“Effortlessly soulful” feels like an unworthy description of Leon Bridges’ sound.
His voice immediately evokes 50’s & 60’s icons like Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson, but his music bears the unmistakable slow licks and sharp twangs of country blues tinged with a splash of rock.
So when you discover that he was born in Atlanta and transplanted in New Orleans before growing up in Fort Worth and eventually breaking into the music scene via Austin, the multiplicity of Leon Bridges makes a lot more sense.
And “Beyond” slowly peels at each of his layers to deliver a raw sound that’s incomparable.
A gently strummed acoustic guitar and laid-back drum machine beats lay the foundation for the song’s sleepy unfolding, and when the weathered texture of Leon’s voice finally breaks through nearly 30 seconds in, you’re already hooked on his every word. His tone’s packed with the truth-telling grit we’ve come to expect from the blues AND Motown, and the accompanying visual (produced by Austin creative agency Preacher!) doesn’t disappoint on that front, either.
High above the border sprawl of El Paso, the video for “Beyond” opens with a train whistling as it cuts through the quiet valley at the foot of the Franklin Mountains. At the city’s famed scenic overlook, Leon lulls us into his West Texas dream of a summer fling. He and his sundressed love interest lock eyes and take us along on their perfect day together, sharing breakfast at a tiny diner, laughing over balloons at a mercado, and ultimately shutting down the city with a slow dance in a dive. Every moment feels like a page from the most quintessential American courtship tales, and those tales so rarely include African-Americans leads that in “Beyond,” suddenly the story you’ve seen & heard a thousand times has you on pins & needles. It’s SO perfect that you almost expect it to be ruined. And when it isn’t, whether his pretty ingenue has fallen for Leon or not, I guarantee you will have.