Good Thing
Columbia
2018
Rating: 6 terminated water intake systems out of 10
There is nothing wrong with this new album from Leon Bridges, “Good Thing” - it’s just not the Leon Bridges record I wanted. His debut, “Coming Home,” was a nearly flawless throwback to the golden era of soul, the soul I grew up listening to and still love over all other music of its ilk. It was an untouchable homage to the classic R&B sound of the sixties and seventies, and I listened to the shit out of it – more so than any soul record released in the last 30-40 years (or whenever those classic Sade releases came out). Sadly, Mr. Bridges decided to go a more modern route this time - it’s still not really like what you hear on the radio these days, but much more in that ballpark than his first record. “Good Thing” is more of a nineties Brand New Heavies/jazzy version of soul, and for what it is, it’s pretty damn good; it just isn’t what it was. I obviously don’t begrudge the man, an artist grows and the fans don’t get to pick the direction, but you can certainly be disappointed in the results. You still get some hints of his old sound in album opener “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand” and “Mrs.”, which are just enough of a taste to remind you of what could have been, but isn’t.
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