Coming Home (Leon Bridges album)
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Coming Home
| type = studio
| artist = Leon Bridges
| cover = Coming Home Leon Bridges.jpg
| border = yes
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2015|06|23}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Niles City Sound, Fort Worth, Texas
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=34|s=11}}
| label = Columbia
| producer = Niles City Sound
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Good Thing
| next_year = 2018
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Coming Home
| type = studio
| single1 = Coming Home
| single1date = February 3, 2015
| single2 = Smooth Sailin{{'-}}
| single2date = June 2, 2015
}}
}}
Coming Home is the debut studio album by American singer Leon Bridges. It was released on June 23, 2015, by Columbia Records. 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 at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Singles
"Coming Home" was released as the lead single from the album on February 3, 2015, by Columbia Records.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/02/02/383236124/leon-bridges-coming-home|title=Songs We Love: Leon Bridges, 'Coming Home'|publisher=NPR Music|last=Powers|first=Ann|date=February 2, 2015|accessdate=February 18, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218191959/http://www.npr.org/2015/02/02/383236124/leon-bridges-coming-home|archivedate=February 18, 2015}} The song continued the success of the demo version and became a "Top 10 Most Viral Track" on Spotify, the same month as its release.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/11/us/ap-us-spotify-most-viral-tracks.html?_r=0|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150920093304/http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/11/us/ap-us-spotify-most-viral-tracks.html?_r=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 20, 2015|title=Spotify's Top 10 Most Viral Tracks|work=The New York Times|date=February 11, 2015|accessdate=August 17, 2017}} The album's second single, "Smooth Sailin'{{-"}}, was released on June 2, 2015.{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2015/06/02/leon-bridges-previews-debut-album-with-smooth-sailin|title=Leon Bridges previews debut album with 'Smooth Sailin'|website=DIY|last=Milton|first=Jamie|date=June 2, 2015|accessdate=September 24, 2020|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925043540/https://diymag.com/2015/06/02/leon-bridges-previews-debut-album-with-smooth-sailin|url-status=live}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev2 = The Daily Telegraph
| rev3 = The Guardian
| rev4 = Mojo
| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Leon Bridges: Coming Home|journal=Mojo|issue=260|date=July 2015|page=87}}
| rev5 = NME
| rev6 = The Observer
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev8 = Q
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Leon Bridges: Coming Home|journal=Q|issue=348|date=July 2015|page=112}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev10 = Spin
}}
Coming Home was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average 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 said, "On Coming Home, Bridges solidly aligns with the latter, his soulful R&B studied and nostalgic, but also immediate and emotionally true".{{cite web|last=Kivel|first=Adam|url=http://www.consequenceofsound.net/2015/06/album-review-leon-bridges-coming-home/|title=Leon Bridges – Coming Home|work=Consequence|date=June 23, 2015|accessdate=July 8, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708231311/http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/06/album-review-leon-bridges-coming-home/|archivedate=July 8, 2015}} Ryan Patrick of Exclaim! 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".{{cite web|last=Patrick|first=Ryan|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/Music/article/leon_bridges-coming_home|title=Leon Bridges Coming Home|work=Exclaim!|accessdate=July 8, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709030929/http://www.exclaim.ca/Music/article/leon_bridges-coming_home|archivedate=July 9, 2015}} Leonie Cooper of NME 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 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 of The Observer 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 Pitchfork said, "While he obviously has good intentions, at times, Bridges can't help but come off as an imitator". Chuck Arnold of Rolling Stone 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 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".{{cite web|last=Hatchman|first=Jonathan|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/leon-bridges-coming-home|title=Leon Bridges – Coming Home|work=Clash|date=June 16, 2015|accessdate=June 16, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617040305/http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/leon-bridges-coming-home|archivedate=June 17, 2015}} Andy Kellman of AllMusic 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 of The Guardian said, "Bridges has a fantastic voice, but you sense he's also yet to truly find it".
