Leon Bridges announces new album "Good Thing" (May 4, 2018), shares 2 new songs

Well I’m digging this record, albeit not as much as his first album.

But I wonder if I would like it as much if I listened to any other artists besides him who make this sort of music.

 

Got a copy of the vinyl delivered yesterday. I went in to this thinking I was going to be very disappointed. My wife is a big fan so wanted her to enjoy our first listen. I have to say that I am very surprised with this. I actually liked it and much more than I expected. Yes, the raw vibe that made up his first album is gone, but the production on this new album is really good. Sure, a more modern day R & B sound to the grooves, but in much more cooler way than a lot of the main stream sounds out there right now.

I even heard shades of Prince on some of this. Some good funk, even a shade of disco, and some nice smooth jamming throughout the entire album make this a very enjoyable album. For the most part, pretty much a different sound from the first album as we know, but really looking forward to the next listen. Could not believe how much I liked this album. No doubt this album is going to get trashed by die hard fans of the first album, but I'm glad I gave this an open chance. I normally do not like this type of music.

Vinyl - 180G, nice and flat, quiet as can be (included a download card) and the sound quality is excellent, Highly Recommended! Columbia hit this one out of the park! Cardboard inner sleeve with notes and lyrics, just have to clean and place in MoFi sleeve.

 

I can surely see a lot of Leon Bridges fans not loving this because it's certainly a departure, but I gotta say I love it more than I thought I would. It's a nice short album, clocking in right around 32 minutes so I think it could be a good candidate as a grower album for some, and even grow on me more. I always know that if I listen to an album pushing 60 minutes or more and wasn't really in love on first listen, it takes a while for me to return to it and honestly, with so much music out there I don't always come back to it. I have a feeling I'll be spinning this one in my car a lot this week.

As much as I loved the Coming Home sound, if he would have followed that path it probably would have ended up sounding too similar to that album. Consider Louisiana Sun (From The Coming Home Sessions) as your Coming Home Pt. 2 and consider Good Thing to be artistic evolution.

I picked the CD up for $10 at Target and a good looking yellow vinyl pressing at B&N today that I'm anxious to spin later tonight. The CD was really loud and I had to turn down the bass. I am hoping the vinyl is an improvement.

My hunch is that for every fan of Coming Home that doesn't dig this, he'll pick up another 2 new fans.

 

I skipped the first album precisely because it sounded like a gimmicky retread of Sam Cooke and music of that era. Though I love music of that era - my patience for genre/era pastiche has worn a little thin lately. That's why I'm enjoying Good Thing. Contemporary r&b through a vintage lens. A bit like D'Angelo.

 

Interesting read, particularly regarding race - and the fact that most of his fans are white. For lack of more graceful phrasing, black music is constantly moving forward and very infrequently looks back.

Nostalgia for a lost era and resurrecting the sounds and styles of the past is a uniquely white/European trend. It's easy to look back when life's been easy and comfortable. Just look at rock music - from the Rolling Stones finding inspiration in archaic blues during their rise in the 60's to Jack White and Dan Auerbach in the last decade and a half, building careers solely off vintage sounds and retro styles. There's a certain vintage black "cool" and "authenticity" that white artists, and white audiences, seem to thirst for.

Leon Bridges' success is born out of that. From his dress style, to the vintage sounds. It's pastiche. I can imagine black kids looking at that and thinking it's corny, and older black people thinking "why would I even want to listen to this when I've already got Sam Cooke?" Also, frankly, the 60's probably weren't a very fun time for black people anyway, so why relive that? By contrast, white audiences love nostalgia and kitsch - and they tend to love black music long after its sell-by date to actual black audiences. There's the old joke that only white people listen to blues, jazz, and vintage soul anymore, and there's some truth to that.

I can see why a young black artist like Leon Bridges would want to update his sound to cater to a more diverse (ie. black) audience. I think an artist like D'Angelo has navigated that mix very well - albeit only with three albums in the past two decades, but I can see Leon Bridges moving into that territory. Bridging the gap between past and present. I like it, and I prefer it.

 

A bit perplexed by these comments...His first album sounded like "gimmicky Sam Cooke" seriously? Well gimmicky or not, his first album (all though not original by any means) was cool as hell to me, and many others!

I like the new album as well, but if you think "Good Thing" is not gimmicky, then you must not have looked at the back cover with that hideous glove on his arm...

Crooked Bill, I respect your view, but the whole pastiche thing is a bit much...so if a new band comes a long and sounds like old Rolling Stones, you would just prefer to just listen to the real thing? I say nothing wrong if a newer artist has an older style down right and can produce great music by doing so!

 

Try Aloe Blacc - Good Feeling or Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It. I also like the first album better and fell rather indifferent to this one.

 

Thanks -- I'll check them out today.

 

I should also mention James Hunter - People Gonna Talk

 

Exactly.

 

Respectfully, the visual style and sound of "Coming Home" was pure, on-the-nose, nostalgia/retro. Not very remarkable in my opinion. I haven't seen the new album artwork, besides the cover, but sure - some element of retro style is going to be part of this artist, but the sound and style of "Good Thing" is obviously more of a natural blend of styles/eras. It's more appealing to me, and I'm sure it'll be more appealing to a wider audience.

Yeah, when a new band comes along that obviously apes another band from another era without putting much of a unique stamp on it, I don't bother with them. There's a subtle difference between homage, and cheap pastiche. This is, for example, why I don't have any time for the Plant/Zeppelin buffoonery of Greta Van Fleet. Actual Plant/Zeppelin will always be better.

Just my opinion, folks.

 

Really love the drum sound on Georgia To Texas.

 

I feared the worst with this one, but am really enjoying it after three listens. I think Leon’s lyrics have been smoothed out a bit, where Ince they could be wordy and awkward at time. Likewise, his vocal style has evolved and I think he’s singing better this time round.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Josh Block and Austin Jenkins over time. Would be terrible if they left White Denim just to feature in Leon’s first album and a bit of their second.

 

I have only listened to it once but it is an improvement than the first. He sounds much more comfortable, relaxed and confident. I like this groove.

 

can anyone report what type of digital files is included with the download card? mp3, flac, wav?

 

This. I assumed they would be a big part of the second album. I even expected writing credits to be honest. If they aren’t going to be prominently used by LB they could sure do some good going back to White Denim.

 

i LOVE this sophomore album from Leon. I cant wait to see him at Red Rocks next next month!

 

Here is a great segment from this morning's airing of the CBS News Sunday Morning: Leon Bridges raises his voice.
Confession #1: Before watching today, I had never heard of Mr. Bridges.
Confession #2: I've ordered his discography. Hopefully, many more will follow.
Confession #3: This is why the viewing of this show is my "church"... for forty years as of next January.

 

I can't believe I said favorable things about this album. This is with out a doubt one of the worst follow up albums I have ever heard in my life, the music is even worse than the cover with that hideous glove he has on. Please go back to the sound that made people listen in the first place. No wonder this album wound up in the cut out bins so fast...

 

I just found this guy - his first LP is awesome

 

Get the companion ep.

 

I was given this album on vinyl, I like it

On the front a sticker says "digital download"

On the code inside it says "Offer expires 31 Dec 2019". The link doesn't work.

Who would I contact to try and get this?

Tim