Ty Listens to Leon Bridge's "Good Thing"

Last Friday Leon Bridges put out his much anticipated second album, "Good Thing". I have been waiting a long time for this record. As you all know, I am a big, big fan of Bridges. I have written many things about him, seen him live, praised his style and just overall love what he does as a musician. So, needles to say, I was pumped.

Last Friday, as soon as I got up, the first thing I did was go to Spotify and immediately listen to the record. It was much different from what I expected. His first record, "Coming Home", was a throwback to 60's R&B music. It was stunning to hear such a young guy sing music like that in the 21st century. I was blown away. "Good Thing" is not a throwback. It is something new and unique and good. I definitely like "Coming Home" more, but "Good Thing" is really starting to grow on me.

At first listen, if I am being honest, I was a bit disappointed. Then, I read some stuff as to why he did what he did on this record, and then I listened through that lens. He goes more modern on "Good Thing". He uses newer equipment. He brought in song writers and newer staff people. He really explored his options of up to date instrumentation and gear that is out now. And, when you think and listen to the record that way, it works.

The first track, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand", is a newer R&B song. It sounds like something that should be played on the radio. It has big sound and it sounds good. "Bad Bad News" is more of the same. It may e a bit more jazzy than the first song, but still, it has that newer R&B feel that Bridges is going for on this album. His voice is amazing on this song, and every song on the record for that matter. Bridges is a wonderful singer, no matter what style music he is singing. The dude has pipes. "Shy" is a bit more up tempo, with a super cool guitar riff. He goes back to his more throaty singing that I enjoy on this song too. The groove is almost like a hip hop song, which is cool to hear from a guy like Bridges. "Beyond" is the single from this record, and it is a beautiful song. The acoustic guitar is delightful. Bridges voice is amazing. I can easily see why they chose this song as the single. It is a perfect song. "Forgive You" has a neat little drum groove at the top, then it melds into a synthy R&B song. It sounds like Prince, except with Bridges on vocals. I feel like this is his homage to Prince. I like the hand claps in the song too. "Lions" goes back to the nifty electric guitar his band uses on the record, then the song moves to an almost improvised jazz tune. At first listen I wasn't crazy about the song, but it definitely has a place in my heart now. He really takes a swing, and if you give it a fair chance, the song will grow on you, I promise. "If It Feels Good" has more of that Prince vibe, with a modern pop sound to it. I'm not crazy about the song, it sounds too much like a pop song. But, its saving grace is Bridges vocals. I just wish it wasn't top 40 sounding. "You Don't Know" has the upbeat drums at the top, but this time, Bridges sings it like he recorded it during his time on "Coming Home". The song is newer and fresh, but his vocals hearken back to his first record, especially during the chorus. The chorus is a ton of fun. "Mrs." is a very good song. They slow things down and really let Bridges shine. The electric guitar has this slow but distorted sound that I really love. But, it is all Bridges vocals. This song really lets him show everyone how great of a singer he is. We all know that, those of us that listen to him, but "Mrs." just reminds us of that fact. He is awesome. "Georgia to Texas", the album closer, has a cool bass riff at the beginning, and then Bridges gets to shine again. At first it is just him and the bass and he really belts out the song. Then, as the song picks up, Bridges only gets better and better, and I really like the song. The last 2 tracks remind me the most of his first record, and that is why they are my 2 favorites. I like when artists take chances, and Bridges definitely does that on "Good Thing".

I like this album, but like I said, I needed a few listens before I fully bought in. I hope he comes to Saint Louis while touring this record because I'd love to see how he does these songs live. Leon Bridges is one of the better younger singers out there, and people need to be listening to him right now. And while I like "Coming Home" more, "Good Thing" is a solid follow up. If you are hesitant to buy it at all, just buy it for his vocals. The guy is an amazing singer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is eagerly waiting to stand in a line, and deal with a bunch of  drunk idiots, just to hear Leon Bridges live once again. That dude can sing.

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Leon Bridges Exceeds Expectations with a Flawless Live Show

It was a good night for the mic

It's always wonderful when you have a build up to something that you have been looking forward to for 5 or 6 months, and it totally delivers what you want and expect. That happened last night when I went to see Leon Bridges play at the Pageant in Saint Louis last night. This show was absolutely incredible. It is probably the best concert that I have been to in quite some time.

There was an opener last night, and I will dedicate a few words to him. His name was Solo Woods, and he played guitar and sang and he had a percussion player alongside him. Woods was okay. He has a very good voice, he is energetic on stage and he is a pretty decent guitar player. His originals, while good, all kind of blended into one song, but that was fine. His best songs were his two covers. He covered Bob Marley's "Burnin and Lootin", but turned it into a hybrid reggae/R&B song, and it was good. It is hard to cover someone that is so famous and world renowned, but Woods did Bob Marley justice. He also covered Outkast, but more so, Andre Benjamin's, "Pretty Pink", and that was a perfect song for his voice and his musical styling. Woods was good, I was never bored during his 40 minute set.

