John Legend - Once Again review w/ snippets

[NightKidsGTR]

Artist: John Legend
Album: Once Again
Release Date: October 24, 2006
Number of Tracks: 13 + 1 Bonus Track
Length: 01h:01m:03s including Bonus Track

*Edit:Snippets in next post!

2006 Grammy-winner (Best New Artist, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance) John Legend offers his sophomore album, Once Again. Though some may know him from his background vocals on songs such as Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name" and piano work on Lauryn Hill's "Everything is Everything," it was the success of his two hit singles, "Used to Love U" and "Ordinary People" from 2004's Get Lifted that made him a star. I will admit that I am a huge John Legend fan (have all of his live CDs and featured tracks) and saw him live in concert last year in San Francisco. Is this album worth your hard-earned money? Read on for my track-by-track review:

1) Save Room (3:59) - Mid-tempo R&B. First single off of the album. Drums, bass guitar, and keyboard round out the background on this track. Very good track to start the album. 5/5

2) Heaven (3:47) - Mid-tempo R&B. Second single off of the album. Drums and keyboard on the background. Really nice track to drive around to with that special someone in your passenger seat. 5/5

3) Stereo (4:19) - Up-tempo R&B with hard drums give it a slight hip-hop feel. Different sound from the other singles, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe one of the few songs on the album you can dance or nod your head to. 4.5/5

4) Show Me (5:10) - Mid-tempo R&B/Soul with electric guitar and drums in the background. Another different sounding track. May not sound the best, at first, but it grows on you. 4/5

5) Each Day Gets Better (4:01) - Uptempo R&B. Hard to explain the beat, but it's got a "I'll Be Around" by The Spinners feel to it. If you like that song, you'll like this song as well. Probably one of my favorite tracks on the album. Beat changes around 2m:46.5s into the track and makes the piano more apparent. Switches back at around 3m:10s. 5/5

6) P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care) (4:51) - Uptempo R&B. Starts with a slow piano, then moves into a more uptempo beat. Another song to dance to on this album. Great song if you love P.D.A. I imagine walking with my girlfriend and hearing this song. Another one of my favorite tracks 5/5

7) Slow Dance (4:53) - Mid-tempo R&B/Soul. Hard drums with the occasional piano accompaniment. This track sounds very old school, but the drum beat gives it a modern feel (think of the drum beat on Chris Brown's "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"). 5/5

8) Again (4:24) - Mid-tempo R&B with drums, piano, and guitar. For those who have seen him in concert or have seen the Live at the House of Blues DVD, this is a different version than he's been playing at his concerts. Another incredible track that's sure to be a favorite 5/5

9) Maxine (4:39) - Mid-tempo R&B with bongo drums, piano, and guitar. Very old school feel with a little South American flair to it (want to say Samba, but not sure). Another great track to dance to and to show off that stereo system. 5/5

10) Where Did My Baby Go (5:17) - Mid-tempo R&B with piano. Another old school type song in terms of sound. Great track for John Legend fans who just love to hear John's voice and the piano. Light drum pattern and strings come in after the first verse. 5/5

11) Maxine's Interlude (2:00) - Mid-tempo R&B. Short interlude with another South American-style beat. Background vocalists accompany John on the interlude. Skippable only because it's an interlude 4/5

12) Another Again (5:20) - Slow-tempo R&B with piano, strings, and slight hints of guitar. Interestingly, I heard this song over a year ago at the concert I attended, which may have been just after he wrote it. It was just John and the piano at the concert, but more instruments have been added here. Great track, but I prefer the version with just the piano. This album's "Ordinary People" 5/5

13) Coming Home (5:22) - Slow-tempo R&B with drums and piano. Heartfelt track with a very nice crescendo before the chorus to really give it that emotional feel. Very good track to "end" the album. 5/5

14) Bonus Track (3:51) - Mid-tempo R&B/Soul. Unsure if this is the track "On Top of the World' that you get when you pre-order the album on iTunes. Accompanied by an unknown female vocalist. Great "chill" song. 4.5/5

Overall, the album has a very different feel from Get Lifted. One could say that it's more "John Legend" and less "Kanye West." For those that love R&B, feel-good music, or just music you can chill to, this album is definitely worth it. If you pick it up and like the album, make sure you see him on tour, because hearing his songs live is incredible.

Score (not an average): 4.9/5.0

[NightKidsGTR]

Alright, finally got the snippets created and done. Here is the link to the playlist that will stream the snippets from my XDrive. The playlist contains a 30-second preview of each track. Enjoy and don't forget to pick it up on October 24.

John Legend- Once Again album snippets

[firmhonda]

I had no idea that John Legend had released another album. His first album turned out to be one of my favorites and I can't wait to pick this up. Thanks alot on the review bro!

[Yodums]

This album is a really nice and soothing album to sit down and listen to. I was listening to it while I was studying and I was really impressed. Great review.

[skittleslegend]

I need this....I really do. Moreso than any other R&B album I can think of from this year.