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Good Thing (Leon Bridges album)

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Good Thing
Studio album by
Leon Bridges
ReleasedMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
Studio
Length34:46
LabelColumbia
Producer
  • King Garbage
  • Nate Mercereau
  • Niles City Sound
  • Ricky Reed
Leon Bridges chronology
Coming Home
(2015) 		Good Thing
(2018) 		Gold-Diggers Sound
(2021)
Singles from Good Thing
  1. "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand"
    Released: March 13, 2018
  2. "Bad Bad News"
    Released: March 13, 2018
  3. "Beyond"
    Released: April 20, 2018

Good Thing is the second studio album by American singer Leon Bridges. It was released on May 4, 2018, by Columbia Records. The album was supported by three singles: "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand", "Bad Bad News" and "Beyond".

Good Thing received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards. Its single "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Singles

[edit]

The album's dual singles, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" and "Bad Bad News", were released for digital download on March 13, 2018,[1][2] with "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" later sent to urban contemporary radio on April 10, 2018.[3]

The album's third single, "Beyond", was released on April 20, 2018,[4][5] it was later sent to urban contemporary radio on April 30, 2018.[6]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[7]
Metacritic74/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Exclaim!8/10[10]
The Guardian[11]
The Independent[12]
NME[13]
The Observer[14]
Paste6.7/10[15]
Pitchfork7.2/10[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
Slant Magazine[18]

Good Thing was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on 17 reviews.[8] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[7]

Chris Willman of Variety gave the album a positive review stating, "The new album is not that drastically less of a classicist affair than Coming Home, when all is said and done, but this time it's a whole variety pack of retro".[19] Luke Fox of Exclaim! wrote: "Leon Bridges' sophomore record rings as an endorsement of his range. And that's a great thing for Good Thing, which tempers its pop-radio ambitions with unique bends on the age-old love song in this super-tight, 35-minute ride."[10] Tara Joshi of The Guardian said, "Bridges doesn't entirely leave behind his old-school roots, but, while Good Thing is hardly the next Blonde or, indeed, 24K Magic, it leaves you with a greater sense of who he is: loved-up, and striving for a level of ambition that feels within reach".[11] Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Olivia Horn said that "On Good Thing, Bridges has kept his heart on his sleeve but updated his parlance to something a little less affected, a little more believable".[16] Joe Levy of Rolling Stone said, "Not everything works. "If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)" and "You Don't Know" feel like fake Pharrell, which is some pretty thin plastic. But the closers—the skin-to-skin makeup sex ballad "Mrs." and the free-ranging autobiographical narrative "Georgia to Texas" (Bridges' second tribute to his mom in as many albums)—show how expansive and individual Bridges can be, even as he guns for the charts".[17]

In more mixed reviews, Slant Magazine's Zachary Hoskins stated: "The album falters when Bridges strays from his retro-soul wheelhouse."[18] Kitty Empire of The Observer said, "Certain sections of Bridges's audience are likely to define themselves against modern forms, so there is a risk here. But Bridges handles the transition deftly".[14] Kate Lismore of DIY commented that, "While he proves in spades that he's not merely a throwback artist who has to rely on nostalgia, the mishmash of sounds coming from the album does feel a little muddled at times".[20]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings of Good Thing
Publication List Rank Ref.
Clash Clash Albums of the Year 2018
24
[21]
Exclaim! Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums
7
[22]
Uproxx The 50 Best Albums of 2018
34
[23]

Industry awards

[edit]
Awards and nominations for Good Thing
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2018 Soul Train Music Awards Best Album of the Year Nominated
[24]
2019 Grammy Awards Best R&B Album Nominated
[25]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Good Thing debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with 66,000 album-equivalent units, of which 59,000 were pure album sales.[26]

