Sound: On John Legend’s debut album Get Lifted (my #4 album of 2005), he expertly mixed vintage soul with modern hip hop and r&b. On Once Again, classic Motown, doo-wop, and pop standards take a more prominent role as most of the modern touches are only present in the production.
Vocals: His husky and hearty timbre sticks to your ribs with its smooth, relaxed confidence.
Lyrics: John’s seductive, sentimental and scorned love songs are better written this time around. Most of the clunky lines - that were the only drawback to Get Lifted - have been kicked to the curb.
Heavy Rotation tracks: “Stereo”; “Heaven”; “Save Room”; “Where Did My Baby Go?”
Medium Rotation tracks: “P.D.A. (We Just Don’t Care)”; “Show Me”
Explicit Lyrics*: “Slow Dance”
Recommended: If you want to hear one of today’s finest singers and musicians deliver an accomplished, but old-sounding album. He’s still great, but it’s too bad he ditched most of the contemporary flavor that made him a vital new artist.
Grade: B+
* Noting of explicit lyrics is for the benefit of radio music directors or anyone else that needs/wants to keep their music FCC-friendly.
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