John Legend had been using his honorific stage surname for nearly 20 years when he felt that his track record finally merited its use as an album title. The EGOT with a dozen Grammys somehow fought the urge until his eighth proper studio album. Legend, divided into halves, is an 80-minute set executive produced in tandem with "A Bigger Love" co-writer/co-producer Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift). The first disc is primarily uptempo and loved up. Effervescent songs like "Waterslide," "Dope," and "All She Wanna Do" ...
Read More
John Legend had been using his honorific stage surname for nearly 20 years when he felt that his track record finally merited its use as an album title. The EGOT with a dozen Grammys somehow fought the urge until his eighth proper studio album. Legend, divided into halves, is an 80-minute set executive produced in tandem with "A Bigger Love" co-writer/co-producer Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift). The first disc is primarily uptempo and loved up. Effervescent songs like "Waterslide," "Dope," and "All She Wanna Do" seem purpose-built for amusement parks and fairgrounds to remind visitors that they're having fun. (The latter song is heard in versions with and without a bouncy, Top Boy -referencing verse from Saweetie.) Better are the leisurely and awed numbers with a deeper soul foundation. "Strawberry Blush" is a strings-sweetened connection with Free Nationals, Anderson .Paak affiliates who answer the call with one of their breeziest grooves. The grittier "You" has delicate touches of Philly and Chicago soul -- a little O'Jays, a little Curtis Mayfield -- enlivened by Legend's very strong falsetto game. Disc two, heavier on ballads, also contains more stylistic and emotional variety with a lasting partnership as a frequent setting. The feel-good, reassuring "I Want You to Know" could easily morph into a rocksteady cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There," while "Speak in Tongues," swaying and romantic, benefits from the presence of Jada Kingdom. Surprisingly, the songs informed by Jamaica outnumber piano ballads until the final stretch. "The Other Ones" is out of place for its melodramatic decluttering of baggage, but the trio of "Pieces," "I Don't Love You Like I Used To," and "Home" come across as wholly heartfelt, respectively striking a rare balance of numbness and hope, expressing total devotion, and turning on the (ocular) waterworks. Legend is at his best when entertainment isn't his objective. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Legend[2 Cd] to cart. $11.67, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Republic.
Add this copy of Legend [2 Cd] to cart. $13.01, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Republic.
Add this copy of Legend to cart. $28.57, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2022 by EMI.
Add this copy of Legend [2 Cd] to cart. $28.64, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Republic.
![Legend[2 Cd]](https://www4.alibris-static.com/cover/08954kaepn_t.jpg)
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.