Gold-Diggers Sound

by Leon Bridges

Overview

One doesn't have to be all that familiar with Leon Bridges to speculate with accuracy that the artist's third album, named after the East Hollywood facility where it was made, has nothing to do with mining for instant pop hits. It's coincidental and maybe a little ironic that, just before the release of Gold-Diggers Sound, Bridges collected gold and platinum RIAA plaques for singles off his 2015 debut, but that's emblematic of the singer's knack for creating ephemerality-proof R&B that offers a true alternative to what's favored by urban contemporary radio programmers, yet structurally and sonically rooted in tradition. Gold-Diggers Sound is actually Bridges' most modern-sounding album. The singer and songwriter stretches out with producers and instrumentalists Ricky Reed and Nate Mercereau, his main collaborators on Good Thing, and he brings in an all-star lineup of progressive jazz and R&B musicians. "Born Again" sets the tone with the keyboards of Robert Glasper and brass and reeds from Keyon Harrold and Terrace Martin adding to weary if resolute sentiments like "Feeling joy again/When all else fails, your love will last forever," where Bridges faintly slurs his notes like he's a saxophonist himself. Harrold and Martin later re-appear -- the alto sax of the latter most prominently brings color to the machine-drum pulse of "Sweetness," a touching and personal ballad written in response to the murder of George Floyd. Synth-soul duo We Are King, secret weapon Atia "Ink" Boggs, and percussionist Carlos Nino, among a great number of other musicians, add to a sense of communality. Bridges' writing, however, tends to be as intimate as ever. "Motorbike" envisions a joy ride for two rendered in slow, daydream-like motion. Bridges is enamored in "Details," rustic soul-blues with a touch of Philly sitar and some thump in the low end. "Why Don't You Touch Me" seeks resolution, or just a reaction, with a sluggish sway. Only on a couple occasions does Bridges let loose a touch while in the moment. "Sho Nuff" is yet another ballad, but one full of affection and desire through its Southern groove. "Steam," all easy-rolling romantic escapism, picks up the tempo a bit with a fine threading of blues, funk, and candied background vocals. Even in those moments, there is never an indication that Bridges could possibly lose his composure. The unswerving self-control he has demonstrated across three albums both impresses and mystifies. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	07/23/2021
Label:	Columbia
UPC:	0194398869919

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Leon Bridges   Primary Artist
Robert Glasper   Primary Artist,Bass,Keyboards,Featured Artist
Atia Boggs   Vocals
Antoine Katz   Bass
Josh Johnson   Sax (Alto)
Ink   Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Jordan Blackmon   Sound Effects
DJ Stanfill   Drums,Piano,Percussion,Synthesizer,Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Zach Cooper   Bass
Mike Blankenship   Keyboards
Terrace Martin   Piano,Saxophone,Sax (Alto),Featured Artist
Lemar Guillary   Trombone
Nate Mercereau   Bass,Drums,Piano,Sitar,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,French Horn,Synthesizer,Guitar (Synthesizer)
Olivia Salas   Cello,Strings
Carlos Nino   Percussion
Keyon Harrold   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Steve Wyreman   Organ,Sitar,Guitar,Percussion
Cameron Johnson   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Paris Strother   Piano,Synthesizer
Amber Strother   Vocals
Joshua Crumbly   Piano,Synthesizer,Bass (Upright)
Ricky Reed   Drums

Technical Credits

Ricky Reed   Drum Programming,Executive Producer,Mixing,Producer,Programming
Leon Bridges   Executive Producer
Ethan Shumaker   Engineer
Atia Boggs   Composer
Antoine Katz   Composer
Eric Federick   Composer
Kim Krysiuk   Composer
Josh Deguzman   Mixing Engineer
Steven Cheung   Composer
9AM   Producer,Programming
Jordan Blackmon   Composer
DJ Stanfill   Producer
Justin Hardiman   Photography
Cedrick Jones   Photography
Cory Gehr   Photography
Dustin McLaughlin   Photography
Jonathan Thompson   Assistant Engineer
Luke Milano   Composer,Engineer
Daddy Kev   Mastering
Harold Lilly   Composer
Josh Block   Producer,Engineer
Joe Greer   Photography
Todd Bridges   Composer
Mike Blankenship   Additional Production
James Kirk   Assistant Engineer
Terrace Martin   Composer
Lemar Guillary   Composer,Producer,Horn Arrangements
Nate Mercereau   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Bryan DiMaio   Engineer
King Garbage   Producer,Additional Production
Vic Dimotsis   Composer
Daniel Stanfill   Composer
Olivia Salas   Composer
Trevor Lawrence   Composer
Andy Taub   Engineer
Ian Fitchuk   Composer
Robert Glasper   Composer,Producer
Dan Wilson   Composer
Daniel Tashian   Composer
Bill Malina   Engineer
Justin Tranter   Composer
Steve Wyreman   Composer,Producer
Zach Cooper   Composer
Michael Neil   Composer
Paris Strother   Composer
Austin Jenkins   Composer
Tina Ibanez   Design,Art Direction
Jon Castelli   Mixing
Amber Strother   Composer
Rome Castille   Composer
Joshua Crumbly   Composer
Jeffrey Baranowski   Composer