Leon Bridges is back with his new album due out on 05/04/2018. The album, ‘Good Thing’, was produced by Ricky Reed (Kesha, Robin Thicke, Maroon 5, Pitbull) and is being released on Columbia Records.
Bridges’ first album gave us that throwback retro feel with which many of us fell in love. Instead of putting out a second album containing the same type of songs (which would have been okay to be perfectly honest), he decided to spread his wings and show his willingness to grow. Growth not only in songwriting, style, and production but also taking risks vocally. His confidence shines brightly on his sophomore offering.
The album opens with the obvious first single ‘Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand’. First impression with this track: That Falsetto. Bridges nails it. Many people have referenced Otis Redding and Sam Cooke (rightfully so) when talking about Bridges’ throwback style. But I get a Marvin Gaye and Eddie Kendricks influenced vibe as well.
The second song is ‘Bad Bad News’. This is also the second single. Here we have a quick moving song both lyrically and musically, but also get the treat of Leon’s terrific sustained notes at the end of the verses. This one makes me want to sit in the back of a jazz club nursing a scotch on the rocks all night long. The musical outro deserves to be noted here. Great stuff and musicianship all around.
‘Shy’ moves us more toward a slightly modern sound with some great production that hits you instantly. Leon is so strong vocally especially at the beginning of each verse. The next song ‘Beyond’ is filled with some retro sounds that his fans will surely appreciate. For me it’s all about what happens at the 2:28 mark. This is my favorite bridge of the entire album.
At the midpoint, the song ‘Forgive You’, feels a bit like a throwback, but not to the 60’s. This one makes me wonder how Stevie Wonder or Michael McDonald would’ve sounded on it in 1980. It’s that good. This is my personal favorite track on the album.
‘Lions’ give us a nice late night chill vibe. ‘If It Feels Good, Then It Must Be’ feels like a single. A summertime, summer fun song.
With ‘You Don’t Know’ I get the same summertime, big hit vibes as I did with the previous track. It’s just so much fun bouncing to this upbeat song. I’m loving the instrumentation on this album but the bass line invokes the ghost of Bernard Edwards. So groove orientated.
Second to last song is ‘Mrs’. Anyone that has ever been in a passionate relationship can relate to this song. Bridges lays down silky smooth harmonies in the chorus. Also note the great guitar work on this track.
The album concludes with maybe the most important song/lyrics on the whole album, ‘Georgia to Texas’. “Got my mothers eyes and my fathers nose. …got my brothers hand me down clothes.” Great lyrics that make you visualize. He does this and more on this song. The song is carried by the amazing tone of an upright bass. When the drums and piano accompany each other we are close to perfection. That is until the saxophone comes in with a soulful soothing solo.
Overall, Leon Bridges does an amazing job of taking a huge leap forward onto his second album and lands safely on solid ground. The production is second to none. The sky is truly the limit. We’ll see him in January at the Grammy Awards.
9/10
-TM