Bridges has been open about getting a little too preoccupied with scrolling through criticisms of his work, whether it’s beliefs that his breakout soul tracks were too much of a copy of the greats or that newer ventures diverted from his strengths. For that reason, Bridges made an effort to make his latest work, Gold-Diggers Sound, feel like a blend of his first two albums. The smoky brass section and storytelling approach to his songwriting is reminiscent of classic 60s soul, but he makes a point of mixing in more modern influences. Hints of alt-R&B’s trendy psychedelia are added in, while the instrumentation becomes a little more subdued than usual to place a spotlight on Bridges’ resonant vocals.

To do even more soul-searching and discover a sound that was completely in touch with who he is today, Bridges spent the last two years living in Santa Monica Boulevard’s legendary Gold-Diggers Hotel, which conveniently comes equipped with a recording studio that hosted many late-night jam sessions. “There’s something beautiful about the momentum of living and creating in the same space,” he says. “If I hit a wall creatively, I was able to go to the bar, grab a drink, and the rest of the lyrics came to me.”

As many of the songs are built around looping guitar and drum riffs, it’s easy to imagine his band noodling around with different parts, Bridges improvising on top until something sticks. In fact, many of the melodies you hear on the finished product come directly from improvisation and simply feeling the groove in the room. “The producer would normally start off with a drum track. Then the guitar players are following suit, and there was actually one of the homies on the live drums,” he says. “I would hear that and improvise my part, so the writing process initially starts with me mumbling and singing incoherently, and then writing lyrics later.”

The tracklist on Gold-Diggers Sound features several instrumental masters of their craft including pianist Robert Glasper and saxophonist Terrace Martin, who made significant contributions to Kendrick Lamar’s jazz-rap masterpiece, To Pimp A Butterfly. While pandemic restrictions prevented Glasper from joining the jam band, Martin’s impromptu appearance in the studio resulted in the production of the project’s most meaningful song, “Sweeter.” Released only 12 days after the death of George Floyd, Bridges sings from the perspective of a victim of police brutality in his final moments of life, mourning his lost potential. While Bridges has always been an outspoken advocate for racial justice, it’s never found a way into his music. The shock of the moment and the resulting movement finally broke that barrier. “Those lyrics were something I’ve been dwelling on for years,” he says. “I felt it was appropriate to put out ‘Sweeter’ in light of everything that happened. I felt that the Black community needed this beacon of light and hope, and that was my contribution to the movement.”

If Bridges’ latest videos for singles “Motorbike” — directed by none other than Anderson .Paak — and “Why Don’t You Touch Me” seemed more cinematic than your typical offering, it’s just because Bridges is yet again trying to jump into another lane you might not have expected from him. Bridges previously portrayed hip-hop godfather and space-race critic Gil Scott-Heron in Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, and it might not be the last time you see him on the silver screen. “I’m a big fan of really dope cinematography, and it’s also my aspirations of heading into the acting world one day,” he says. “If I can get my little moment in my music videos, maybe some casting agent will notice. I felt like the songs are so beautiful that we had to find someone that can really paint the picture visually.”

While there’s a good chance that the origin of the name stems from somewhere entirely different, Bridges’ time living and working in the Gold-Diggers Hotel over the past two years allowed him to relax, take a step back and identify the aspects that have worked best for him throughout his career, mining for those elusive nuggets of perfection along the way while keeping things simultaneously classic and fresh.

Art Direction: Tina Ibañez
Photography: Justin Hardiman
Styling: Gabriela Tena