For connoisseurs of good soul and R&B music, the arrival of a new Leon Bridges album is reason for celebration. Like his successful 2016 debut Coming Home, Good Thing looks mostly back but is by no means backward. Texas born Bridges fuses a unique appreciation for the classics to subtle modern stylistic techniques to produce what has loosely been called retro-soul.
I think of the sound as more revisionist soul. Imagine if Sam Cooke or Curtis Mayfield abandoned a studio with the band’s equipment still intact only to be discovered 50 years later by a hipster who records an album using the original instruments. That would describe the locked-in-time sound of Ricky Reed’s production.
Good Thing jumps 10 to 15 years into a future after the Cook inspired debut, but still lands before R&B got all electronic with cow bells and drum machines. The result is a blur in time that’s hard to pin down, but generates memories of analog warmth from the Philly Soul era.
Time is not the only jump made in Good Thing as the album’s 10 tracks were recorded in multiple locations (North Carolina, Texas and California). That may have accounted for some of Good Thing’s stylistic swings. There’s the jazz and blues of “Mrs.” to near modern dance pop of “You Don’t Know”. Interestingly enough “You Don’t Know” sounds like it could have been written for Justin Timberlake, especially when Bridges sings in his occasional falsetto. Like any number of tracks on this album it’s mostly about personal relationships and resists the trend of political protest.
Musically, there is less stylistic restraint than before, yet the songs stay closely structured around guitar, bass and drums. When keyboards do appear, it’s so subtle as not to even be noticed. Sonic adventures occur in subtle modern flourishes that range from new jack swing-like harmonies of “Bad Bad News” to the D’Angelo styled funk of “Lions”.
Good Thing is at it’s best when it connects to the past without any pretense toward deliberate modernism. The before mentioned “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” might be the best soul song this year. It successfully recreates and combines multiple inspirations from the the phrasing of Otis Redding to the warmth and muted optimism of Smokey Robinson. If the song sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it borrows heavily from Curtis Mayfield 1970 hit “Makings of You,”. Mayfield even gets co-writing credits for the song.
Good Thing settles mostly into a mid tempo grove, but on occasion picks up the pace as on “If It Feels Good”, a song whos rhythm section could have been lifted from The Whispers “It’s a Love Thing”. Other dance songs like the more modern influenced ‘You Don’t Know” move the Bridges formula out of the golden age of R&B and might be an out of character single pick.
While not as focused as his debut, Good Thing is still one of the better R&B releases of 2018 (so far) and might snag a few new fans on the strength of the excellent “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand”. Like most higher end R&B music these days, Good Thing might be the victim of it’s own sophistication.
The traditional core audience (black youth) has been supplanted by older white hipsters who seem to have more of an appreciation for his retro-infused style. Contemporary black audiences on the other hand seem obsessed with rap and booty shaking. It’s a challenge that similar artists like Raphael Saadiq or Meshell Ndegeocello face. Bridges himself has complained of the lack of black fans at his live performances. Good Thing goes a bit further to cross the divide, but maybe not far enough to appeal to the typical 16 year old who seems to drive the mainstream R&B audience. Its a better album for not making that connection.
Beatopolis 