Riding off
his Get Lifted debut, the Springfield, Ohio
R&B sensation John Legend has a
lot to live up to. That project garnered him eight Grammy nods, three wins and
a couple of platinum discs. Not bad for a first time effort.
But as the saying goes, you have your whole life to make your first album; for
many that is a complete work of art before the labels come knocking. Second
albums have a lot to live up to, especially when the first was such a huge
success. For John Stevens, however,
concerns about the second album not living up to his first need to be ignored
and forgotten. Once Again is
literally a perfect example of a teenager becoming a man. The album shows
tremendous growth and a distinct air of maturity.
Using a vast array of notable producers; Raaphel
Sadiq, Kanye West, Craig Street
and will.i.am, he opted to rest the
lyrical offerings on his own shoulders. Even though collaborations were kept to
a minimum on the last album, he did have Kanye
West and Snoop as a security
blanket; both names which of course always make a person look. This time, JL realizes his competence and his name
are enough to jump on the solo ride which makes this product so much more
unique.
The album exemplifies the importance of his presence in R&B/Soul today. He
‘courted’ us with his Get Lifted
collection, but with Once Again you
definitely feel that he is here for the long haul. He is THE man; this is it –
this is the relationship. The album flows from start to finish and contains “real’
tracks, ones that are over four minutes long, occasionally even over five. With
the concrete musical formation, his dulcet tone and tales of love, belonging,
and happiness it is easy to understand why he is at the plateau he is after
only one album.
There is no getting away from the appreciation this man has for music in
general. He allows you close to sixty minutes where you literally can hit play
and forget the world outside. The lead-off track from Come Again is “Save Room” and is literally a re-introduction and
crash course into why John Legend
marked his territory with fans first time out. Here he is telling fans or a
girlfriend, however you interpret it “To
save a little for him…you never know what you’re missing ’til you try/ I’ll
keep you satisfied.” This reassurance allows us to realize that this
prodigy has no intentions of going anywhere.
The content of the album is pretty much love/lust orientated, from “P.D.A (We
Just Don’t Care),” a track that gives us a solid offering of support for
displays of affection to “Again,” where he is admitting to his weaknesses and
desires for a certain lady, to the guitar-infused “Slow Dance,” has a man
longing to re-kindle the passion he once had with his lover by slow dancing: “forget about the news, put on your dancing
shoes, forget about the war and what they fighting for, I propose we go to the
floor and slow dance.“
The track that hits you in the heart and mind is the close out track aptly
titled “Coming Home.” The political climate in which we find ourselves has
obviously had a serious impact on the singer as his grand finale is based
around a soldier waiting to come home from war to the family and loved ones he
left behind. It is a very moving rendition showing understanding to what many
men and women are going through right now, being away from the ones they love.
Amidst a tumultuous choral arrangement, John
Legend leaves his mark and proves why he is so needed in today’s music
environment in his distinct style.
As much as everyone talks about “real Hip Hop” these days, this is “real
R&B,” not the usual trash with singers trying to act gangsta. Amongst
musical influences that span decades and having pulled from all genres of
music, seducing our minds with his words and touching our souls with his
appreciation of humanity, John Legend
has provided an incredible project to exemplify why he will go on to become a
legend of R&B.
