridges has brought out a new record, his fourth, inspired by family memories growing up in Forth Worth, Texas. Produced by Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk (who was behind Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Golden Hour’) with much of the album recorded in Mexico City’s famed studio El Desierto, ‘Leon’ is an emotionally resonating, mellow blend of soul, blues, country and folk with jazz and rock influences. Commenting on the impact the album had on him, Bridges said: “…I’ve never really felt this connected to my music. Every song on this album just brings me to tears”. Songs to listen out for in this thirteen-track collection include: the opener, mid-tempo R&B ballad ‘When A Man Cries’ with its lines on male vulnerability: “Fall apart when I try to be strong/Gotta learn how to cry”; nostalgic ‘That’s What I Love’ with its delicate string backdrop; understated ‘Laredo’ with its feature jazz flute and gentle instrumentation, telling the tale of a whiskey-fuelled one-night stand; the minimalist, upbeat ‘Panther City’ (the nickname of Bridges’ hometown) with its lyrics detailing a darker landscape of sex workers and crackheads; layered ‘Ain’t Got Nothing On You’ with its bass-heavy beat; stripped-back ‘Simplify’ with its lyrics of longing and regret; rock-infused ‘Never Satisfied’; the funky, meditative single ‘Peaceful Place’; Nashville-tinged, gospel-influenced ‘Can’t Have It All’; ‘Ghetto Honeybee’ with its catchy melody; and the minimalist, emotive closer ‘God Loves Everyone’:- “God loves the stoners and freaks/And the girls on the street/Just the same as you and me”. Crossing genres, creating its own distinctive soul sound, ‘Leon’ is a smooth, sonorous trip to nostalgia.#

Track Listing:-

1 When A Man Cries
2 That's What I Love
3 Laredo
4 Panther City
5 Ain't Got Nothing On You
6 Simplify
7 Teddy's Tune
8 Never Satisfied
9 Peaceful Place
10 Can't Have It All
11 Ivy
12 Ghetto Honeybee
13 God Loves Everyone

Band Links:-

https://www.leonbridges.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LeonBridgesOfficia
https://x.com/leonbridges
https://www.instagram.com/leonbridges

Play in YouTube:-

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