Music Review

Leon Bridges

With Son Little. At Citi Wang Theatre, Saturday

Upon walking into the Citi Wang Theatre on Saturday night, guests were greeted with a declaration: “I AM R AND B’’ read two T-shirts that flanked the merch table. The posturing was completely appropriate for Leon Bridges, the Texas-born soul singer who headlined the space that evening; his 2015 album, “Coming Home,’’ was a richly satisfying trip back to the age of scratchy 45s played on single-speaker turntables, its dry production designed to showcase the 26-year-old’s raspy, rich voice. (“Coming Home’’ was reissued with five tracks that build on the album’s present-minded retrofitting of classic soul in February.)

Backed by a crackerjack band and dressed in a sharp suit, Bridges powered through his set; as soon as he came out to the gently rollicking “Smooth Sailin,’ ’’ pockets of audience members popped out of their seats, ready to shake and shimmy along with his tight rave-ups and sway to his ballads. Bridges’s obvious kinship with his bandmates — some of whom, he noted, had been with him since the days of him working the open-mike circuit — energized tracks like the strutting “Brown Skin Girl’’ and the tender “Coming Home.’’

Bridges closed the night out with “River,’’ a stark gospel track about faith’s ability to provide redemption. (In February, Bridges released a stirring video for “River’’ that juxtaposes the song’s pleas for something more with imagery from the 2015 Baltimore uprising; “I want this video to be a message of light. I believe it has the power to change and heal those that are hurting,’’ he told NPR.) He strapped on a guitar as most of his bandmates left the stage, and as the song’s opening drone came up, the crowd — which had just been fired up by Bridges’s hip-shaking “Pussy Footin’ ’’ — quieted.

Lyrics about being mired in darkness gave way to a pleading call and response between Bridges and his backup singer Brittni Jessie, allowing for a moment of reflection in the wake of his set’s precisely engineered slow boil. Bridges’s embodiment of R&B might have its roots in the past, but his ability to bring tropes of old into the present day made Saturday’s show feel absolutely alive.

Leon Bridges

With Son Little. At Citi Wang Theatre, Saturday

Maura Johnston can be reached at maura@maura .com.