Bridges was all the rage three years back with his debut Coming
Home, a Grammy-nominated hit that had everyone raving about his '60's
soul sound, right down to using original instruments and gear from that
time, and dressing in vintage clothing. Many of those same fans have
been disappointed in this follow-up, as he's shifted from that rawer
soul to smooth R'n'B, including some modern beats. I've waited a little
bit to review this (it came out in May) to see whether the initial
reaction held, and to properly gauge my own reactions, as I was one of
those very excited initial fans.
First, I can't
say I'm surprised at his switch of sound. That debut was meant as an
homage to his mother, and her music. Bridges is a young man (29) and
certainly wouldn't enjoy standing still in somebody else's sound, no
matter how good we think it is. He's been out there with Pharrell and
Macklemore and Lewis, and has his own spin. Now that's not to say he's
abandoned soul, and in fact, this set shows he's successfully bringing
some very strong, melodic stuff to contemporary R'n'B. There are lots of
echoes of Philly soul in the singles Bet Ain't Worth The Hand and Bad
Bad News, some deep grooves that '70's Marvin fans will appreciate, and
even a little acoustic Van Morrison, Into The Mystic mellowness on
Beyond. It's quite simple, he's brimming with ideas of how to merge new
music with some of the more melodic music of the past, and I'm all for
that. Let him grow.
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