Leon Bridges greeted with acclaim in Australia

Leon Bridges wowed them Down Under.

The Fort Worth singer-songwriter, on his first foray into Australia, is getting the kind of rapturous reviews he received in the U.S. last year when he first exploded onto the national scene.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Ebony Bowden, who declared him “worth the hype,” wrote less of a review and more of a love letter in terms of his performance at Melbourne’s 170 Russell venue last week. (He also added a second show at a different hall because this one sold-out so quickly.)

She not only said that “from head-to-toe, Bridges exudes soul and jazz with his tailored suits, caramel-toned voice and flawless dance moves, and the crowd at the intimate show were putty in his hands” but that his “rapid rise is inexplicable until you’re in his presence, and you see a performer so rare, so genuine, you realise the music industry has been missing him all along.”

Not to be outdone, the web site Howl and Echoes (howlandechoes.com) said of the same show, “his throwback to Southern Soul music is filtered through contemporary authenticity and filled to the brim with storytelling and spirit. In a live setting, Bridges’ all too brief debut album Coming Home turns into an extended, deluxe edition and if the sheer amount of sweat and jostling bodies is anything to go by, everybody is grateful.”

Meanwhile, in Sydney, according to the site jambands.com, Bridges sat in with another Texan on tour in Australia, Gary Clark Jr. At The Metro venue, the Austin guitarist came out and sat in with Bridges for the final song of the latter’s set, Mississippi Kisses. The next night at the famed Sydney Opera House, Bridges and his sax player, Jeff Dazey, joined Clark in his set for the song Shake. (You can watch video of Mississippi Kisses performance here and the Shake performance here.)

“This is what happens when the Texas boys are in Australia at the same time,” Bridges said on Instagram. “Had the best show of my life at Metro Theatre in Sydney.”

ABC, the national broadcaster, even has a page devoted to him on their web site that includes their interview.

Bridges finished his tour in the region with a date in Auckland, New Zealand Jan. 9. He returns to the U.S. for a new round of touring beginning March 1 in Atlanta. His next date in Texas is a two-night stint in Austin in May.

UPDATE: Looks like his New Zealand went as well as the others. The country’s Channel 3 network said “Judging by the crowd at his first New Zealand show, he’ll be the one to watch for 2016.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Leon Bridges greeted with acclaim in Australia."