The central theme of the text revolves around Leon Bridges' journey as a musician and his deep connection to soul music. It highlights his background, experiences, and artistry, emphasizing how his upbringing, personal struggles, and explorations of musical roots shape his unique sound and identity. The narrative touches on themes of authenticity, self-discovery, and the power of music as a means of expression and connection, illustrating that true soul music comes from a genuine place within the artist. Furthermore, it reflects on the importance of family, love, and personal history in Bridges' songwriting, making it clear that his music is a heartfelt representation of who he is and the experiences that have shaped him.
Here is a text:
Quote on quote Leon Bridges and black and white, analog tape players world. The singer warms up his voice with the gospel quote unquote? Whoa to awaken rural spirits. He gently tunes his guitar, sheepishly gretsonizes the camera, steps to the microphone, and the scene shifts. The silhouette of Leon Bridges walks in slow motion down a darkened Street under faded marquee: leather shoes shines, slacks pressed, felt that tilted at a rackish angle. The malt shop soul beat shuffles. Then he belts out: baby, baby, baby, I'm coming home.
This, the opening scene from the video for coming home, was most people's first look at bridges, a 25-year-old fort worth, texas, native who sparked a furious bidding war shortly after a stream of the song premiered last fall on taste making blog gorilla versus bear. Since then, he has become one of the most ballyhood young soul singers and years, eliciting waves at South by Southwest and Ernie big sinks in iTunes and beats commercials. Sam cooke is the go to comparison a standard that seems ridiculously high until you actually hear him sing
It's crazy I didn't grow up with any of this music, reflects Bridges during a rare schedule break at home in dallas. Since Sunny with Columbia and late 2014, he has toward constantly, including a spellbinding late late show performance, in the lead up to his debut, coming home, released June 23rd. All this shows that you can't teach soul music. It has to be something already inside you. It's not something that you can try to do it's who you are.
a century ago, his effortlessness and out of nowhere Ascent would have led people to suspect a crossroads packed with the devil a la blues legend Robert johnson. But to seeing so like he does takes hard work and hard times. Painfully shy as a kid and still noticeably reticent when he's not on stage, Bridges has a beautiful timbre that suggests church choir experience but he was too insecure to actually audition. I didn't think I could sing, says bridges. I knew I could do stuff here and there but didn't think I was good enough to fit.
He describes his childhood persona and much the same way as a pariah. After his parents separated when he was seven, he split time between suburban fort Worth and inner city dallas, where his father worked at a community center. His family was poor and shortly after hurricane katrina, 10 relatives from New Orleans temporarily came to live with him, his mother and his half sister. She was surrounded by people, but still felt alone. I didn't know where I fit in he says. I didn't have any friends at school. People didn't want to be friends with me. I had no place
Bridges idly dreamed of escape, Johnny himself in the same music other kids his age were listening to. He didn't even know of the so great seed later be compared to.
Massager for me isn't Sam Cooke, he says, as much as it's listening to Ginuwine song or hear in Dallas hip hop in remembering dancing to it in my garage
At a nearby community college, Bridges studied dance, inspired by seeing his dad moon walk as a kid, he says. He picked up singing and guitar as a hobby at first, and eventually began playing at open mics and small shows. His sound evolved from neo soul, to folky r&b to traditional soul with horn ideal for the last slow dance of the night. A friend asked to see him cook was an inspiration. I've never listened, but I wanted to know my roots, so I looked him up on YouTube and pandora, says bridges. Once I heard it, I saw it that was the music that I wanted to write.
He's singing to you, not at you, says jenkins, who co-produced coming home with fellow White denim partner Joshua block, recording live on all analog year, including a soundboard once owned by The grateful dead. He listened to Texas blues, gospel and r&b, and filtered it through himself. It's authentic and direct.
The songs on coming home are somehow some simultaneously urgent and nostalgic, smiling and tearful, conjuring forgotten memories of a vanished america. Twisting and groovin describes the meeting of his grandparents: up under that Red dress are legs long as bayou trees she got a golden smile, I know she's the one for me in the room he sings. Brown skin girl is a love letter to his ex girlfriend. Lisa Sawyer pays tribute to his 1963 born mom of the same name. One of his proudest moments in the year full of them was paying off her depth and january. I don't like to write flashy soul songs, says bridges. I'm riding from the heart stories about family and truth I just want people to see a genuine person
What is the central theme?
7 answers
Simplify it a lot and use vocabulary like a middle schooler
The main theme of the text is about Leon Bridges and his rise as a musician. It talks about his life, his love for soul music, and how his background and experiences help shape his singing and songwriting. The story shows that his music is real and comes from his heart. It also highlights the importance of family, love, and his personal history in his songs. Overall, it emphasizes that soul music is about being true to yourself and sharing your feelings.
