John Legend might have sailed into the hip-hop scene via Kanye West, but on his sophomore album, Once Again, John proves he's an artist in his own right. Produced by Kanye, Raphael Saadiq, and will.i.am, Once Again brings back soul and R&B from the '60s and '70s and combines those sounds with contemporary hip-hop beats.
This time around, John takes us on a lustful journey as he falls in and out of love, goes after the wrong women, and loses the right woman. Of course, he's still creeping around behind his girl's back in "Again" (I feel so alive, it won't last, but it's alright/fleeting joy and fading ecstasy/here's it going again, oh/sneaking fruit from the forbidden tree/sweet taste of sin). Compulsive cheating aside, John strives to find true love with one girl in "Each Day Gets Better" (I thought about it for far too long/But I never had someone to sing about/Until I met her, now each day gets better).
Musically, this album steps away from the brash sounds of hip-hop. On tracks "Save Room" and "Slow Dance," John's rugged voice is backed with doo-wop style vocals and soulful guitar strings, creating a retro sound. "Show Me" opens with a raw guitar intro, and John's soft voice adds soulful emotion to the song -- easily making this the best track on the album.Although the album is heavily soul-based, the hip-hop feel is not lost. On the Kanye-produced track "Heaven," samples from soul classic, "Heaven Only Knows" are combined with hip-hop drum beats. "Maxine" is bossa nova driven, and the addition of synthesizers creates a soft bass line that keeps your feet tapping and body moving along with every beat.
The music and lyrics together drive the success of this record. Whether he's getting it on in public in "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)" or praying for the safe return of soldiers in this heavy political climate in "Coming Home," John manages to make any topic sound beautiful.
Originally published @ http://www.collegeclub.com/article/view/3500
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