Rambo Elliott
The name of Leon Bridges’ new album comes from the place where its 11 songs were conceived, tinkered with, exhausted over and, ultimately, recorded. Gold Diggers is a bar, hotel, and recording studio off the famed Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. With its outside façade painted a moss green and its interior full of wood paneling, ’70s décor, and modern recording equipment, the space manages to pull off a nostalgic and contemporary vibe all at once.
As the keyboard lick on opening track “Born Again” kicks things off — followed by Bridges’ unmistakable voice and the howls of a trumpet — it doesn’t take a great imagination to envision some of the world’s best contemporary jazz musicians wearing pointed-collar shirts collaborating in a smoke-filled room. Whether it was purposeful or not, the album, Bridges’ third full-length solo effort, successfully sketches the space where it was created through music.
Gold-Diggers Sound is a slight departure from his previous efforts. Fortunately for Bridges, he’s already fielded questions about his unwillingness to stick to tried-and-true practices, and his devoted fans are well aware that any new album, single, EP, or collaboration will deviate from expectations. Critics be damned.
Without giving too much away, one thing is for sure, Bridges is no longer the shy and modest musician who made Coming Home at local studio Niles City Sound. Gold-Diggers Sound is the work of a man who’s confident in his craft and comfortable with who he is.
We caught up with Bridges in mid-June to chat about his new album, recent collaborations, and a few other things we assume Fort Worth music fans might like to know.
What follows has been edited for length and clarity.
FW: What made Gold-Diggers Sound such a productive and inspiring space for you?
Leon Bridges: I discovered Gold Diggers in 2018. We threw a pre-party there with my friend, DJ Sober. It was a Grammy pre-party, and I was totally oblivious to the fact that they had the hotel and studio aspect. We had been working on this album over the course of two years, and we wanted to immerse ourselves into one space where we could live and invite some of our favorite musicians and collaborators to cultivate something special. So, it was just that momentum of literally being in one spot, as opposed to having to commute 30 minutes to a studio on the other side of town.
And the aesthetic of Gold Diggers is pretty dialed in, from the room's beautiful ’70s décor and then the studio. I think that was one of the high points — was just getting back to the energy of creating music in a room of super-talented musicians, which is more of a homecoming for me; it’s how I made music for my album, Coming Home.
FW: Speaking of collaborations, this album features Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin, who collaborated on one of my favorite albums from 2020, Dinner Party. How did this collaboration with you come to be?
Bridges: So, shout out to Richard Reed, who was the producer on this album, for facilitating all of that. But I don't think those guys would have been open to recording an album if there wasn't the rapport between all of us. We've crossed paths with each other over the years. For me, I felt it was important to include them because those guys are the forefront of the new jazz movement, and they're really incorporating it in tasteful ways. I just felt it was right to have them be a part of this album.
FW: You've done a lot of collaborations in the past few years — Khruangbin, John Mayer, The Avalanches, just to name a few. How have these collaborations influenced your own music?
Bridges: I think when you look at the Khruangbin collaboration, that style is ingrained in me, so I try to apply that energy to whatever I'm doing. In all of these collaborations I've done, I've definitely taken a little piece from each one, and I definitely think that all those influences shine on this album a little bit.
FW: Since you started working on Gold Diggers Sound in 2019, how did the events of the past year change the trajectory of the album?
Bridges: Well, pretty much all of these songs were born inside the Gold Diggers space, and everything was pretty much done prior to the pandemic. But we still felt there were some missing pieces. So, just organically, there were certain songs that transpired out of the pandemic, like “Born Again” and “Why Don't You Touch Me?” Those songs ended up being on the album, and I figured they completed the whole thing.
FW: Speaking of “Born Again,” that's a very introspective song that tackles change in a very spiritual way. How have you personally changed from your last album to this one?
Bridges: I can equate it to just being the new kid in school and still carrying this modest, shy mindset. I have a better sense of myself and who I am. I think what sparked Gold-Diggers Sound is how people tend to put barriers around Black expression. If I'm deviating from a soul thing, it's deemed as disingenuous. So, this was almost a response to that; I can put on any outfit, and I’m still Black. I’m still me.
FW: A lot has been made of your changing style. Both musically and fashion-wise, it’s changed from album to album. Was this all preconceived and part of some mapped-out artistic journey, a la David Bowie? Or are you just going with the flow?
Bridges: Man, pretty much the latter. I think change and evolution is inevitable, and we all change, ultimately. And, honestly, I started with [the ’50s] fashion, and that was what inspired me at that time. And then the more I progressed, I shaped my fashion into the music, and it became more of a ’70s thing. I just find ways to be myself.
FW: How personal are your songs? I only ask because if the songs are narrations of your life, damn, you go through some tough shit.
Bridges: (laughs) Yeah, there were moments during the process where I felt like, damn, am I giving the listener too much insight into some of my struggles and my insecurities? But I felt some of these stories were just important. You look at songs like “Blue Masons,” which is about how success and notoriety can lead to solitude. And how I personally still felt lonely and isolated in the midst of people that love me. So, there're moments like that, but also lighthearted, fun moments on the album, as well.
FW: You still post a lot of Instagram stories of yourself playing acoustic guitar and singing these very stripped-down, beautiful songs. It’s different from the songs on this album, which are layered with so much instrumentation. Are you hearing the layers in your head as you write the song? What is that process like?
Bridges: There're multiple ways of how I approach songwriting. I'm constantly fiddling on guitar, and a lot of the times, those songs never see the light of day. And then there are moments, specifically during the Gold-Diggers process, where a lot of these songs are collaborative. There are musicians in the room who start improvisational jams. For me, the melody or rhythm that's going on initially, that’s what dictates the concept for me. So, normally when I write, I mumble-sing incoherently over whatever's going on, and maybe I land on a certain phrase and then I subsequently shape the song around that.
FW: How many songs would you say you've written that have never seen the light of day? And do you have them stashed away in a vault somewhere?
Bridges: Man, I can say probably damn near 30 songs. An example of that is my Khruangbin collaboration. All those songs are pretty much shit I had accumulated over time and just put on the back burner. I'm grateful that they resonated with the Khruangbin crew and were able to see the light of day.
FW: Anderson .Paak directed the music video for “Motorbike.” How did that collaboration come about?
Bridges: I met Anderson at the Roots Picnic in 2016. We've hung out at various events, and I remember the opportunity came up, and I was initially reluctant because I wasn't really familiar with Anderson's history of shooting videos. But I ultimately felt that collaborating with him on a visual would be unexpected, and it would shine more light on the song, and it ended up turning out really beautifully. I was really adamant about shooting on film because I'm really big on dope cinematography. And it turned out well.
FW: So, what about you two guys, musically? Have you guys talked about doing something?
Bridges: I hope so. I hope we can get together and do something.
FW: It just seems like a collaboration that needs to happen.
Bridges: (laughs) I don’t know, man. He's climbing that ladder, you know what I'm saying? It's probably too late to do a collaboration now. He's already on the Silk Sonic tip.
FW: You've maintained a really close relationship with Fort Worth and remained very involved in the community. Why does that matter so much to you?
Bridges: Man, for me, Fort Worth is a very grounding city. I really respect everyone's mentality here, as opposed to other places. And it's almost that portal to nostalgia for me. Just moving around and moving and grooving around the world. It really gives me a peace of mind. My family's here, my community's here, and I just need that for sustainability.
Leon Bridges’ new album Gold-Diggers Sound will be available for purchase and on your streaming service of choice July 23.
