Leon Bridges is wasting no time in building our anticipation for his forthcoming project, Good Thing. The album's first two songs, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" and "Bad Bad News," had already been in steady rotation for the past few weeks. But then he enhanced our audio enjoyment with intriguing visuals for "Bad Bad News" and an official Good Thing Tour announcement. Now he takes it step further with the release of a new music video for Good Thing's lead single.
Like the previous visual, "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" is set in New York City, directed by Natalie Rae, features a lovely model (Kapri Hockaday, this time) as leading lady and is enigmatically intriguing. The vibe here is different, though, as we take a peek into the lives of people grappling with moments of emotional pain. Leon literally floats into their lives, bringing hugs, comfort or a shoulder to lean/cry on. His presence facilitates healing for these individuals, but can he do the same thing for the person whose pain was caused by him?
The director expounds on the theme via press release, saying, "We watch Leon unable to be grounded as he floats through the lives of people who are disconnected. As he sings we tap into an increasingly common feeling of disconnection from each other and ourselves. Leon tries to feel connected through bringing comfort to the people he crosses like a guardian angel, until we find out who he is looking for. The video leaves us wondering what may linger in loss and regret if we are not able to be present to the relationships around us.”
While the clip is different than what we expected for the soulful breakup song, it certainly makes an impression. Watch "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" below, pre-order Good Thing ahead of its May 4th release and visit Leon's website for a full listing of Good Thing Tour dates, where he'll be supported by various opening acts including Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Masego and Thai-funk trio Khruangbin.
