We are really excited to hear the second Gary Clark Jr album and luckily it’s coming quite soon under the promising title of “The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim”.

 Why?

Because honestly, we (like a lot of people) were a bit disappointed by the first. We’d seen Gary SMOKE it live and play the blues in a way that touched us. But the record went everywhere, but nowhere and didn’t deserve the hype the first amazing EP had got us all buzzed on.

These thoughts came to us when listening to the new Leon Bridges album which has arrived at last.

 

We buzzed buzzed buzzed on Coming Home back then and it still sounds DOPE… But the album is not a case where more means better on first listen and we have to question whether this statement from the Guardian is true:

“well-crafted melodies, a dusty vinyl production and that voice, which sounds like its owner has lived a lifetime (rather than a mere 25 years)”

Or if it now sounds like a 25 year old soul fan cleaned up (and cleaning up) for the 2010s?

Somehow these backwards reaching albums (file with Myron E; Aloe Blacc; Ben L’Oncle Soul) always come up a bit disappointing like less than the parts of a record collection.

And in Leon’s case we already have tunes like the ones below on top of our soul playlists -

 

It’s not to say that Coming Home won’t be one of our faves of last year anyway, and we hope it becomes a hit this year but maybe those 50s guys were onto something sticking to single after single…