The main event started about 20 minutes after Woods finished. Leon Bridges is a wunderkind. He is about to become a humongous star. He commanded the stage last night for his 80 minute set. The band came out first last night and they played some great instrumental, funky, old school R&B music and, about a minute later, Bridges came dancing on stage and the sold out crowd erupted. We were all waiting and waiting, and then when he showed up, we were all so, so thrilled. While the band was still playing, Bridges started the opening bars to the great "Smooth Sailin". He absolutely crushed the song, and I knew that we, the crowd, were in for an absolutely astonishing show. Bridges eschewed the guitar, with the exception of one song, last night so he could focus on vocals. It was a weird, but ultimately, a very good decision. He has such a great voice, he should just showcase that. After that excellent opening, Bridges proceeded to play pretty much every song on his tremendous debut album, "Coming Home". He played "Coming Home", "Better Man", "Flowers", "Twistin and Groovin", and pretty much everything else on the record. He sounded so great live performing these songs. He had an exuberance that permeated the entire crowd last night while performing. It is almost impossible to not nod your head, move your feet and just all out dance to his songs. He plays and sings old school R&B, and he does it so damn well.

I was talking to my father after the show last night, and I told him the best comparison I can make is, he reminds me of the videos and clips that I have seen involving Rufus Thomas from the 60's and 70's, during Stax Records heyday. Bridges has a much better voice, but he has that same enthusiasm that Thomas brought to all his shows. I love that a young, new performer is bringing this excellent music from the 60's and 70's to the masses.

Even when Bridges slowed things down and played his slower stuff, he still brought an energy and a happiness while performing. His live version of "Shine", "Roll Away" and "Daisy Mae" were absolutely incredible. His voice is so smooth and his voice excels when doing the slowed down R&B songs. I learned that he wrote "Daisy Mae" based on a suggestion from his friend to write a song about his dog, named Daisy Mae. Well, Bridges ran with it, but changed it from a dog to a pretty lady, and it is a very, very good song. I also learned that his song "Lisa Sawyer" is about his mother. That song is beautiful and a great tribute to his love for his mother. I also learned that "Twistin and Groovin" is about when his grandparents met. It gives that song so much more meaning.

We, the crowd were also very lucky to hear 2 new songs last night. Bridges said that we were the first audience to hear these tunes, and they were both great. One was a more upbeat, classic Stax style song, and the other was a great, slower, but ramps up, mix of R&B and soul song, which was tremendous. I cannot wait to see what he does with these 2 new songs, because if the rest of his next record is half as good as these 2 songs, it will be great.

Bridges closed out his set with my favorite song of his, "The River". It was just him, his guitar and his back up singer. "The River" is a gloriously beautiful song, and to hear it live, it was moving. I was shocked at how much the song moved me last night. I haven't felt anything like that at a live show in a very long time. He came back and played 2 encore songs, one a cover of an old classic with local musician, Pokey Lafarge. It was great to see these 2 young guys that adore and play old music together on stage. They did a great job. I'd love to hear the 2 of them work together in the future. He closed the night with "Mississippi Kisses", and he got the crowd involved in a call and response type dialogue. I usually don't go for crowd interaction, but it was near impossible to not join in. It was awesome and a perfect ending to a perfect night.

Thank you Leon Bridges for performing such an excellent, wonderful and moving show last night. I cannot wait to see you again, and I cannot wait to hear what you have for us in the future. It was awesome.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Will you be playing a show in the St. Louis area? Hit up Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The SeedSing (half) Year in Pop Culture: The Top Five Albums of 2015

These are the records to put on

Day two of my Best of 2015 countdown will be my top five albums of the year. I'm a huge music fan and there has been a decent amount of music put out this year. Bands and musicians like Sleater-Kinney, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, Kurt Vile and Father John Misty all put out excellent records. I've also been introduced to some older bands and albums from years past this year. For example, I love both Run The Jewels albums. Shit, I was this close to putting them on this countdown because they're so good and I just recently started listening to them. I also recently got way into AC/DC. Their older stuff is excellent rock and roll music, but it wouldn't be fair to put them in this countdown. I picked five albums that were released this year. They are my five favorites and the ones I go back to the most. They're all fairly popular, but that doesn't make the music any less listenable. On with the countdown.

At number five I have a band that I was just introduced to five days ago, but I can't stop listening to their record. The band is Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and the album is self titled. This album is great. It hearkens back to the good old days of early alternative soul music. I was introduced to this band while listening to the Sklar Brothers music podcast and the guy that was talking about them gave the perfect comparison. He said that Rateliff sounds like Van Morrison and the band is like the studio bands for soul music in the 60's and 70's. I couldn't agree more. This album is good from top to bottom. Rateliff has that Morrison/old soul gruff voice and the band is tight. The highlight of the record for me is the song, "Howling at Nothing". It has everything you could want in this style of music. Great vocals, great background music and a kick ass guitar solo. This record is excellent.

