Overrated/Underrated: Leon Bridges’ ‘Good Thing,’ and let the fall of music festivals begin

UNDERRATED

‘Big Dreams, Small Spaces’ on Netflix: With summer not-so-slowly creeping around the corner in Los Angeles, it’s an ideal time to grow familiar with this import, which is set in the damp green spaces of Britain. An outdoor makeover show that follows the lead of easygoing garden guru Monty Don, who is viewed by his collaborator in each episode with a starstruck reverence, the series offers gentle yet hopeful assistance in making the best of each person’s possibilities with their yards and patios. The show’s gentle pacing and easy, introverted charm might encourage you to get your hands in the earth as well.

Leon Bridges’ ‘Good Thing’: A Texas-raised R&B singer whose voice seemed to raise the spirit of Sam Cooke on his Grammy-nominated 2015 debut “Coming Home,” Bridges shows he’s much more than just a throwback act on the recently released follow-up. Whether it be the Pharrell-adjacent funk on “If It Feels Good (It Must Be),” the propulsive soul-jazz of “Bad Bad News” or swooning ballads like “Beyond,” Bridges builds on his initial promise with an album whose sound still has an ear for the past but centers on a voice so strong it also sounds timeless.

OVERRATED

Music festivals: Let us mourn, briefly, the passing of L.A.’s own FYF, a reliably eclectic summer gathering that broke from its many, mostly indistinguishable three-day contemporaries this year by booking multiple female headliners. The festival was canceled last Sunday, citing flagging sales, and whether it was a result of its cost or its connection to a founder who has been accused of sexual assault, the silver lining is the possibility that this could help stem the tide of the over-festival-ification of the concert season. Go see an artist, one artist, for one night instead — it can still change your life.

The Royal Wedding: It’s been just over seven years and a Middleton ago since America has gotten so fascinated by the romantic entanglements of the House of Windsor, an ongoing fixation that feels a little like checking in on your former landlord long after you’ve moved away. And yet here we with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and as the big day approaches, no detail is too small for the buildup to an event that will also be simulcast in some 200 theaters. While the show could be more satisfying than say “Overboard,” it’s a strange commentary that our obsession with celebrity can transcend borders and bloodlines.

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chris.barton@latimes.com

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