Track listing

[edit]
Good Thing track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bet Ain't Worth the Hand"
3:05
2."Bad Bad News"
  • Bridges
  • Mercereau
  • Frederic
  • Hector
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Mercereau
  • Reed
3:27
3."Shy"
  • Reed
  • Niles City Sound
3:14
4."Beyond"
  • Mercereau
  • Reed
4:00
5."Forgive You"
  • Bridges
  • Mercereau
  • Frederic
  • Tranter
  • Mercereau
  • Reed
3:41
6."Lions"
  • Bridges
  • Zachary Cooper
  • Frederic
  • Victor Dimotsis
  • Hector
  • Reed
  • King Garbage
3:02
7."If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)"
  • Reed
  • Mercereau
3:14
8."You Don't Know"
  • Bridges
  • Frederic
  • Hector
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Reed
  • Niles City Sound
2:52
9."Mrs."
  • Bridges
  • Cooper
  • Frederic
  • Tranter
  • Dimotsis
  • Reed
  • King Garbage
4:02
10."Georgia to Texas"
  • Bridges
  • Frederic
  • Block
  • Jenkins
  • Reed
  • Niles City Sound
4:09
Total length:34:46
Japanese edition[27]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Naomi"
  • Bridges
  • Frederic
  • Mercereau
  • Tranter
  • Jenkins
  • Block
  • Reed
  • Mercereau
3:50
Total length:38:41

Notes

  • "Bad Bad News" features background vocals from Austin Michael Jenkins, Joshua Block, and Ricky Reed
  • "Shy" and "You Don't Know" features background vocals from Brittni Jessie
  • "Lions" features background vocals from Victor Dimotsis
  • "If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)" features background vocals from Ricky Reed, Joshua Block, Austin Jenkins, and Brittni Jessie

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[28]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Good Thing
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] 8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 17
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 176
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 3
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[33] 85
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 22
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] 93
Irish Albums (IRMA)[36] 44
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 13
Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] 25
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[39] 47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[41] 20
US Billboard 200[26] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[42] 3

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Aron A. (March 13, 2018). "Leon Bridges Returns With "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Hughes, Hilary (March 13, 2018). "Leon Bridges Dives Into A Fresh Groove With Two New Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Montes, Patrick (April 20, 2018). "Leon Bridges Drops New 'Good Thing' Single "Beyond"". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Patterson, Adreon (April 20, 2018). "Leon Bridges Might Have Found the One on New Single "Beyond"". Paste. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Good Thing by Leon Bridges reviews – Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Good Thing by Leon Bridges". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Good Thing – Leon Bridges". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Fox, Luke (May 11, 2018). "Leon Bridges Good Thing". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Joshi, Tara (May 4, 2018). "Leon Bridges: Good Thing review – polished soul voice makes pop his own". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (May 2, 2018). "Album reviews: Plan B, Peace, Gaz Coombes, Leon Bridges, Frank Turner, Eleanor Friedberger". The Independent. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  13. ^ Milton, Jamie (May 1, 2018). "Leon Bridges – 'Good Thing' Review". NME. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (May 6, 2018). "Leon Bridges: Good Thing review – R&B sensation eases his way out of the 60s". The Observer. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  15. ^ Desler, Madison (May 2, 2018). "Leon Bridges: Good Thing Review". Paste. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Horn, Olivia (May 8, 2018). "Leon Bridges: Good Thing Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Levy, Joe (May 3, 2018). "Review: Leon Bridges' 'Good Thing' Is a Modern Vision of Classic Soul". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Hoskins, Zachary (May 2, 2018). "Leon Bridges: Good Thing". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  19. ^ Willman, Chris (May 4, 2018). "Album Review: Leon Bridges' 'Good Thing'". Variety. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  20. ^ Lismore, Kate (4 May 2018). "Leon Bridges – Good Thing". DIY. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Clash Albums of the Year 2018". Clash. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  22. ^ "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums". Exclaim!. December 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  23. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Uproxx. December 3, 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  24. ^ Bennett, Jessica (November 26, 2018). "Soul Train Awards 2018: The Complete Winners List". Ebony. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  25. ^ Variety Staff (February 10, 2019). "2019 Grammys Winners List". Variety. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (May 13, 2018). "Post Malone's 'Beerbongs & Bentleys' Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  27. ^ "ディスコグラフィ リオン・ブリッジズ ソニーミュージック オフィシャルサイト" (in Japanese). Sony Music Japan. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  28. ^ Good Thing (booklet). Leon Bridges. Columbia. 2018. 19075839942.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Leon Bridges – Good Thing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Leon Bridges – Good Thing" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  32. ^ "Leon Bridges Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  33. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 19.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  34. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Leon Bridges – Good Thing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  35. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Leon Bridges – Good Thing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  36. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 11 May 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  37. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  39. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 19: del 4.5.2018 al 10.5.2018" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  40. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Leon Bridges – Good Thing". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  41. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  42. ^ "Leon Bridges Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
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