Coming in at number four I have what every other publication has at number one, Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly". Oh my god, this album is so complex and so awesome. It's a total detour from his record last year, "good kid, M.A.A.D. city", but that's oaky. The funny thing about this record, I didn't care for it the first time I heard it, but on the second, third, fourth and so on and so forth listen, I grew to love this album. It's so god damn good. Lamar is a beast. He has taken over the throne as the best rapper out there right now. He is the best writer and his delivery is top notch. This is more an art piece than a rap album. Lamar pays tributes to the people that influenced him and the last track where he reads a letter to Tupac and has Tupac responding is chilling. I love this album. I'm a big rap fan and the things that Kendrick Lamar does on "TPABF" is light years ahead of any rapper out there right now. He's so much better than Drake or Kanye West, it's funny that they're mentioned in the same sentence as him. I cannot wait to see what he will do next.

My number three album is "Yours Dreamily" by The Arcs. I've heard some hipsters complain that this album is no good or complain that Dan Auerbach needs to stop doing side projects, but why not work with some good musicians and do some different, interesting things. Sure, it sounds a bit Black Keysish, but most stuff will if Auerbach is the lead singer. I think "Yours Dreamily" is better than any indie rock or alternative album that was put out this year, with one exception that I will get to at number two. The album spans many different genres of music and I like to hear what Auerbach can do with a full band. When I wrote about this album earlier this year, I said it was like a western movie soundtrack, but in the best way possible. Upon further listens, I still feel the same way, but I also think it's just a downright awesome rock album. Songs like "Velvet Ditch" or "Outta My Mind" are awesome rock/blues songs with Auerbach crushing on vocals and guitar. Auerbach can do no wrong musically. The best track on this album is "Stay in My Corner". There's a different singer, but the song is sweet, rock and roll and blues all mixed into one song. The vocals are great, the music is great and the chorus is memorable. This will be a wedding song for the hipsters that like this band for many years to come. "Yours Dreamily" is a great record, don't listen to the music snobs out there saying that it's not so good, they're wrong.

My number two record is the one alternative record I like more than "Yours Dreamily". That album is "Sound and Color" by the Alabama Shakes. I mean come on, how did they top their debut record, "Boys and Girls" so easily? "Boys and Girls" was a revelation to me, "Sound and Color" has the makings of a classic album. This is a record that I feel my kids will play for their kids. Alabama Shakes could've easily stayed in their little indie corner and make more swamp records and been very successful, but they took a huge chance by playing poppy prog rock and they hit a grand slam. This album is so different from their debut and I love that. "Sound and Color" proved that they were willing to take huge chances and showed a lot of diversity. This is the type of album you put on and listen all the way through without skipping one song. The highlights for me are "Sound and Color", "Future People" and "Dunes". "Sound and Color" is a super trippy, slow burning tune that works perfectly. You may have heard it on the most recent Apple Mac Air commercials. The marimba and Brittany Howards vocals are hauntingly beautiful. "Dunes" is another slow song with flat out awesome music in the back ground. Howard, once again, crushes the vocals as well. "Future People" is the high light of this phenomenal album. It's slow, it's heavy and it builds to be the perfect rock song. The guitar effect used during the chorus is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. "Sound and Color" is so good, Alabama Shakes is now one of the best and most talked about rock bands of the 21st century. Best alternative rock record of the year by far.

My number one album of 2015 is Leon Bridges "Coming Home". I've been on the Leon Bridges bandwagon for about nine months now. I've written about him twice on the website and my first blog on him was about a YouTube video I saw of him before he released his debut album. This album is so wonderful. It brings 60's soul and R&B into the 21st century. Bridges vocals are perfect for this style of music. His background band reminds me of the ladies that sang with guys like Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes. The band plays and records on retro equipment. I mean, this is the coolest thing I've heard in quite some time. The fact that Bridges is only 25 years old makes this album all that more impressive. He is going to be a humongous star if he continues on this path. "Coming Home" is the best 30 minute album I've ever listened to. Songs like "Brown Skinned Girl" and "Better Man" sound like Stax Records re opened their doors and let him record there. Those songs are timeless. My favorite track on the record is "River". It's a quiet song that just builds and builds to a beautiful ending that has Bridges softly and smoothly singing the final lyrics. I love his voice and his band and everything about this album. "Coming Home" is far and away the best record I heard in all of 2015 and it was the first of my top five that I listened to. It's stayed with me all this time, that's how awesome it is.

So, there you have my top five albums of the year. Tell me why I'm right or wrong in the comment section and let me know what I left out. Come back tomorrow for my top five TV shows of the year.

Also, RIP Lemmy Kilmister, you were a guitar god and you will be greatly missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. Next year he is planning on getting into the BeeGees and Black Flag. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.