Ty Watches Leon Bridges Live in Concert

Last night I went to a live concert for the first time since January of 2020. I had been staying away because I was nervous about getting sick. A large group of people in an enclosed area just seemed like not a good fit. But the show I went to last night was outdoors, in a smaller venue, and even though COVID is still very, very real, the numbers have not been as high as they have been before. I felt okay going to the show last night.

It was a total blast. I went to see Leon Bridges at St Louis Music Park. I am a fan of Bridges' music. I know he has not been doing the straight forward soul music on the last two records. But I still find myself enjoying the music on said records. And he still played some stuff off his first record. Bridges was wonderful. That dude can sing. I was blown away by how good his voice sounded. I do not know why I was on the fence about hearing him live because he is so good at what he does. His band was on point too. I went with a buddy of mine and we had seats. When the bass would kick in, you could feel it in the seats and hear it reverberating in the stands. It was rad. The guitar player was on point too. That guy was doing some great things last night. The keyboard player was not only on top of his game on the keyboard, he also shredded the saxophone. He was playing the hell out of that thing. The backup singers were great as well. When they would trade vocals with Bridges, it was a thing of beauty. I especially loved it when they got the crowd involved. And when Bridges closed the show he brought one of them out to sing with him and her voice was outstanding. I was blown away. It was a great show.

The venue was also really cool. It was an outdoor stage with a roof over the top. It is like a dome with an opening. The enclosed part really let the acoustics sing through the whole crowd. You could hear almost every note. I also liked the way the venue was laid out. They had the floor area, which was open and easy to spread out. The seating was comfortable and open and easy to find your spot. It was also very clean. I know that sounds weird, but the venue just had a clean feel to it. It looked nice and just felt good. I really like this spot. I will definitely be seeing more shows there.

I also had a blast with the person I went with. My wife has lots of friends from work, and she told me that one of them is a concert goer who's wife also does not like concerts. I have gotten to know him the past couple years and I thought he was going to be the perfect person to invite. I was right. He was great. I had a very good time hanging out with a new friend last night. It was awesome.

Finally, it was really, really cool to see a live show with a group of strangers. I was nervous beforehand. But when the music started, I just let all that slip away. I would look out over the crowd and see people vibing to the music and I was just happy. I had a smile on my face the whole time. The crowd ranged in age and it was just comfortable to see a group of people crowded together to see some live music. But, there was also enough space to spread out during the show. Besides the person I went with I do not think I was within six feet of anyone else for the majority of the night. This was also a perfect show to ease myself back into the world of live shows.

Leon Bridges is cool and calm, his crowd is respectable and everyone there was having a good time. There was one person that passed out and Bridges stopped the show to make sure the person got the proper help. I have never seen that before, and to see Bridges and his band take the time to make sure that person was okay was tremendous. I had a blast last night. Everything about the evening was awesome. It has made me excited to return to live shows, especially ones that are held outdoors. What a fun night. It was a blast.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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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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Do Yourself a Favor. Start Listening to Little Richard

Cue up the Little Richard, and be happy.

Earlier today I was driving in my car and listening to some Little Richard. I need something upbeat to keep my mind off the horrors that occur everyday now. I've always been a Little Richard fan. I like his voice, his piano playing, his style, everything about him I find very entertaining. I don't think this falls in the greatest American band debate because he is just one man, but I wanted to point out the greatness that is Little Richard, and why I think he is one of the most underrated musicians of all time.

First off, his showmanship is second to none. I have gone on record saying that Freddie Mercury is the best front man of all time in rock music, but Little Richard is a very close second. Going back and watching some old footage of Little Richard is amazing. He absolutely owns the crowd. He is truly one of a kind when it comes to flash and stage presence. He was a hurricane when he performed. The old stuff on You Tube, or anywhere else you see it, is truly amazing. He would have been a stadium performer had he come around now.

Second, his singing is excellent. He rode the line between rock and R&B like no one else I have ever listened to. He had such a soulful voice, but when he needed and felt like he had to rock, he was awesome. Take his most famous song, "Tutti Fruiti". His vocals are so god damn amazing. When he is yell singing the chorus, I want to get up and dance. In actuality, you could say that about the majority of his songs. He hits the R&B when he needs to, but he is so much more of a rock and roller than I think people ever gave him credit for. His voice is legendary and will never be duplicated.

His piano playing was top notch too. He is just as good, better than in my opinion, than Jerry Lee Lewis, but he doesn't get the same recognition. I think it has to do with the fact that he wasn't on Sun Records, but that should not matter. The way he would thrash those keys and how loud, yet sophisticated it sounded was incredible. He could play Beethoven level stuff, but make it a rock and roll song that we could all sing and dance to. I mean, that is astounding. When he would go off on his little solos and hit high notes incredibly fast, my god that was magical.

Little Richard was flashy, he was a great singer, he dressed very stylishly and he owned a stage. So, why do more people not talk abut him being an enormous influence? I mean, without Little Richard, we may have never gotten James Brown. The legend goes, James Brown needed to be convinced to go on stage to perform, and the guy doing the convincing, a young dishwasher/part time musician by the name of Little Richard gave him the confidence he needed to get on a stage. He told him he was special and he gave James Brown that final push he needed. Stevie Wonder owes a great deal of his success to Little Richard. Wonder is definitely more of an R&B guy, but a guy like Little Richard paved the way for a piano player that could rock and play soulful R&B to become ultra famous. Little Richard was the first, then came Stevie Wonder, and I love Stevie wonder. The Beatles owe a ton of their influence from American music to Little Richard. They even tried to do covers of his songs. They did okay, but when the Beatles aren't as good, that is the sign of a true legend. I'm a Beatles fan through and through, but I'd much rather turn on Little Richard when I hear the Beatles attempt to do one of his songs. I know what I will get with Little Richard.

