Coming Home (Leon Bridges album)

Last updated

Coming Home
Coming Home Leon Bridges.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 23, 2015 (2015-06-23)
Studio Niles City Sound, Fort Worth, Texas
Genre
Length34:11
Label Columbia
Producer Niles City Sound
Leon Bridges chronology
Coming Home
(2015)
Good Thing
(2018)
Singles from Coming Home
  1. "Coming Home"
    Released: February 3, 2015
  2. "Smooth Sailin'"
    Released: 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.

Contents

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. [1] 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. [2] The album's second single, "Smooth Sailin' ", was released on June 2, 2015. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10 [4]
Metacritic 78/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
NME 8/10 [10]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Pitchfork 7.0/10 [12]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Spin 7/10 [15]

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. [5] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [4]

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". [16] 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". [17] 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". [10] 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". [11] Ernest Wilkins of Pitchfork said, "While he obviously has good intentions, at times, Bridges can't help but come off as an imitator". [12] 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". [14]

Harley Brown of Spin said, "What it does best is address the simple lament of not having anything to twist to in too long". [15] 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". [18] 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". [6] Tim Jonze of The Guardian said, "Bridges has a fantastic voice, but you sense he's also yet to truly find it". [8]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Coming Home
PublicationListRankRef.
Mojo Top 50 Albums of 2015
27
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2015
31

Industry awards

Awards and nominations for Coming Home
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2016 Grammy Awards Best R&B Album Nominated

Commercial performance

Coming Home debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 selling 42,000 equivalent copies (38,000 in pure album sales). [22] On June 24, 2015, the album was at number five on The Official Chart Update in the United Kingdom. [23]

Track listing

All songs produced by Niles City Sound.

Coming Home track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Coming Home"
3:26
2."Better Man"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:21
3."Brown Skin Girl"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
3:26
4."Smooth Sailin'"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
3:07
5."Shine"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
3:38
6."Lisa Sawyer"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
4:05
7."Flowers"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:56
8."Pull Away"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
3:02
9."Twistin' & Groovin'"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
4:14
10."River"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
3:56
Total length:34:11
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."There She Goes"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:35
12."Daisy Mae"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:56
13."Mississippi Kisses"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:24
14."Here in My Arms"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:07
15."Outta Line"
  • Bridges
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Vivion
2:02
Total length:46:15

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [24]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Coming Home
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [42] Gold35,000
Canada (Music Canada) [43] Platinum80,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] Gold100,000
United States (RIAA) [45] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Coming Home
RegionDateLabel(s)Format(s)EditionRef.
United StatesJune 23, 2015 Columbia Standard
February 5, 2016Digital downloadDeluxe

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