This December will mark a decade since Leon Bridges was plucked from the open mics on Fort Worth’s Near Southside and signed to a major label contract with Columbia Records.
The one-time dishwasher at Del Frisco’s Grille has long since transcended his adoptive hometown — Bridges was born in Atlanta, but largely raised in Fort Worth. But he’s still a presence, never failing to rep for the 12th largest city in the U.S. no matter where he finds himself.
Bridges, 35, shakes up his sound from one project to the next. He deftly pivoted from 1960s soul (2015’s Coming Home) to jazz-flecked disco (2018’s Good Thing) to future-shock R&B (2021’s Gold-Diggers Sound) to the country-folk meditations of his fourth and latest record, Leon, out now.
“I’ve poured my heart into every track, reflecting on the little moments that hold so much meaning — late night drives with friends, sun-soaked days in DFW and the warmth of community,” Bridges said in a statement accompanying Leon’s Oct. 4 release. “Each song is a tribute to the experience and connections that define who I am, and I hope you hear this collection of stories and connect with your own roots.”
Bridges is in a deeply reflective mood throughout these 13 tracks. Leon came to life in Mexico City, as Bridges teamed up with Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian (who co-produced the LP, and were instrumental in Kacey Musgraves’ breakthrough Golden Hour). The singer-songwriter channels uncertainty, hope, disappointment and nostalgia into a series of songs which are some of his most gorgeous to date.
It’s an intimate record — Bridges sings of first love on “Simplify,” while he recounts the easy pleasures of Fort Worth in “Panther City” — and one which is rolling out to the world in an interesting paradox. Such cozy, vulnerable songs are arriving as the man singing them finds himself headlining the Austin City Limits Music Festival for the first time, as well as selling out a 15,000-capacity arena in his hometown to close out his American touring for 2024.
If anyone can make that juxtaposition work, it’s Bridges — he’s figured out how to draw enormous crowds close to him, captivating them with little more than his lustrous vocals and knack for lingering melodies. Leon is the rawest he’s ever been on record, and as the starkly beautiful “God Loves Everyone” draws to a close, there’s a sense that this reset, of sorts, will only pave the way for whatever heights Bridges will breezily scale next.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
