Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Hyped-Up, Mediocre Retro Soul Act Of The Month: Leon Bridges



First, I want to say, Leon...I have nothing against you at all. I am sure we can have some fun listening to old soul records together.

And now, though I anticipate the backlash and the "cranky old man" comments, I'd just like to ask, what the hell is so damned special about third rate tunes, with affected retro production? Why oh why is this Leon Bridges record getting so much hype?

Please, if anyone says "it's really not bad," which as you know is the new "it's amazing," I am going to come to your town and break your Alabama Shakes records.

And do yourselves a favor, check your record collections in a few weeks. If you don't see any records by The Impressions, or Irma Thomas, or Solomon Burke, or Dionne Warwick, or Aaron Neville, or Don Covay, or Gladys Knight, or Laura Lee, or Ann Peebles, or Arthur Alexander, or Baby Washington, or Eddie Floyd, or William Bell, or Betty Harris, or Bobby Womack, or Mel & Tim, or Barbara Lynn BUT...you have this...we need to talk.

Please don't misunderstand me. Leon has something. It just ain't what everyone is already saying it is.

16 comments:

JWDen said...

LOL! You're great, Sal. I thought exactly the same thing!

M_Sharp said...

Agreed. I listened to his album straight through and nothing stood out. I guess the hype isn't his fault, I don't know.

Anonymous said...

Sal, you nailed it. The music's fine. I wish this guy the best. Why are we flipping our stuff, though, if we haven't done our homework? Next thing we know, we're going to be saying that the Black Keys are the best thing for blues rock to come around since, I dunno, the White Stripes.
-Paul

William Repsher said...

I am impressed when anyone these days can actually replicate good music from another era. The simple act that they can spot an influence and then follow up on it musically is nothing short of miraculous in an age where most people this guy's age have the attention span of a chimp on crack. That said, this song was unfortunately pretty bland ... is he really getting hyped? I find it hard to believe, but what else is new. On the plus side, he's got a good voice and knows the construct of a soul ballad. Now, if he can eventually figure out how to take that talent in his own direction, then that would be something. I wouldn't be too hard on the guy. You'd be better off printing the words of the hypemeisters and going after them directly: they're the problem much more than the artists themselves who are simply putting it out there.

A Guy Called Tak said...

To my ears, Percy Sledge sings doo-wop mimicking Marvin Gaye.

Sal Nunziato said...

First and last paragraphs, William, give the guy a break. I just didn't want to overhype it.

Anonymous said...

Sal: I totally have your back on this one! Let's be proud that we are "The Cranky Old Men" and still have standards.

Here is where I'm probably going to put my foot in my mouth: I think the best soul recording of the last 5-10 years is Nelly's "Just a Dream". Great song and fiery performance. Too bad almost everything else he's recorded in potty mouthed rap.

Capt. Al

Tom C said...

Yeah, I was really expecting this to be great because of the hype and was surprised that it was so mediocre. At the end I only liked one song - Smooth Sailin'. I thought that I must be missing something and tried to give it another chance but couldn't get through any of the other songs a second time. Oh well, maybe his next one will be better - I'll give it a chance.

Moe said...

I have an extensive old soul collection and the only artist i have been able to get excited about over the last 5 years is Tre Williams.

Anonymous said...

Just curious, when you rave on this blog about records or artists you love, isn't that hype? Hype isn't bad empirically, you just seem to like your hype better than other people's.

A walk in the woods said...

I actually do like it, without irony or much add'l comment... I think it's partly because it sounds like the White Denim offshoot it is, and they're my favorite current band.

buzzbabyjesus said...

I liked everything about it. Especially the details. The vocal trio has a rasta vibe, and the drums sound terrific. Hammond, check. I believe everyone involved genuinely loves the music they try to evoke here. They did their homework. I'll have to listen again to make sure I heard it right since everyone else seems to hate it.

Sal Nunziato said...

"Just curious, when you rave on this blog about records or artists you love, isn't that hype? Hype isn't bad empirically, you just seem to like your hype better than other people's."

ANONYMOUS--my blog is MY voice.I have gushed over records and artists that I love, as well as tearing those very same artists new assholes if I felt they were phoning it in. There is a community here that I believe trusts me and my opinions, for what they are worth. No one pays me. If you don't see the difference between what I do and the media hype, then so be it. But I have never called anyone "the next" anyone and I won't be so lazy as to gush over third rate music simply because it resembles something I like better.

buzzbabyjesus said...

They're not The Funk Brothers or The Wrecking Crew, and he's not Sam Cooke or Al Green, but that's the case of a lot of vintage soul records. I just got through most of every song, and I think it's worth a listen. I like hearing how it differs from the "classic" soul they evoke. It reminds me of near great '70's records by second tier reggae stars. Some of my favorite records.

Michael Giltz said...

Oh, Sal. You're such an old curmudgeon. Just because Leon Bridges isn't the second coming of Sam Cooke you get angry when those natural comparisons are made. How DARE they mention the greats anytime a new act delivers some weak tea in that vein! And this is perfect. I just downloaded the new iTunes so trying out the service for three months (before I cancel) so since I didn't happen to have his album yet, now I can listen to it for free and make up my old mind and call you a stick in the mud!

[listens to album]

Oh dear God. Were they trying to mimic CHEAP production from back in the day? I thought it sounded terrible (on my terrible laptop speaker, but still). I laughed in the middle of the first song: Sal was right! I would go a little overboard. The songs were very weak from start to finish. I strongly recommend he never share the stage with Sharon jones or James Hunter or anyone with genuine chops. It's nice to go for a classic soul vibe of course. No reason to mock him for loving it and trying. But the songs and production were pretty weak. I'd like to hear him do a cover but I don't think at first blush he even has the chops to do that well.

This one isn't even close.

Hugh T. said...

Just coming across this blog post a couple weeks late. But I had the same reaction to this record: Ok, if you think this is some great retro soul music, then you know what you'd really love? Some actual great soul music . . . or even second rate soul music.