Album Review: John Legend’s “Darkness And Light” Is Quintessential John Legend

Now on his fifth record, a family man, and bonafide A-lister of the music community, John Legend has confidence in his sound. It still does not mean that he has left the humility and heart that has made him endearing as an artist. On the contrary, his new record, Darkness And Light, is a full recognition that it is these two ingredients that give his music its unique sense of soul.

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsDarkness And Light is a mix of the classic soul/ R&B that has defined John Legend with a more righteous delve into electro-pop. Yet, his attempts to innovate his quintessential sound do not alter too much of Legend’s overarching novice as a richly-voiced man. Still capturing that odd blend of rasp and breathiness, Legend shows that his distinct voice will keep him a permanent “power-player” on the radio. His duet, “Darkness And Light”, with one of my favorite singers Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) is scintillating and tortured, like some of Legend’s best music. The singer knows how to hold in his voice the weight of love: from its pain to its promise. When he unites with Howard or Miguel for “Overload“, he shines with the combination a industry talent that have also dedicated their voice to capturing the sentimental depth of love. There are moments throughout this record like in “Love Me Now”, his hit radio single, or in “Surefire“, where you feel the immediacy and grandness of love that fills John Legend. He presents this virtue like the key to perseverance, and I could not agree anymore, which is why his own musical career will persevere, as well.

//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.jsWhen you are a seasoned musician with well-over a decade of music industry experience, at times, an artist may get scared that their relevancy or prosperity could be challenged if they do not recreate themselves. Of course, in Darkness And Light, Legend tries to catch the current synth-wave that has taken over pop music, by adding electric or, rather, digitized rhythms to his hearty voice like in, “Temporarily Painless” and “What You Do To Me“. Yet, the girthed gem that is his vocals still drip with heart to add a sense of “meatiness” to his words; as if to bite into his lyrics would make you feel full. Thus, Darkness and Light comes off more as a record that celebrates the greatness John Legend has always been rather than a reinvention/ reintroduction to his talent. This is not bad, at all, but if anyone thought they were meeting a bigger and better John Legend since his 2013 record, Love In The Future, this album is a moreso a solidification that when the same is already so good, why change it? For More Information on John Legend And To Buy Darkness And Light Click Here.