It may seem odd for Leon Bridges to release a summery record at the tail end of summer, yet the material on Happiness Anytime is sure to carry Bridges into next year’s festival season. In his fifth album, Bridges refreshes his sound with Jungle’s help, pushing his soul toward funk, R&B, Nigerian highlife, Latin rhythms, and disco. It’s a retro, warm, carefree record, more focused on the groove than on traditional songwriting.
“Light the Way” and “Tears of Joy” are pure, upbeat highlife, while “Illusion” or “Your Love Is Electric” explore funk and disco. Jungle’s imprint is particularly audible on “Talk It Over,” with harmonies that verge on gospel, though the whole album is filled with small details. Trumpets, saxophones, guitars, organs, and percussion cradle the tracks with exquisite production and instrumentation.
The melodies feel a little scattered and some songs don’t quite land, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t pretty. “Watch You Dance” sprinkles psychedelic guitars into the funk formula, while “The Way It Goes” has a George McCrae-like vibe lacking only that singer’s melodic pull. “Take My Hand” comes across more hazy, yet it preserves the warmth that runs through the entire album.
“Fly Baby” shows Bridges can lean toward a more conventional approach without losing charm. It’s a lovely indie-pop number—simple, easy to listen to, with a pretty melody and a particularly charming final whistle. “Please Don’t Say Goodbye” closes the record with a classic Motown mood, though it’s one of those songs that can drift by too easily.
Bridges remains the cool frontman who elegantly supports the songs even when they don’t seem to have much to say. Happiness Anytime perhaps leans more on aesthetics than on truly memorable songs, but the production and instrumentation are rich in detail and everything sounds impeccably performed. It’s a light, sunny album that seems made to keep him company until next summer.
