Leon Bridges review, Jazz Cafe, London: Buoyant with brass and syncopated shimmy

Bridges sounded as sharp as he looked at this intimate show

Leon Bridges (Jack McKain)

At London’s Jazz Cafe last night, it was 1967 all over again. Dressed in an open-necked zebra print shirt and wide flared trousers, Leon Bridges carved out a night of old-fashioned soul.

Backed by a superb four-piece band, Bridges sounds as sharp as he looks. Buoyant with brass and syncopated shimmy, "Smooth Sailin’" makes for toe-tapping a plenty. "Brown Skin Girl" showcases the singer’s startling raspy croon. And as for the soft-snared "Mississippi Kisses", it evades any suggestion that the singer was incubated in some major-label laboratory.

In terms of new songs, Bridges plays six. As anticipated, the crowd respond less well than they do to the Coming Home album. But the songs are more upbeat, leading the artist to hop, sway his arms at his side, and ask, “Can you dig it baby?” Covers include nineties hit Guiwine’s "Pony", which, though unexpected, proved that Bridges can pull off almost anything.

It is a satisfying set, and despite at times verging on the edge of tribute act (particularly "Twistin"), Bridges’ Sam Cooke-style vocals and laid-back groove allow him to get away with it. Take me back to 1967.