vibes

John Legend - Secret Heart

Now Or Never

Tank - I Can't Make You Love Me

Listen to this track from Nu Look's brand nu album..

Wasnt Meant to be

Evolver

Everybody Knows

Green Light

Green Light (feat. Andre 3000)

I Love, You Love (Album Version)

If You're Out There (Album Version)

It's Over (feat. Kanye West)

This Time

John Legend is an artist mature beyond his years. He is a crooner in the best possible sense of the word — self-assured, gentle and debonair. For Legend’s sophomore album Kanye West resumes his role as executive producer, but Once Again is a mellower affair than Get Lifted. The songs get their gentility from Legend’s low, cocoa-smooth vocals, which never fail to bring a potentially hyper song to a place of calm. Though Once Again features an impressive assembly of producers — including Craig Street, will.i.am and West (all contributed multiple songs) — Legend is wholly in control of the album’s tone and tempo. The hip-hop underpinnings are balanced by the elegant jazz of “Again” and “Maxine.” “Where Did My Baby Go” is so simple that it feels timeless — it could be a piece of an old album by Arthur Alexander or even Joan Baez, made new again by Legend’s warm breath. “Save Room” is a song that glides so sweetly and effortlessly that it challenges every shred of malice that might be lurking within the listener. Even sweeter is “Slow Dance,” a melody as compact and pretty as a jeweled pocketwatch.

Once Again

Again

Slow Dance

Where Did My Baby Go

If you've listened to Top 40 radio or flipped through the video channels during the past few years, odds are pretty good you know something about John Legend. He played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and might as well be considered Kanye West's sidekick, having assisted the producer and MC on several sessions — Jay-Z's "Encore" and Slum Village's "Selfish" being two of the more prominent 2004 singles featuring his work. A former choir director, he has also released a handful of energetic live discs, some of which are credited to his less hubristic birth name, John Stephens. And though he claims "I've got something new," you've also heard substantial chunks of Get Lifted in records made decades ago by Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and Bill Withers. This might not be a problem for listeners who crave anything that recalls the music they first heard in their youth, but Legend's over-reliance upon his inspirations is an impediment as much as a slick way to grab attention. That's because he has more than enough talent and charm to get by on his own. His own lyrics and hooks are unique and clever enough to get the point across that he's no everyday R&B artist and, just as importantly, he has a personable and instantly fetching voice you could listen to all day long. However, the association with West — whose Sony-distributed boutique label released the record — is very helpful. Without it, Legend would likely be zoned into neo-soul (2003's Live at SOB's New York City really makes this notion apparent), thereby standing little chance of reaching the ears of anyone younger than 30. The production work supporting his songs strikes a fine balance between soul and hip-hop, allowing him to appeal to those who are coming from either angle. This is a very good record. It's a given that Legend is destined to make at least two others that top it. 

Get Lifted

Used to Love U

Stay With You

Live It Up

John Legend - Tonight (Best You Ever Had) feat. Ludacris
Check out my new single “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” available on iTunes 1/31 from the “Think Like A Man” movie soundtrack on Epic Records!

Tonight (Best You Ever Had)

Tonight (Best You Ever Had) feat. Ludacris

Nothin' On You

Musical powerhouses John Legend & The Roots present Wake Up!, eleven profoundly evocative songs pulled from the soulful music of the 60's and 70's all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness. The album is highlighted with familiar tracks like "Little Ghetto Boy" by Donny Hathaway mixed with more obscure selections like Baby Huey and the Babysitters' "Hard Times". Wake Up! also includes one original composition, John Legend's "Shine," which is featured in the upcoming documentary Waiting For Superman.

vibes

Fred Theogene