Album Review: Leon Bridges - Good Thing

Following up an out-of-nowhere smash is always a challenge, not least because the expectations have changed. One important trap to avoid is trying to please your larger fanbase by copying whatever's popular at the time.

Leon Bridges developed his expressive, personal style through countless open-mic nights, extensively road testing the songs that would make up his debut album. That album, Coming Home, was recorded with vintage equipment and local musicians. Good Thing is an attempt to head in a more modern direction with a smoother sound that slips more easily into the background. It's an approach that helps amplify Bridges' confessional material, like the yearning Beyond and the understated hustle of Bad Bad News, where a fluid bassline is enough to give some street feeling to '70s-style jazz-funk.

But the latter half is more of a middle-of-the-road, drive-time snoozer, with slick, upbeat numbers that fail to play to Bridges' strengths. The worst example is the glossy You Don't Know, a synth-driven dalliance that sticks out like a sore thumb. Bridges' talent is undisputed, but history may judge Good Thing as something of a misstep.