Leon Bridges – Happiness Anytime [Album Stream]

Leon Bridges reunites soul and dance rhythms on Happiness Anytime, his album produced with Jungle’s J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto.

Leon Bridges wanted to make music he could dance to again. On Happiness Anytime, he works with Jungle’s J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto to put rhythm at the center of his soul sound. Brass and guitar move with the beat on “Light the Way,” while the bassline of “Talk It Over” keeps the song in motion even as Bridges sings through a strained relationship.

The album’s brightness has room for harder feelings. “Illusion” finds Bridges trying to stay present amid frustration, and the songs introduced on Happiness Anytime: Part 2 move between yearning and encouragement. On “Take My Hand,” bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Eric Harland joined the recording for a single take. That spontaneity gets close to what Bridges is after here: joy as something to reach for, even when life gives him reasons to hesitate.