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JOHN LEGEND Once Again (Sony BMG) |
 It was never gonna be easy for Legend to live up to the lofty standards set by his multiple Grammy-grabbing debut album, Get Lifted and the dreaded sophomore slump does threaten from time to time. Thankfully it doesn't quite materialise. Though Once Again is, by Legend's own stratospheric standards, a tad disappointing, it still remains miles ahead of most other albums released this year. The man's weathered, mournful voice and his silken-fingered skills on the piano are still as sublime as ever and there are at least five great songs amongst the 13 tracks on this CD. Identifying the reason for this comparatively high ratio is simple - the difference between his music and regular R & B releases is that of a lovingly handcrafted Rolls-Royce Corniche and a mass-produced Perodua Kancil 660EX. Every melody, every beat and every lyric in Legend's songbook exudes an intelligence, class and sophistication born from endless hours of perfecting his art. There is a heart-warming organic feel to his work that contrasts greatly with the sterile, computerised, producer-tweaked sound of a lot of the stuff cogging up the airwaves these days. The album's lead single, Save Room is a perfect illustration of this. Imbued with that same retro-vibe that infused Get Lifted, it is a song that is light and airy and poignant at the same time, a song that sees Legend unashamedly beg his girl to give him the time of day amidst a strangely pleasing cacophony of guitar, drums, horns and keyboards. It is this same alchemy of the breezy and the broken-hearted that permeates Where Did My Baby Go, with painful lyrics coupled with a tune so bright it's almost flippant. However, instead of clashing with each other, the easy music serves to multiply the pain behind the vocals. Legend ain't no one trick pony either, with the bossa nova beat on Maxine showing that the old-school sound ( which has become his signature ) isn't the only style he knows. Other great tracks are Heaven, Stereo and P.D.A ( We Just Don't Care ) but what leaves me to conclude that Once Again isn't up to the standard of Get Lifted is that there are some songs here ( especially the very forgettable Slow Dance and Again ) where the man does seem to be operating on auto-pilot. Once thing I do like is the fact that he's got the guts to go all the way himself and not succumb to the temptation of calling in some big name guest artistes to perform with him. With the exception of Kanye West on production duties, this album is 100% John Legend. I gave Get Lifted the maximum and this once isn't all that far behind. |
