[Review] John Legend: Once Again

John Legend: Once Again

John Legend threatened to save rhythm and blues with his exceptional debut album Get Lifted (reviewed by OP last year).  With Once Again, he continues in the retro vein and helps to inject life into what has become an ironically generic and soulless genre of music. 

Here, Legend continues to unabashedly draw inspiration and stylistic cues from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many more of the most heralded soul artists in history.  There is even less pandering to current hip-hop production, and even more blasts from music's soul past.  The first single ("Save Room") is a mid-tempo, catchy lounge song that provides a good preview for the rest of the album.  "Heaven" continues down the mid-tempo road, "Stereo" is the most upbeat and modern-sounding tune on the album, and then...well, then the album turns down a very poignant road.   More on that in a minute.

This collection of songs is the type that draws the listener in time after time, with each listen garnering a new apprecciation for a song you might have glossed over or ignored during the last listen. There are ballads such as the one alluded to in the previous paragraph: track four, "Show Me", might be the most beautiful song on an album full of stunners.  It manages to tackle the subject of God without sounding preachy or cheesy, and is electric-guitar driven to boot.  

"Maxine" is straight out of Stevie's playbook.  "Another Again" provides a bass-driven, funky highlight, and "Again" (yes, there is a song called "Another Again" and a song called "Again" seems to pick up where "Ordinary People" left off on his first album.   The final track, "Coming Home," adds a contemporary, deeply personal perspective on war that couldn't be more relevant today. 

There are weaker moments on this album ("P.D.A", "Slow Dance"), but no weak moments at all - hence the 4 ¹/₂ Obsidian Potency Golden Mics.  With Once Again, John Legend firmly dodges the sophomore slump by releasing a second album better than the first...and hangs on to the messiah tag a while longer.  

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