Leon Bridges | Lisa Sawyer

Taking on the dreamy, compelling sound of the lost soul decades is a damn high bar to set for yourself. Soul revivalists usually don’t get very far in my book, because what’s the point of competing with the likes of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding? Listening to Leon Bridges made me do a 180 on that stance. See, if you actually can hold a candle to legends like Cooke and Redding — and Bridges can — then there’s no reason not to indulge in some nostalgia. “Lisa Sawyer” tells the story of Bridges’ mother with such grace and aplomb it sounds plucked right out of the ’50s. This is no simpering modern equivalent; he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the voices from the past, and it’s astonishing to hear. Bridges recorded the track, along with the rest of his forthcoming debut album, in his hometown of Fort Worth, TX, and his previous releases are of the same caliber, so check out “Coming Home” and “Better Man” if you missed them. “Lisa Sawyer” is the dreamiest of them all though. Listen below.