I also happen to think that front men like Freddie Mercury, Steven Tyler, Robert Plant and Mick Jagger owe a ton of debt to Little Richard. They saw him and they saw that they could dress as loudly as they wanted, wear what they wanted and be as free as they wanted on stage because, they saw Little Richard do it long before they became the faces of rock and roll. He was doing it all 10 to 20 years before they even attempted to act like him on stage.

Little Richard is not talked about nearly enough when it comes to legends of, not only R&B, but rock and roll as well. He was more of a rock and roller than a lot of people that are considered legends of rock. I'd take Little Richard any day over people like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Steven Tyler, basically almost any of his contemporaries. I also think a lot of younger musicians, people like Adam Levine, Leon Bridges, Raphael Saadiq, I know he isn't young, but he still plays like Little Richard, Nathan Rateliffe, among many, many others, would not be doing what they do today if not for someone like Little Richard.

Little Richard is an all time great. I'm sure he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is recognized by people in the business and industry, but when it comes to fans of older R&B and rock and roll, I think he gets left out of the conversation, and that is unfair. I'm so glad that I have a father and brothers and sister in laws that all introduced me to him when I got heavily into older R&B and rock and roll. Little Richard is one of the most underrated legends of all time. He is truly a master of his craft and he deserves and garners respect from everyone that loves music. As I stated already, we would not have a lot of the people we have today if not for Little Richard.

Do yourself a favor and, to get away from the madness, nightmare hell scape that is our country right now, listen to some Little Richard. He will make you smile and make you want to dance. I know that I am a Millennial, but I am one of the biggest Little Richard fans there are, and I will sing his praises until the cows come home. You are truly a one of a kind legend Little Richard. Thank you for all you have done for music.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He now knows that Little Richard was part of the very first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

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.

Cloves and Fedoras: Ty gives praise to Leon Bridges, the new voice of soul.

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture (or older pieces).  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known. 

This is a follow up an earlier blog post about Leon Bridges.  You can find it here.

The sound of Sixties soul music is back today.

The sound comes in the form of a young man that was born thirty years after Stax Records and guys like Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas were making their strides in the soul music world. He's a twenty five year old music genius named Leon Bridges. His first album "Coming Home" was released today and it is so perfectly a throwback to the golden age of soul/R&B. This record is phenomenal. I didn't think I'd hear an album the rest of 2015 that I liked as much as Alabama Shakes "Sound and Color", but I've already listened to "Coming Home" two and a half times and I've got to say, it's now my album to beat for the year. Leon Bridges vocals are so damn smooth. I like to call this type of music "baby making music". He sounds like a much better version of Raphael Saadiq, and I love me some Raphael Saadiq. His guitar playing and his band are really tight. I seems like they've been perfecting this sound for sometime now, and they hit a grand slam. This may sound like it's from the Sixties because Leon Bridges asked to record on vintage equipment. He was taking a huge chance doing this because, in my opinion, you have to be one hundred percent committed to the equipment being used and you can't succumb to the technology today. That's got to be pretty difficult. But they did a wonderfully masterful job. It sounds like a recording from Stax in it's heyday. I've mentioned Leon Bridges on this site before, stating that I thought he would be the next great soul star, and today has not changed my mind at all. In fact, I feel even stronger about this prediction after listening to his record. He is going to be HUGE. There's ten songs on the album, with the longest being about four and a half minutes. This is great because that's how songs were back in the day. Singers back then only needed two to three minutes per track and they packed each song with as much soul as possible. Leon Bridges is no exception. He effortlessly flows from upbeat, drums and guitar heavy songs to slower songs with horns being his main background music. For example, for the more up beat songs, check out "Smooth Sailin" or "Twistin and Groovin". Both these songs are powered by Bridges vocals and his excellent guitar work. His drummer is superb with the groove of these songs too. With songs like "Shine" he lets the keyboardist take front stage and, accompanied by his vocals, they sing a sweet, slow soul song. My favorite song on the record is a slow song, which is very unlike me. But, "River" is a beautiful closer to this excellent album. It starts out with strumming from an acoustic guitar and soft vocals. It builds until the last minute of the song and it's just Leon Bridges and an all female chorus singing "take me to your river, I want to go". It's beautiful. I literally got goose bumps while listening. I hope his tour brings him to Saint Louis. I'd love to see him perform live. "Coming Home" by Leon Bridges is fantastic.

Go out and get this album as soon as possible.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for Seed Sing. He has made two babies, we do not know what kind of music was on. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Cloves and Fedoras: Is Leon Bridges poised to be the next great soul singer?

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

I'm always on the hunt for new music that sounds like old music. By this I mean it sounds like a throwback to older music. For example, I started listening to the Black Keys because they sounded a little like Led Zeppelin to me. I started listening to Gary Clark Jr because he had that old blues feel to his music. Saint Paul and the Broken Bones sounded as if they'd just recorded with Rufus Thomas. Well, I think I may have heard the next Otis Redding, or dare I say Marvin Gaye. He's a 25 year old soul singer named Leon Bridges. His music sounds like he just got done recording at Stax Records in the 60s. This guy is legit. He writes and plays, on guitar, all of his own music and he uses vintage equipment to record. How cool is that. This guy is going to be a star. I know comparing him to an Otis Redding or Marvin Gaye is a bit much, but this guy has the chops. His album doesn't come out until June 23rd, but do yourself a favor and go check out his stuff on YouTube. That's where I found out about him. So, next month, go out and buy his album "Coming Home".

Remember the name Leon Bridges. He's the next big thing in soul music.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He likes listening to the musical styling of his parents generation being sung by people of his generation.