Leon Bridges - Coming Home (Album Review)

Leon Bridges is an American gospel and soul singer from Fortworth, Texas. Bridges recently released his first album on the 23rd of June, 2015. His most recognised song is 'Coming Home', which ironically also has the same title as the album. 

The first song on the 10-track album is the most well- known song; 'Coming Home'. The introduction has the theme of Dreamboats and Peticoats, and that gives off a 1950's/1960's vibe to this song.

"Baby, baby, baby, I'm coming home. To your tender sweet loving, you're my one and only woman."

People say that monogamy is dead now; but in the 50's & 60's when you know that you have found your soul partner, you are completely and utterly devoted to them until death. I guess part of that is to do with no temptation from social media, as that did not exist back then. 

My favourite track is Bridges' fourth track called 'Smooth Sailin'. The 1960's rhythm appears again, forcing you to dance. I also love the use of the saxophone within this track, and the use of backing vocals as it really adds to the 1960's theme.

"Sweet pretty baby, won't you be my lady."

His fifth track on the album has a lot more of a melancholic theme to it, rather than a romantic theme. His fifth track is called 'Shine', and this song is about asking the Lord for forgiveness on behalf of his foolish sins that he committed in his youth.

"And father please elude my transgression, let them blow in the wind like sand."

Bridges also mentions in the opening verse;

"Lord don't remember my sins, my sins from my youth."

I think that 'Shine' is a great song to have as the mid-point within the album, as it shows that he can write songs about other things that are important in his life; apart from females.

The seventh track on this uplifting soulful album is called 'Flowers' and this is a lot more upbeat and faster compared to the other tracks on the album.

"So you better run, move fast like the bullet from a gun."

However I have no idea what the relevance of flowers are to do with this song.

His eighth song on the album is called 'Pull Away' and it has the Dreamboats and Peticoats theme about it again, very similar to Bridges' first track - 'Coming Home'. 

"I thought that our love was true, but all along I was wrong."

However this song contradicts 'Coming Home' as it appears as if his partner has cheated on him.

"Whoa girl, I poured out my heart to you, despite you put a knife in my back straight through."

It also seems to me as though the whole album is a story; as some of the songs connect to one another. Bridges' sixth track is called 'Lisa Sawyer' and this song describes in depth about a woman he is deeply in love with from New Orleans. Then later on in his second to last song called 'Twistin & Groovin' he mentions;

"I got a call from my baby, said she fed up with me. Said she found another lover in another city. Said she's doing fine in New Orleans."

Everything starts off perfectly at the beginning of the album; whereby he couldn't see himself with anybody else, then the tables quickly turn. Which links back to the opening of the song 'Coming Home', as perhaps monogamy was not as common as everybody makes out that it was in the 1950's and 1960's?

The last song to close off the album is called 'River'. This is about sins again, very much like 'Shine' as he mentions;

"But there is blood on my hands, and my lips are unclean."

This suggests to me that the blood on his hands could be from a potential murder that he may have committed? Also, when people mention lips or mouths being unclean, it is usually referring to when somebody has cursed. However, he mentions about his mother saying;

"Surrender to the good Lord and he'll wipe your slate clean."

This tells me that Bridges is obviously from a very religious background, as his Mother tells him to surrender to God and he will forgive his sins.

In conclusion; I love what Leon Bridges is trying to re-create, by bringing soul music back into fashion. However; I do think that perhaps an 8 track album would have done him more favours, as many of his songs are about women and love which makes the album seem bland and uninteresting. I liked how he added two songs about God into his album as that adds a personal touch, and I also admire how he added a gospel edge into this album. I would recommend his album, but it can get a bit bland at times. On the other hand; I do love his voice, but it's just a shame about his variety of songs.

7/10

Silverchild @ The Sugarmill - Stoke

First of all I would just like to announce a huge apology to all the readers of my blog, who don't already have me on social media - for not posting a review last Sunday. However I was very ill and I constantly kept falling asleep, therefore I was incapable of writing a review for you. On the other hand my next review will be on Leon Bridges new album - 'Coming Home' as that is the album review that I was supposed to post last Sunday, on the 15th of August. If you would like to be updated on my blog, you can go and like my facebook page -

https://www.facebook.com/musicblog89

Furthermore, I attended a rock gig yesterday evening on the 22nd of August at The Sugarmill in Hanley. The band that I am going to review are a local band called 'Silverchild'. Silverchild are a five-piece heavy rock band from Stoke-On-Trent. The five-piece consists of; female vocalist - Lex Hiley, Vic Jepson guitar, Eddy Jam also on guitar, Max Ryles on the bass and Al Burne on the drums.

