Album Review — “Legend” by John Legend
Perhaps more than any other artist this side of Mariah Carey, Legend’s prodigious musicality is evident in his ability to completely reshape his compositions when the urge arises. The best examples of this are one of his singles, “All She Wanna Do Is Dance,” and one of my faves, “Wonder Woman.” The different versions of the two songs barely resemble each other, but both belong in your earbuds. Other highlights include “Rounds,” “Dope,” “Guy Like Me,” “Fate,” “Strawberry Blush,” “Home,” and the reggae-tinged “I Want You To Know.”
You have to hear the closer of the “solo piano” version of the album, a cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” There have been countless covers of that tune, and before hearing Legend’s, my favorite was Aretha Franklin’s 1971 take on the Simon & Garfunkel classic. It’s taken a half of a century, but Legend’s may best the Queen Of Soul’s.
You have got to hear Legend’s pristine, not-near-employed-enough falsetto on “Wonder Woman.” El DeBarge would have been jealous. And his “Speak In Tongues” with Jada Kingdom will almost have you doing just that.
Speaking of Kingdom, Legend’s new project features a host of other collaborators, including Rick Ross, JID, Free Nationals, Amber Mark, Jazmine and Ledisi, which is cool. But as much as they enhance the proceedings, Legend is so good, and sounds so good, he doesn’t really need the help.
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