Coming Home (Leon Bridges Album)
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''Coming Home'' is the debut studio album by American singer
Leon Bridges Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He signed with Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, '' Coming Home'' (2015), which peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' ...
. It was released on June 23, 2015, by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. The album was written by Leon Bridges, Austin Michael Jenkins, Joshua Block, Chris Vivion and produced by Niles City Sound. ''Coming Home'' was supported by two singles: " Coming Home" and " Smooth Sailin'. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, and charted at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200. It was nominated for
Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the Contemporary R&B, R&B mus ...
at the
2016 Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...
.


Singles

" Coming Home" was released as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from the album on February 3, 2015, by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. The song continued the success of the demo version and became a "Top 10 Most Viral Track" on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
, the same month as its release. The album's second single, " Smooth Sailin', was released on June 2, 2015.


Critical reception

''Coming Home'' was met with generally positive reviews. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a
normalized Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science * Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations * Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 78, based on 21 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Adam Kivel of ''
Consequence Consequence may refer to: Philosophy, science and social sciences * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences * Consequent ...
'' said, "On ''Coming Home'', Bridges solidly aligns with the latter, his soulful R&B studied and nostalgic, but also immediate and emotionally true". Ryan Patrick of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' said, "''Coming Home'' is a star-making vehicle that is solidly crafted, robustly traditionalist and palpably soulful. This is not just a nostalgia act; this is music from the heart, and the soul". Leonie Cooper of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' also gave the album a positive review stating, "''Coming Home'' exists in a satin-swathed timewarp that takes you back 55 years. Texan singer Leon Bridges' debt to the warmth of soul pioneer
Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931  – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...
is evident in every tune on a debut album where even the stylish artwork acts as an unreconstructed envoy to a 1960 dependent on daiquiris and dinner dances".
Kitty Empire Kitty Empire (born 1970) is a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in ...
of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' said, "''Coming Home'' is, perhaps, a healthy reiteration of the classic sounds of succour in a time of need; a principled and mellifluous nay-saying". Ernest Wilkins of ''
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'' said, "While he obviously has good intentions, at times, Bridges can't help but come off as an imitator". Chuck Arnold of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave the album a positive review stating, "Leon Bridges is a throwback to the days when guys did things like "swim the Mississippi" to impress their dates ("Better Man"). But this retro-soul man doesn't have to work so hard to win you over on his debut LP: His smooth, Sam Cooke-esque croon makes ''Coming Home'' the best kind of nostalgia trip. Tunes like the tender title track dance right back to the late Fifties, and album closer "River" is a gospel-blues testimony that runs deep". Harley Brown of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' said, "What it does best is address the simple lament of not having anything to twist to in too long". Jonathan Hatchman of '' Clash'' gave the album a positive review stating, "Texas has always been a state synonymous with pioneering musical innovation. Yet, with the release of Fort Worth native Leon Bridges' debut album, an anomaly has arisen which sends the listener back into the past. Having begun his career with a string of open-mic night shows, his rich blend of soul and rhythm 'n' blues influences peppered a demo of Bridges' album title track, which received an overwhelming level of success after its appearance on
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
". Andy Kellman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
said, "It's all a pleasing time warp without turbulence, one with songs built more to evoke the past than to last in one's memory".
Tim Jonze Tim Jonze (born 4 February 1980) is a British music journalist for ''NME'', ''Vice'', '' Dazed and Confused'' and ''The Guardian''. He is associate editor of ''Guardian Culture''. Jonze has reviewed a number of songs and albums, and has intervie ...
of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' said, "Bridges has a fantastic voice, but you sense he's also yet to truly find it".


Year-end lists


Industry awards


Commercial performance

''Coming Home'' debuted at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200 selling 42,000 equivalent copies (38,000 in pure album sales). On June 24, 2015, the album was at number five on '' The Official Chart Update'' in the United Kingdom.


Track listing

All songs produced by Niles City Sound. Notes * "Coming Home" and "Here In My Arms" features background vocals from Gabriel Lawson and Tyesha Simpson * "Better Man" features background vocals from Brittni Jessie, Tyesha Simpson, Ansley Dougherty and Njia Martin * "Brown Skin Girl" features background vocals from Paul Andrade, Brittni Jessie and Beth Riley * "Smooth Sailin' features background vocals from Brittni Jessie * "Shine" features background vocals from Brittni Jessie, Elle Chupik, Beth Riley and Katie Robertson * "Lisa Sawyer", "Twistin' & Groovin', "Daisy Mae" and "Outta Line" features background vocals from Beth Riley, Brittni Jessie and Elle Chupik * "Flowers" and "Pull Away" features background vocals from Brandon Marcel, Brittni Jessie, Elle Chupik and Beth Riley * "River" features background vocals from Paul Andrade, Shon Gardner, Brittni Jessie, Tyesha Simpson, Njia Martin and Ansley Dougherty * "There She Goes" features background vocals from Brittni Jessie, Gabriel Lawson, Elle Chupik, Beth Riley and Katie Robertson * "Mississippi Kisses" features background vocals from Paul André, Jake Paleshic, Brandon Marcel and Jake Hill


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Musicians * Andrew Skates – piano (tracks 1, 4, 7, 14), organ (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 11–14), bass (track 8) * Cliff Wright – bass (tracks 1–5, 7, 9, 11–14) * Josh Block – drums (tracks 1–9, 11–15) * Kenny Wayne Hollingsworth – electric guitar (tracks 1–9, 11–15) * Austin Jenkins – electric guitar (tracks 1–3, 5–9, 11, 12, 14), acoustic guitar (track 4), bass (tracks 6, 12, 15) * Jeff Dazey – saxophone (tracks 1, 3–7, 9, 15), piano (tracks 8, 11, 15), baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone (track 12) Technical * Niles City Sound – recording (all tracks), mixing (all tracks) * Ryan Joseph – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 10–15) * Joe LaPorta – mastering (all tracks) Additional personnel * Rambo – photography * Dave Bett – art direction, design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2015 debut albums Columbia Records albums Leon Bridges albums Rhythm and blues albums by American artists