Leon Bridges Invites Jungle Into the Room for Happiness Anytime

Leon Bridges and Jungle in the same creative room? That is the kind of sentence that makes us clear a little space between the sofa and the coffee table.

Bridges’ Happiness Anytime, set for release September 25 through Columbia, brings Jungle’s J. Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto into the producer seats. The 12-song project was announced with a rollout of three four-song EPs; its first chapter included “Light the Way,” “Tears of Joy,” “Illusion” and “Your Love Is Electric.” The official announcement has the release details.

The origin story is refreshingly unforced. According to that announcement, an initial four-day session produced six songs. Bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Eric Harland also appear on “Take My Hand.” Those are reasons to pay attention to the people building the music, not simply the name printed largest on its cover.

Our connection with Bridges reaches back to “Motorbike,” when the journey itself was part of the pleasure. This time, the interesting question is what happens when his voice meets collaborators whose own work puts movement at the center.

Consider this a release-day invitation, not a verdict on an album we are asking you to explore. Start with the opening chapter, then give the whole sequence room. We want artists to surprise us without having to abandon the qualities that made us fall for them. This partnership gives us a particularly good reason to listen for that balance.

Official Leon Bridges release/promotional artwork. Image source.

Bubbling Box Team

The Bubbling Box Team curates quick reads, release briefs and daily world headlines with clear attribution and direct links to the original reporting. Original reviews, interviews and commentary remain credited to Chetuno or Leah.