Leon Bridges with Jungle in the producer credits is a combination that deserves a place in the group chat. His new album, Happiness Anytime, arrives September 25 through Columbia, with J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of Jungle producing.
There are collaborations that need a long explanation. This one makes a compelling invitation before anyone presses play: a singer with a strong presence, working with musicians who have made movement central to their identity.
Start with the songs already out
Columbia’s announcement introduced the record through four tracks on July 17: “Light The Way,” “Tears Of Joy,” “Illusion” and “Your Love Is Electric.” The rollout divides the 12-song album into three four-track releases. The official listening page takes you to your preferred service.
Four songs make a useful first appointment. You can hear enough to develop a preference and then put the track that sticks into a mix of your own. A release has started doing its real work when it moves from a promotional post into someone’s evening.
That is how we would approach this one: make room for a proper listen, then see which song you want to send to somebody. You do not need to decide where the album ranks in Bridges’ career before it has even arrived in full.
The live idea is especially tempting
The label describes a revamped stage production with a vinyl DJ, horns and three backing vocalists, with Bridges returning to dancing at the front. Bassist Pino Palladino also joined the album sessions.
That stage setup is the detail that makes the project feel like an event. There is something appealing about a show arranged to keep the room moving between its big moments. A DJ can hold the atmosphere; a band can change its scale. The prospect of those elements working together gives this release a life beyond the usual album-cover reveal.
We want to see how that intention carries through the full record. Does the sequence keep inviting you back in? Do the quieter moments give the next groove somewhere to go? Those are questions for the music, and much more interesting ones than whether the collaboration looks good in a headline.
A date for the listening calendar
September 25 is the full-album date. Until then, the released songs offer the most direct introduction to what Bridges, Lloyd-Watson and Kitto have made together.
Our plan is to give the album an evening, with speakers and enough time for the sequence to unfold. A collaboration with this much promise deserves more attention than a few seconds between notifications.
Photo: Joshua Kissi, via Columbia Records / Sony Music.
