It is fair to say that George Collins has a great way of cutting to the creative chase, of getting quickly to the point, be it lyrically or in terms of hook and immediacy: no long preamble, no unnecessary musical baggage, just the sonic goods being delivered. And never was this truer than with his latest single, unlike this rambling, overly-verbose and repetitive opening sentence!
Just look at the title, ‘Happiness Looks Good on You,’ unequivocal and signposting the theme of the song even before you even drop the needle. And not only does he tell his story of embracing the future, staying positive, and leaving all your troubles behind, but he also gets to that immensely infectious, sing-along, sway-along, dance-along chorus in under a minute.
Brass breezes through, gospel harmonies back up his contagious positivity, dynamics ebb and flow, acoustic guitars gently sketch out the shape of the song, and no more, pianos chime and charm, and the whole song puts a smile on your face.
George Collins is the epitome of the modern troubadour, not just wandering the world, making it a better place for his lovely, optimistic songs, but wandering the musical map and exploring whichever sounds and styles he needs to best deliver what he has to say.
Here it is R&B, classic soul balladry, a hint of singer-songwriter roots, and infectious pop vibes (though such a maligned term perhaps doesn’t do the song justice) that he juggles; tomorrow it will be something else, perhaps even the polar opposite. And why not? The song is the thing! If ever there was an artist that summed up the idea of generic tribal allegiance, easy categorization, and staying in their own creative lane…George Collins, thankfully, is not it; in fact, he probably couldn’t get further removed from such outdated notions if he tried.
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