Texas Sun

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, 2020, from Texas Sun. Solo by Mark Speer.

Speer's slow, twangy lead lines paint wide-open landscapes around Bridges' warm vocal.

Texas Sun pairs Khruangbin with Leon Bridges, and Mark Speer's slow, twangy lead lines paint wide-open landscapes around the warm vocal. His tone is clean and reverb-rich, with a relaxed vibrato that suggests country and soul influences. The guitar never rushes, instead placing long, singing notes that echo the song's themes of travel and open space. It shows how Speer's minimalist approach can create mood with very few notes. Listen for how the guitar fills the gaps between vocal lines, adding gentle melodic commentary, and how the sustained notes seem to stretch toward the horizon like the landscapes the song describes.

Texas Sun by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges is featured in our Neo-Soul (#10) list. The solo is played by Mark Speer and the song was released in 2020.

In our lists

• The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #77
• The 20 Greatest Neo-Soul Guitar Solos — #10
• Guest Solos — #21
• The Best Khruangbin Guitar Solos — #14

Sources