John Legend “LEGEND” Album Review

LEGEND

John Legend

• • Genre: R&B/Soul
  • Date: 09 Sep, 2022
  • Content: explicit
  • Region: USA
  • Track(s): 24

• ℗ 2022 John Legend Music, Inc., under exclusive license to Republic Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

EGOT winner John Legend has just rolled out his eighth and latest album, “Legend,” and it is legendary. Legend spent years on the music scene and never used his name on a project. It was a bit of a surprise to see him finally do that on his eighth record.

He must have known what fans were thinking because he stated to Billboard that he “never used an aspect of my name as the title of an album.” He shared that there was an actual reason for that, stating he “had to earn that, to live up to it by delivering in the performance and the music. This is me saying I’m proud of who I am, I’m confident in the work I’ve done, and I’m just going to declare it.”

We think that’s a valid reason. In our opinion, he earned the right to use “Legend” in an album many years back. John has given fans hits and some of the best performances ever seen. He recently showed fans more of his old-school side. The new album also offers a lot of that. He described the album as “suffused with an unapologetic spirit of sensuality and joy, informed by the full vulnerability of pain, praise, and healing.”

The new album features two dozen songs with contributions from some of the best and most talented artists in the game. They include Rick Ross, Jazmine Sullivan, Muni Long, Jhené Aiko, Ty Dolla $ign, Ledisi, Rapsody, and more. While he bared his feelings in the album’s first half, he covers up in the second half. This will take you through a barrage of emotions, but most of all, it would make you dance the night or pain away.

Artwork

John Legend’s reasons for never using aspects of his name in his album titles are pretty valid. We love that he knows how much he has earned the right to do that. The R&B king also attached the perfect cover art to the album. Of course, if you’re going to call yourself what you are “a Legend,” you might as well put a memorable face to it.

Legend’s cover art for the album features a striking photo of him in his glory. With hands clasped, the Legend seems to bask in the glory of his legendary career and historical talent. He stole the scene with that incredible photo.

Features

The new “Legend” album features several hitmakers who have also earned bragging rights. The Boss, Rick Ross, lends John a hand at the album’s beginning. The project also features contributions from JID, Free Nationals, Jhené Aiko, Ty Dolla $ign, Amber Mark, Jazmine Sullivan, Saweetie, Muni Long, Jada Kingdom, Rapsody, and Ledisi. It is beautiful how much they complimented John’s vision for the album, meeting him where he needed them and blending into his playground. None of the featured artists disappointed in their delivery.

Popular Tracks

The “Legend” album came swinging. The album is packed full of many favorites and literally no skips. Legend has previously released the song “All She Wanna Do,” a collaboration with Saweetie, as a single. The song gained so much love from the fans. His new collaboration “Rounds” with Rick Ross has been called new territory for him and Rozay. They have both been praised for their delivery on it. Legend’s collaboration with Jazmine Sullivan titled “Love” was one of the most anticipated tracks on the album. In our opinion, they hit that spot that we wanted them to hit. Other popular songs include “Dope” featuring JID, “Guy Like Me,” “Splash” featuring Jhené Aiko & Ty Dolla $ign, etc.

Tracklist

NO	TITLE
1	Rounds (feat. Rick Ross)
2	Waterslide
3	Dope (feat. JID)
4	Strawberry Blush (feat. Free Nationals)
5	Guy Like Me
6	All She Wanna Do
7	Splash (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Jhené Aiko)
8	You
9	Fate (feat. Amber Mark)
10	Love (feat. Jazmine Sullivan)
11	One Last Dance
12	All She Wanna Do (feat. Saweetie)
13	Memories
14	Nervous
15	Wonder Woman
16	Honey (feat. Muni Long)
17	I Want You To Know
18	Speak In Tongues (feat. Jada Kingdom)
19	The Other Ones (feat. Rapsody)
20	Stardust
21	Pieces
22	Good (feat. Ledisi)
23	I Don’t Love You Like I Used To
24	Home

Production & Vocal Delivery

The EGOT winner is partly credited for producing the “Legend” album alongside One Republic singer and songwriter Ryan Tedder. They dug into John’s legendary persona and credited a masterpiece suited for the icon. Legend’s vocals in the album is stellar. He never misses. Hot New Hip Hop reported that Legend spoke about how his ancestry was instrumental to the creation of the album “I have such reverence for my musical heritage, that I don’t feel like I need to leave it behind to be adventurous, or creative, or to try something new. When I’m creating something new, I’m still hearing the voices and influences of Stevie, Marvin, Curtis, Aretha, Nina, Donny and Prince. Black musicians have always been at the forefront of innovation in music.”

Summary

John stated that what they achieved with “LEGEND is that synthesis of looking forward, but also connecting with where we come from.” While he let his ancestry and foundation in music drive the album’s creation, he also made it so modern that it sounded new and old simultaneously. With “Legend,” John created a beautiful album, a straight-up classic to add to his already iconic legacy.

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