ONCE AGAIN ~ John Legend
“Get Lifted” was such an incredible album to launch with. A popular and critical success, it ticked all the right boxes and had Kanye Wests rubber stamp of approval on it. By anyone’s standards, it would be a hard act to follow.
But where his first was a hotchpotch of sounds, old and new, his latest album “Once Again” is much more focused and has a definite retro vibe to it. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine this album as a crackling LP spinning on an old-time record player. Everything from the instrumentation to the production is a throwback to golden age of Motown (with one or two exceptions). This overarching style certainly wont be everyone’s cup of tea, but that era is a particular favourite of mine.
I used to think that John, as an artist, was something Kanye West gave birth to, but Kanyes influence on this album is minimal, and almost every track is co-penned by John himself.
By and large, the album is dominated by the theme of love. The melodies range from light and bouncy, to lush and romantic. There’s nothing too heavy going on here. Johns voice is as emotive as ever and just like Stevie Wonder, his songs contain notes that would sound completely off key if anyone else but him sang them.
John Legend is definitely back, not with a bang, but more of a sensual thrust :P
Standout Tracks
- Show Me
- Each Day Gets Better
- P.D.A (We Just Don’t Care)
- Again
- Where Did My Baby Go
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