A Review of Mumford & Sons x Pharrell Williams' 'Good People'
- by Peter Källman
- in Reviews
An unexpected collaboration between Mumford & Sons and Pharrell Williams has led to the release of a new song “Good People.” It kind of sounds a bit more soulful, something like Imagine Dragons could brew up. The vocals by Mumford & Sons are bluesy and mostly stay in the same tonality for the whole song. The end has an open bridge which rides the song out. The whole song is driven by the repeating eighth-note claps, which everything else sort of revolves around. Many artists are against using monotonous drum samples and patterns in their songs. But remember, if you have one solid anchor that brings the same rhythm to the whole song, then just play with stuff around that; the monotony can actually fit really well. So it does in this song. You often can’t have a song that is pure structure and order with rhythmics and note choices hitting exactly where people expect them to hit. At the same time, you can’t have a song that is pure chaos, with no cohesiveness that leads the listener to just drop interest.
I think this latest collaborative release will fit very well in the ears of a listener who tunes in to pop a few times a week, maybe heard a Ray Charles song or two in their life. For someone who has listened to music constantly for 20 years, discovering every single nook and cranny of what people’s auditory imaginations can conjure, "Good People" feels like plain yogurt with no condiments. Not saying that it is a bad release. It just goes down so easily that it can’t be remembered or forgotten. The song is a co-production by Pharrell Williams and Mumford & Sons. In addition, co-writing credit is for Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, Pharrell Williams, and Ted Dwane. I think on their own, both Pharrell and Mumford have released projects that far surpass what "Good People" is. But I one hundred percent think you should give it a listen.
The song does bring something out of both Pharrell/Mumford that you would not expect from either of them on their own. I find it hard to see exactly which parts of the song “belong” to which writer. Because it is undoubtable that during a collaboration, as much as the writers would like it to sound like a perfect mesh between two musical souls, one part will sound more like the other writer while one part sounds more like the other writer. One problem during a collaboration is when both writers sort of get their way but not really, not being able to implement the ideas they truly want and settling for a different version of what they imagined. Then there will be a clash between the vision of both artists; nobody gets their way, and you could end up with just sort of a bland end product. The solo artist wants to bring something out of themselves for the project but also has a vision for what they want to bring out of the other artist. Of course, this can clash. I can’t quite tell what the case for "Good People" is, but I highly encourage you to listen to it.
As for the scenario for where you would listen to this song, picture this: One car, driving on a mountainous forest road. The chorus of the song kicks in, enhancing the sturdiness and overall attractiveness of the vehicle. The bridge kicks in. Something about the sun and that it is rising. The car drives off into the sunrise. Commercial over.