=Year-end lists=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="border:none; margin:0;"
|+Select year-end rankings of Coming Home ! scope="col"| Publication ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| List ! scope="col" data-sort-type="number"| Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| Mojo
| Top 50 Albums of 2015 | {{center|27}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| Rolling Stone
| 50 Best Albums of 2015 | {{center|31}} |
=Industry awards=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="border:none; margin:0;"
|+Awards and nominations for Coming Home ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Ceremony ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| 2016
| {{nom}} |
|---|
Commercial performance
Coming Home debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 selling 42,000 equivalent copies (38,000 in pure album sales).{{cite web|url=http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/07/02/leon-bridges-coming-home-debuts-with-38-2k-first-week-sales/|title=Leon Bridges' "Coming Home" Debuts with 38.2K First Week Sales|work=headlineplanet|date=July 2, 2015 |accessdate=March 7, 2016|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514130958/http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/07/02/leon-bridges-coming-home-debuts-with-38-2k-first-week-sales/|archivedate=May 14, 2016}} On June 24, 2015, the album was at number five on The Official Chart Update in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/wolf-alice-and-everything-everything-battle-for-number-1-album__9901/|title=Wolf Alice and Everything Everything battle for Number 1 album|publisher=Official Charts Company|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625165520/http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/wolf-alice-and-everything-everything-battle-for-number-1-album__9901/|archivedate=June 25, 2015}}
Track listing
All songs produced by Niles City Sound.
{{Track listing
| headline = Coming Home track listing
| total_length = 34:11
| title1 = Coming Home
| writer1 = {{hlist|Todd Bridges|Austin Jenkins|Joshua Block|Chris Vivion}}
| length1 = 3:26
| title2 = Better Man
| writer2 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length2 = 2:21
| title3 = Brown Skin Girl
| writer3 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length3 = 3:26
| title4 = Smooth Sailin{{'-}}
| writer4 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length4 = 3:07
| title5 = Shine
| writer5 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length5 = 3:38
| title6 = Lisa Sawyer
| writer6 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length6 = 4:05
| title7 = Flowers
| writer7 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length7 = 2:56
| title8 = Pull Away
| writer8 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length8 = 3:02
| title9 = Twistin' & Groovin{{'-}}
| writer9 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length9 = 4:14
| title10 = River
| writer10 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length10 = 3:56
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
| total_length = 46:15
| title11 = There She Goes
| writer11 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length11 = 2:35
| title12 = Daisy Mae
| writer12 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length12 = 2:56
| title13 = Mississippi Kisses
| writer13 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length13 = 2:24
| title14 = Here in My Arms
| writer14 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length14 = 2:07
| title15 = Outta Line
| writer15 = {{hlist|Bridges|Jenkins|Block|Vivion}}
| length15 = 2:02
}}
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.{{cite AV media notes|title=Coming Home|type=CD liner notes|others=Leon Bridges|publisher=Columbia Records|year=2015}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
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)
{{col-2}}
Additional personnel
- Rambo – photography
- Dave Bett – art direction, design
{{col-end}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for Coming Home ! scope="col"| Chart (2015) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Australia|8|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 27, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|41|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 27, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|172|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 27, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardCanada|5|artist=Leon Bridges|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 27, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|10|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 27, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|France|61|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 10, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|89|id=276470|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 10, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|New Zealand|13|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 26, 2015}} |
| {{Album chart|Scotland|14|date=20150704|accessdate=May 18, 2015|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|Spain|49|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 26, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|35|artist=Leon Bridges|album=Coming Home|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 10, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|8|date=20150704|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 29, 2015}} |
| {{Album chart|UKR&B|1|date=20150704|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 29, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|6|artist=Leon Bridges|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 17, 2018}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Leon Bridges|rowheader=true|accessdate=May 23, 2016}} |
{{col-2}}
= Year-end charts =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2015 year-end chart performance for Coming Home ! scope="col"| Chart (2015) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2015/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Best of 2015 – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=December 14, 2015|archive-date=June 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620055718/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2015/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|url-status=live}}
| 30 |
|---|
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2016 year-end chart performance for Coming Home ! scope="col"| Chart (2016) ! scope="col"| Position |
| scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=July 4, 2020|archive-date=October 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013160405/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|url-status=live}}
| 22 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for Coming Home}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Leon Bridges|title=Coming Home |award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2018|access-date=November 1, 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Leon Bridges|title=Coming Home |award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2021|access-date=November 20, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Leon Bridges|title=Coming Home |award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|id=1476-4669-2|access-date=January 6, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Leon Bridges|title=Coming Home |award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}