I entered the Sugarmill around 20:45; and it was jam-packed full of eager rockers with a pint in their hand, in all-black and band tees. The audience was not of a specific age range. I would say that the majority of the fans there, were in their late-teens or upwards. The venue was scorching hot, due to the rammed and excited crowd. I got there in time to listen to a few of their support bands, and every song from every band got my foot tapping - so that got me really impatient to see the headlining act, I was looking forward to it so much! Then Lex Hiley, the lead singer created audience interaction straight away by thanking the audience for being there. Their set list consisted of nine songs, of which I am going to discuss for you now.

Silverchild's opening song was called 'Red Desert'. The guitars introduced this song; followed by the drums, and the instruments created a really powerful rock intro. Every band member was in their own zone right from the start, which was amazing to see! As usually, many bands are a bit awkward on their first few songs and then they begin to get into it later on into their set. I was mesmorized by Hiley's beautiful blonde wild locks, it really added that extra little bit to their performance, with her whipping it back and fourth, around in circles etc... I knew I was at a rock gig anyway, put it that way. This was a very captivating opening song, and the guitar riffs were spot on. The drummer and lead guitarist really stood out to me within this performance.

Right at the end of 'Red Desert' all of the guitarists did a solo, which exposed how talented all of the guitarists are. Following the guitar solos, the drums shortly accompanied them as they flowed into their next song called - 'Little Minds'. I'm not one for lead female vocalists; because there isn't many of them around, but this song made me realise that it's great to finally see a female vocalist and a female on the guitar! Also I espeically like how Hiley has a little bit of a country twang to her voice. Their next song to follow their set list was called - 'You Use Me'. This song was a bit more heavier than their previous two songs. Their instrumentals worked perfectly within every song, and this song particularly exposed Hiley's vocal ability. The bassist also stood out within this performance too as he really let loose and is so talented. The whole band is just mesmorizing, every performer gives it 110% - as if their life depended on it. Then the drums closed off this song.

Their fourth track was the one that really began to make the audience cheer and move; their fourth track was called - 'Birds Of The City'. The lead vocalist; Lex Hiley, does not just connect with the audience she also interacts with her band members on stage which is always a great thing to see. 'Black Cat Man' was their fifth song of the evening and the verses were very short, therefore this song was mainly dominated by the other band members apart from the vocalist. I guess it was sort of a paradox, compared to their other songs that they performed. Their sixth track was called - 'Jukebox Junkie'. Due to the crippling warmth in the venue, the lead singer even had to remove her jacket. The guitars got the song going, then the guitarists were shortly accompanied by the drums; like many of their previous songs. However; this intro was heavier than some of their other songs, and the guitar riffs were positioned perfectly into this song again, like usual. Hiley thanked the audience again and promoted the supporting bands by thanking them too.

Their seventh song was my favourite. Their seventh song was called - 'Fire Bird Revver' and it was by far the best vocal performance of the night. Amazing melody accompanied by a fantastic vocal performance, what can't you like about that? Every band members stage presence was still incredibly strong even by this point, and I would just like to say how the last note of the song was hit perfectly. Their second to last song of the night was called - 'Ain't Doin It'. Vic Jepson and Al Burne had another strong performance, yet again. Silverchild needed to do a guitar swap for their last song, and instead of waiting in awkward silence - Hiley interacted with the audience yet again! Their final song of the evening was called - 'Pluto Pass'. Even more of the audience were bopping their head to this long track. I couldn't hear Vic singing the backing vocals; however it was explained online how the microphone wasn't on, which is clearly out of their control.

In conclusion this is definitely the best local band that I have ever seen. The effort was at a constant peak, and I never saw it dip once. Visually, their performance was flawless. Silverchild reminded me how much I used to love rock music, so thank you for that. I would recommend you see Silverchild any chance that you get, they were that exceptional. I wish them all the best of luck, because every single band member is an immensely talented individual and it is extremely rare to get that. So I would just like to say a big thank you to Silverchild for a mint night. My foot did not stop tapping. ROCK ON!!!

Blossoms - Blown Rose (EP Review)

Blossoms are a five-piece psychedelic indie rock band from Stockport. The five-piece consists of; Tom Ogden on lead vocals and guitar, Charlie Salt on the bass, Josh Dewhurst on lead guitar, Myles Kellock on the keyboard and Joe Donovan on the drums. Even though somebody had recommended that I reviewed Blossoms' new EP, their name has been spreading like wildfire; much like Temples. I've been meaning to review some of their work for a while now, so I am glad that they had released their new four-track EP called 'Blown Rose', which was recently released on the 31st of July 2015. The four tracks that create this EP are called; 'Blown Rose', 'Madeleine', 'Smoke' and 'Stormy'.

