Two years after ‘Leon’, the most stylish soulman in today’s music is back. Leon Bridges has announced a sun-soaked, summer-themed album titled ‘Happiness Anytime’, and he has already unveiled four of the twelve tracks it will feature. All of them are produced by none other than two members of Jungle: Lydia Kitto and Joshua Lloyd-Watson.
Jungle’s fingerprints are evident in the treatment of the backing vocals and guitars, most clearly on ‘Your Love Is Electric’, the track that comes closest to a classic fusion of R&B and disco.
In the remaining four songs, the Nigerian highlife influence is palpable, especially in the rhythms and vocal arrangements, with group choruses like the “oh, don’t worry” in ‘Tears of Joy’ or the chants in ‘Illusion’. Rich in instrumental arrangements of percussion, brass, and guitars, these tracks demonstrate Bridges’ craft in writing songs that go beyond a simple hook.
And that doesn’t mean they lack a hook. Particularly ‘Light the Way’, which, with intertwined percussion, a funky-picked guitar, psychedelic-tinged synths, chants of “da, da, da” and trumpet riffs, creates a vibrant atmosphere rich in nuance. On top of it, Leon Bridges sings with the natural ease and calm that define his style, in a laid-back, chill performance that makes the song the perfect companion for this heatwave.
The instrumental sophistication of ‘Light the Way’, however, sits side by side with a sense of lightness, as Bridges has explained in an interview. And note what he says: “There’s that sense that we have to solve the world’s problems; that can make you feel insufficient or even paralyze you. My role is to bring lightness. I hope that comes through on this album.” In these four tracks, that certainly seems to be the case. ‘Happiness Anytime’ arrives on September 25.
