Review: Let the music soothe your soul
Denise Pardo
Issue date: 11/4/06 Section: Life & Leisure
John Legend fans, it is officially here! The much awaited sophomore album "Once Again" was released on Oct. 24. "Save Room" is the first single off of this album and it sets the main tone of what to expect for the entire album.
"Once Again" is the follow-up to Legend's debut album "Get Lifted" (2004). This time around John Legend has shown the maturity in his music. "Once Again" takes on a more romantic and old school feel to R&B than his first album did. The album is heavily influenced by 1970's Soul and R&B and his raspy voice compliments the music perfectly. The percussion and guitars used in the songs help to harmonize with his voice on the tracks and it gives you the impression you are listening to Al Green or Marvin Gaye.
Unlike his first album, Legend is now one of the executive producers along with Kanye West, who was also a producer on "Get Lifted." You can hear the difference because "Once Again" takes on a different attitude, where the songs are more soulful and melodic as opposed to the more Hip Hop feel the first album took on before. Best known for his piano oriented work, especially "Ordinary People" and "So High," John Legend steps away from the instrument that made him so popular in the majority of his new songs. There also are no guest appearances such as Snoop Dog or Kanye on the album. This doesn't take away from the quality of the music, but rather implies that he can display his talent without the help of cameos.
Unlike "Get Lifted," this new album has more of a low-tempo vibe. Everything is smooth and mellow, like the type of music you dance to when it's a slow jam. Lyrics like, "Let's go and play the songs we used to play, on that old school radio, let the music soothe your soul" from the song "Slow Dance" mirror the mood of the album.
The record focuses on the ups and downs of relationships. Two songs in particular that would represent this balance would be "Show Me," which deals with the hardship of being in a relationship where the communication is gone, and "Each Day Gets Better," which is about the songwriter being happy to have found the person he is with and hopes she never leaves.
On a scale from 1-5, this album is a 4 1/2. The quality of music is just as good as the first, but he is short that half only because he gives us less of the piano. There are going to be a lot of Legend fans wanting to hear more of him playing it, yet they will be very satisfied when they see how versatile he can go with his music. This is an album that you can press the play button once and let it play straight through. Each song is just as good as the last and anybody can relate to the lyrics making listeners feel as if he is communicating personally with them. The album sleeve also provides the lyrics, which makes it easier for those who love to sing along.
"Once Again" is the follow-up to Legend's debut album "Get Lifted" (2004). This time around John Legend has shown the maturity in his music. "Once Again" takes on a more romantic and old school feel to R&B than his first album did. The album is heavily influenced by 1970's Soul and R&B and his raspy voice compliments the music perfectly. The percussion and guitars used in the songs help to harmonize with his voice on the tracks and it gives you the impression you are listening to Al Green or Marvin Gaye.
Unlike his first album, Legend is now one of the executive producers along with Kanye West, who was also a producer on "Get Lifted." You can hear the difference because "Once Again" takes on a different attitude, where the songs are more soulful and melodic as opposed to the more Hip Hop feel the first album took on before. Best known for his piano oriented work, especially "Ordinary People" and "So High," John Legend steps away from the instrument that made him so popular in the majority of his new songs. There also are no guest appearances such as Snoop Dog or Kanye on the album. This doesn't take away from the quality of the music, but rather implies that he can display his talent without the help of cameos.
Unlike "Get Lifted," this new album has more of a low-tempo vibe. Everything is smooth and mellow, like the type of music you dance to when it's a slow jam. Lyrics like, "Let's go and play the songs we used to play, on that old school radio, let the music soothe your soul" from the song "Slow Dance" mirror the mood of the album.
The record focuses on the ups and downs of relationships. Two songs in particular that would represent this balance would be "Show Me," which deals with the hardship of being in a relationship where the communication is gone, and "Each Day Gets Better," which is about the songwriter being happy to have found the person he is with and hopes she never leaves.
On a scale from 1-5, this album is a 4 1/2. The quality of music is just as good as the first, but he is short that half only because he gives us less of the piano. There are going to be a lot of Legend fans wanting to hear more of him playing it, yet they will be very satisfied when they see how versatile he can go with his music. This is an album that you can press the play button once and let it play straight through. Each song is just as good as the last and anybody can relate to the lyrics making listeners feel as if he is communicating personally with them. The album sleeve also provides the lyrics, which makes it easier for those who love to sing along.
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