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Leon Bridges sings ‘River’ live at Austin City Limits even better than the recording
Johndel Callora
04.02.20

There are some songs that can hit the depths of our souls.

Only a few modern singer-songwriters today have been able to achieve this level in songwriting. Leon Bridges, the soul artist of this generation, is presenting us with a song that goes beyond the soulfulness of most of his contemporaries!

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YouTube Screenshot

Bridges performed one of his original songs at ACL 2016 and it was magnificently done.

The 26-year-old soul artist dressed in a blue suit jacket complemented by a red-and-gold tie and brown trousers. Bridges, with his rich and fluid tenor, took the audience into his own hands and gave a kind and gentle performance.

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The song he sang was “River,” which MTV defined as a song of “spiritual cleansing that is at once aching and hopeful.” At Austin City Limits, he uncovered new layers of meaning in the song by giving it a more sensual and emotional mood in his performance.

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YouTube Screenshot

When he begins to sing the lyrics of the song, you’re sure to feel a soothing sensation that will warm your very soul.

Everyone onstage worked well together to make Bridge’s song even better. He was well assisted by the vocal support of the backup vocalist, and the other instrumentalists perfectly set the tone for him as well. Needless to say, it was all a job well done!

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Everyone’s efforts onstage paved the way for Bridges to give the audience a show that went beyond the stars. He was successful in letting the crowd feel a thousand emotions, and it moved them all on an almost spiritual level.

His soulful performance shaped ACL’s atmosphere, and as he exited the stage, the crowd knew they’d seen a show they would never forget.

In 2016, Bridges published his performance of “Rivers” at Austin City Limits on YouTube. It hit 1.6 million views right away—and it also led to him getting lots of love and admiration from the internet.

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Most of the comments related his style to the King of Soul, Sam Cooke. One also complimented him as “a young man with an old soul.” Though he’s not at the peak of his fame yet, Bridges continues to climb his way to success with his soulful music.

For those who don’t know, Todd Michael “Leon” Bridges is a singer and songwriter who was born on July 13, 1989.

He is from Fort Worth, Texas and he has quickly established himself as one of the best working soul singers. His song “Coming Home” received daily airplay for a while and was also recognized as one of Spotify’s Top 10 most viral hits. Bridge’s debut album is also titled Coming Home, and it was released through Columbia Records on June 23rd, 2015.

It was also later nominated for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album!

wikipedia.org
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wikipedia.org

Bridges discovered soul and hip-hop music by listening to 90s R&B artists like Usher and Ginuwine. After that, he developed his interest in music by starting off with simple chords on the guitar to accompany his songwriting.

Bridges honed himself in songwriting but was still never satisfied with his creations.

The tides changed when he found success after composing a song dedicated to his mother, “Lisa Sawyer.” Afterward, he re-evaluated and adapted his style to soul music—music like the songs that came out in the ’50s and ’60s, which is what he is known for today.

It is certainly amazing to see how far he has come!

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YouTube Screenshot

Even if he started as a dishwasher at a local restaurant in Fort Worth, today he’s a successful soul artist worldwide!

To watch Leon Bridge’s whole performance, be sure to click the video below:

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