Now I will ask five questions about the text and then you will answer with skills / knowledge you will need to answer the question and then your answer
1. What words and paragraph 4 reveal the authors admiration for bridges. Explain how the word choices the author uses contribute to the tone of the article
2. Reread paragraphs 5 through 8. What is the author's central idea about this section? Identify relevant evidence about Leon Bridges life that supports the central idea.
3. Find a quote from the text that reveals a central idea of the text. What is the connection between this quote and the central idea from the text?
4. How does the video reinforce the author's Central ideas he is trying to bring out in the text
5. What text structures are used to tell Leon Bridges musical journey? What are the advantages of using these two different text structures
1. What words and paragraph 4 reveal the authors admiration for bridges. Explain how the word choices the author uses contribute to the tone of the article
2. Reread paragraphs 5 through 8. What is the author's central idea about this section? Identify relevant evidence about Leon Bridges life that supports the central idea.
3. Find a quote from the text that reveals a central idea of the text. What is the connection between this quote and the central idea from the text?
4. How does the video reinforce the author's Central ideas he is trying to bring out in the text
5. What text structures are used to tell Leon Bridges musical journey? What are the advantages of using these two different text structures
Sure! Here are the skills/knowledge I'll use to answer each question, followed by the answers:
1. Skill/Knowledge:
I need to analyze word choice and tone to understand how the author expresses admiration for Bridges.
Answer: Words in paragraph 4 such as "furious bidding war," "ballyhooed," and "spellbinding" reveal the author’s admiration for Leon Bridges. These word choices create an excited and respectful tone. Instead of just saying he became popular, the author uses energetic language to show how remarkable and talented Bridges is, making readers feel the same admiration.
2. Skill/Knowledge:
I will summarize and identify the central idea in a specific section and look for supporting evidence related to Leon Bridges' life.
Answer: The central idea of paragraphs 5 through 8 is that Leon Bridges had a challenging childhood that shaped his music. Relevant evidence includes his feelings of being a "pariah," his parents' separation, and his experience of living with extended family after Hurricane Katrina. These details show how his struggles contributed to his profound emotional connection with music.
3. Skill/Knowledge:
I need to identify a significant quote and explain how it connects to the overall theme of the text.
Answer: A quote that reveals a central idea is, "It has to be something already inside you. It's not something that you can try to do; it's who you are." This connects to the central idea that true soul music comes from personal experience and emotion. This quote emphasizes that Bridges’ music is genuine and reflects his real feelings and life, which is a key idea throughout the text.
4. Skill/Knowledge:
I will consider how the video complements the written text and supports the author’s ideas.
Answer: The video reinforces the author's central ideas by visually showing Leon Bridges’ style, emotions, and the nostalgic feeling of his music. The visuals of him walking down a dark street and singing about love help viewers connect with his story and understand the soulful essence of his music, which matches the author’s description of Bridges as a genuine and heartfelt artist.
5. Skill/Knowledge:
I need to identify the text structures used to tell the story and understand their benefits.
Answer: The text uses chronological and descriptive structures to tell Leon Bridges' musical journey. The chronological structure helps outline his life events in order, highlighting his growth as an artist. The descriptive structure allows for vivid details about his emotions and experiences, which engages readers and deepens their understanding of his character. Using both structures makes the story clear and relatable.
Can you shorten everything down
Sure! Here are the shortened responses:
1.
Skill/Knowledge: Analyzing word choice and tone.
Answer: Words like "furious bidding war" and "spellbinding" show the author's admiration for Bridges. These choices create an excited tone, highlighting how talented he is.
2.
Skill/Knowledge: Summarizing and identifying the central idea and supporting evidence.
Answer: The central idea in paragraphs 5-8 is that Bridges' tough childhood shaped his music. Evidence includes his feelings of being a "pariah" and living with family after Hurricane Katrina.
3.
Skill/Knowledge: Identifying a significant quote and its connection to the central theme.
Answer: A key quote is, "It has to be something already inside you." It connects to the idea that true soul music comes from personal experience, showing Bridges’ music is genuine.
4.
Skill/Knowledge: Examining how the video complements the text.
Answer: The video supports the text by visually showing Bridges’ emotions and style, reinforcing the idea that his music is heartfelt and genuine.
5.
Skill/Knowledge: Identifying text structures and their advantages.
Answer: The text uses chronological and descriptive structures. Chronological shows Bridges' journey clearly, while descriptive provides vivid details that engage readers.