I'm Coming Home To Leon Bridges

To account for the fact that I have been very neglectful of this idea sharing space, I have decided to come back in full force.

Look out for posts every day during the month of December.

You'll never know what the topic will be, but I am considering it a "Favorite Things December", as an homage to our lady of Oprah Winfrey. Anything that is lovely to me at that moment will be heavily featured, as we celebrate the holidays and count down to the end of 2015! (Excuse me while I have a minor panic attack.)

(Okay. I'm back.)

Today, I have already jumped into my first listen of a yearly December tradition, the lovely Thomas Newman score to Little Women. Even though I may be fulfilled with my unofficial soundtrack to Christmas, I still have another musician lad on my mind.

Every day for the last month I have been crushing hard - I'm talking about big time love for an album that should have been on my radar way back in the spring of this year.

Well, late is better than never as they say, and an old timey phrase like that is perfect for the excellent throwback sound coming out of the mouth of Leon Bridges.

Fans of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding will especially feel like Bridges could have been one of their peers. Maybe some guy that was left under appreciated for years and then in 2015 was plucked out of obscurity by some rando shopping in a record store. Then, after becoming bewitched with the songs, felt compelled to share these old glorious tunes with the world and uploaded it on YouTube.

That fantastical tale isn't true, but the real story is just as wonderful. Bridges, at 26-years-old, is making that long lost sound relevant again.

Head to toe, from his shoes to his smooth voice, from that big band backing him up to his black and white music videos, this boy is a vintage dream. Even the nostalgic album artwork makes you feel like you are picking up a $.50 album single from a 1950s record store.

Every song, from the one focused on his number one gal ("Coming Home"), to the sweet ditty about his mother's life ("Lisa Sawyer"), and the gorgeously soulful album ender ("River"), there is a consistently sweet theme about relationships and family. Subjects that seem simple, but we all know are actually vast as we each reach our highs and lows in life. It's something everyone can relate to. A good tune that hits on these points, with a beautiful melody to boot, will always leave listeners weak at the knees.

Just like the immensely talented men he is compared to, Bridges is proving that a solid love song never gets old or feels dated. It can even last a lifetime.

He also covered my favorite Sam Cooke jam. I wish the audio was better, but be still my heart anyway.

You too could check out Leon Bridge's album, Coming Home. Early prediction: I will be listening to this one for years to come. It just has that classic, timeless feel.

Until next time.

...Change Is Gonna Come

Daydreaming has been filling the spaces of my brain, when writing should have coming out of my fingers. It's hard to shake yourself into being productive when laying outside thinking and reading just feels so much better.

To quote a favorite movie; it's all happening! Or it may just feel that way after walking out into the bright sun and clear sky after my last full day at the old place of employment to make room for another short term (yet better paid) position. I was feeling bogged down, but lately weights are lifted. Change of any kind, shakes things up, and makes us remember what it is we really want.

Here's to new adventures everyone!

When isn't it a good time for a music mix? These are the jams currently adding to my excitement about moving on and make me wish I was driving down the highway with my hand out the window, watching it waver up and down in the wind.





Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

Vh1 Artists You Oughta...NOOO!

Adele's current release, 21, is soaring at number one on all kinds of music charts in the United States, and just broke Madonna's record in the UK for consecutive weeks in the top spot.

All of the success would surprise anyone who knew that in Adele's early acclaim several years ago, she was marked by a beast, confusingly called, "Vh1 Artists You Oughta Know". You Oughta know? Otherwise known as, "Hi, I'll be a one hit wonder for the summer".

First rule of the music business; if VH1 offers you this title, always say no. For some reason it appears to be a strong curse. Artists enjoy your obscurity and smaller fan base before America wants to throw you out the window.

For every Adele, there is a James Blunt (who became the most hated man on the planet), or Regina Spektor, who has the most unique and powerful singing voice in the music industry, but has been diminished to folks only recognizing her by the fact that "Fidelity" is still being used in every romantic comedy trailer.

Many others have felt the wrath of VH1, including wonderful artists like, A Fine Frenzy and KT Tunstall. Also, I cringe that they currently have their paws all over Mumford and Sons, as well as, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals.

If they are truly worthy, maybe they will break out into real success several years later, just like Adele as done (we can hope).

Originally I was not a fan of Adele; the selections on her debut album just didn't do it for me. However, I couldn't deny the power and beauty behind her voice, which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I purchased her album this week, and fell in love with the album as a whole (save for a throw away cover of "Love Song").

One selection particularly has me driven into obsessive repeat mode; the last track, "Someone Like You"






The discovery of the above video, is actually what drove me to purchase the album right away.

At first I wished the album version was more like this raw live performance, but the album version still radiates emotion rather well. That note she hits right as the chorus starts, gives me chills every time.

Go get 21, if you haven't already!

(Side note for anyone who cares: As I am behind on this Blog everyday thing, this is counting for April 3rd. I am going to catch up!)