The opening song of the extended play has the same title as the EP interestingly enough, therefore this tells me that they are going to give you a taste of what they're capable of. This track has an overwhelmingly powerful beginning, with no build up - just straight in, full throttle. After the strong beginning, the vocals shortly accompanied the instrumental within a few seconds. Kellock on the keyboards and Donovan on the drums particularly stood out for me within this song as they mainly dominated the track. Once the vocals commenced, they created a compilation which sounded similar to Peace and the Arctic Monkeys. However you can also hear some inspiration of The Doors within this track. This song has a very soothing melody to it, and the use of backing vocals compliments the band as it adds a slight psychedelic twang to their song; which makes it different. The lyrics that particularly stood out for me was when Ogden cannot figure out as to why his love is unrequited;

"I'm so lost when you say you don't feel it like I do."

After an impressive opening song, I was intrigued as to what was yet to come. Their second track on their 4-piece EP is called 'Madeleine'. The introduction sounds slightly psychedelic due to the use of backing vocals again, and the slow keyboard. The melody soon speeded up, which then created a rather groovy beat.

"And I know that when she's gone, she's gone, I know she's gone."

Whilst writing this review,  I am currently failing to resist the urge to sway and dance to this song. My favourite line would have to be the chorus line of;

"Madeleine you don't know what you do, when can I be yours? Madeleine, Madeleine, Madeleine, Madeleine."

However, towards the end of the song - the use of a solo on the electric guitar made the song sound a lot more rock, which I really liked as the song didn't just stick to one genre; it had several different genres within it.

Their third track on the EP is called 'Smoke' which sounds rather eerie and mysterious, so I am intrigued as of what is yet to come. This song didn't enter with a strong instrumental like their previous songs, it gradually built itself up; guitars first, drums second, vocals third and keyboard fourth. Within this track, lead singer Ogden reveals his inner Liam Gallagher using his Mancunian accent to his advantage, and doing that whiney, slow voice that LG and many other artists do. With their contagious chorus, you just simply cannot resist the urge to move!

"I get my fix from you I do, smoke with you."

The final track too cease off the album is called 'Stormy' and if you read my blog frequently you will know how much I love paradox's. This song is the paradox of the EP - and in all honesty, I was not expecting it. A complete contradiction. I love this song because it reminds me of when Alex Turner did a bit of solo work for the Submarine soundtrack. This song was another build-up song too; acoustic guitar first, keyboard second and the vocals followed third.

"There's a stormy love with you, if it's all I do - pieces of you flood me."

I'm not really one for psychedelic music, but I actually really like Blossoms. In one EP they've managed to show how much of a versatile band that they are, which is very difficult. However my favourite track would have to be 'Madeleine' as I just couldn't resist the urge to move, it is such a fantastic song! I did love their little paradox song at the end though, so therefore I am going to give Blossoms' new EP a well-deserved 9/10. Thank you for the suggestion, and I hope to hear more recommendations and suggestions in the future - keep them coming!

 

 

I look forward to hearing some more of their work.

9/10.

Eagles - Hotel California (Single Review)

Earlier on this week, somebody requested that I reviewed their favourite band. Their favourite band are the Eagles, and they kindly asked me if I would review their 1976 hit - Hotel California. So I checked it out, and I am going to tell you what I thought of the song first, and then tell you what the actual song is about. I am more than happy to take requests, so let me know what you think!

Eagles are an American four-piece rock band from Los Angeles, and they formed in 1971. The quartet consist of; Glenn Fray on vocals and guitar, Don Henley on the drums, Randy Meisner on guitar and Joe Walsh on the bass.

The track opens up with a very slow rhythmic acoustic guitar, and later on goes on to be followed by the very melancholic vocals with the first lyrics of;

"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitis, rising up through the air."

According to some research that I have done; the term 'colitis' means 'little tails' in Spanish, which then translates to Mexican slang of marijuana. Therefore, when the lyrics mention "on a dark desert highway" you presume that it is an abandoned place that nobody goes to. However, if the smell of marijuana is "rising up through the air" unless he is smoking it, he isn't alone.

The chorus has a very reggae twang to it as the vocalist goes on to sing their very catchy chorus of;

"Welcome to the Hotel California, such a lovely place."

This song has some very interesting lyrics, and here are a few examples;

"So I called the captain up, please bring me my wine. He said, we haven't had that spirit here since 1969."

However, wine isn't actually a spirit - therefore it gives off the impression that the Captain may be drunk, which instantly puts somebody in danger. The captain of a ship is drunk, how are you expected to get to where you're meant to be going when the captain of the ship is highly intoxicated?

The very end lyrics go on to leave a cliffhanger which is when they mention;

"You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave."

This leaves you puzzled. If you can't leave, then how can you check-out? Perhaps they have died from the captain sinking the ship?

This song is about a weary traveller who checks in to a luxurious hotel, in which he thinks will be incredible. Until he soon realises that it is hell. The hotel happens to be the music industry in the 1970's as this song is about self-destruction and the greed within that particular industry. Leading to the song basically being about the dark underbelly of the 'American Dream'.

I really hope that you liked my review, it never hurts anybody to try something different. I would appreciate it if I got more requests in the future, so thank you very much.

9/10