... However, after the indomitable success of his debut, John Legend hasn't rested on his laurels, producing a completely different but nevertheless similarly successful album in "Once Again". The sound is at times more raw, at times more refined, proving a far less polished but far more dynamic ... Read review
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Once Again
It takes guts, if not outright egomania, to abandon your given surname and adopt a loaded
... more
one like Legend, but the former John Stephens must have sensed that loftiness would one day be his calling card. Once Again, the follow-up to the Grammy-gobbling,...
Once Again - John Legend
It takes guts, if not outright egomania, to abandon your given surname and adopt a loaded
... more
one like Legend, but the former John Stephens must have sensed that loftiness would one day be his calling card. Once Again, the follow-up to the Grammy-gobbling,...
ONCE AGAIN
If John Legend hadn't made his name working with Kanye West, producing Jay-Z, and playing
... more
on Lauryn Hill's classic THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL, his 2004 studio debut GET LIFTED would have still established him as a true frontrunner in the world of ...
Once Again - John Legend
It takes guts, if not outright egomania, to abandon your given surname and adopt a loaded
... more
one like Legend, but the former John Stephens must have sensed that loftiness would one day be his calling card. Once Again, the follow-up to the Grammy-gobbling, platinum pile-on that was Get Lifted, surpasses expectations. Not that it bears much relation to its predecessor. Again again trots out a stable of talented, modern-minded producers--Raphael Saadiq, Legend comrade Kanye West and the unsinkable will.i.am--but it's nowhere near as self-conscious about embracing the old-school as the knowing, R&B edge-skimming Lifted. Don't expect a derivative mash of smudgy, nostalgia-filching sounds, though, because despite its retro leanings, what's in store somehow crackles with currency. Call it neo-retro if you must, but never call it unimaginative: first single "Save Room" coasts, drifts and floats along a ponderous path spiked by a cool keyboard-y crescendo; second single "Heaven" busts out a big, busy beat over a slow seduction; and a couple of selections--"Each Day Gets Better" and "PDA"--are so bright and twirly they seem custom-made for dizzy love scenes or jaunty, sunny-day skips through the park. Maybe the most unusual track is "Show Me," a rock song that pilfers elements of Hendrix and finds Legend climbing a few octaves to sound, weirdly, like Jeff Buckley, but it works: so slippery is its beat and so affecting are its hope-laced lyrics that, oddness aside, it's among the disc's best. Sandwiched as it is among 14 songs that all sound like future classics, that's saying something. --Tammy La Gorce
Heaven, Stereo, Show me, Each day gets better, P.D.A. (We just don't care), Slow dance, Again, Maxine, Where did my baby go, Maxine's Interlude, Another again, Coming home
Still Legendary Review ofOnce Again - John Legend (1)by
jimmydel
Advantages: Fresh and funky Disadvantages: None spring to mind
Complacency is often the destruction of very talented artists, and the dreaded second album usually sends chills down the spine of record labels. However, after the indomitable success of his debut, John Legend hasn't rested on his laurels, producing a completely different but nevertheless similarly successful album in "Once Again". The sound is at times more raw, at times more refined, proving a far less polished but far more dynamic album. "Save ... ...perform his trademark of vocal range, going from drone to intonation, and this is one of the stand out tracks. "Each Day Get's Better" and "PDA" are similarly chilled out but highly effective tracks that show his vocal dexterity to the maximum, refreshing to hear a real musician in modern popular music. Legend's skills in this album come to the fore through his juxtaposition of tracks, from "Maxine", a tuneful song straight from the old school, to ...
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Advantages: A great easy-listening album where every song sounds a classic Disadvantages: Could this follow on from the success of the first album?
This is the follow up to the extremely successful album 'Get Lifted', and many people were wondering if John Legend could produce something even nearly as good as his first album.
Well he's done even better.
The album is full of retro music with a fresh modern beat, all embelished by his amazing vocal abililty and song-writing capabilities.
The album begins with 'Save Room', the first single and it sets you up for a great album. It has a classic ... ...in the past with songs like 'Number 1' and 'I Used To Love You'. His vocal range is really outstanding in this song and the lyrics really paint a picture.
Other stand-out tracks are 'Heaven', 'Again' and 'Where Did My Baby Go?'. Heaven is the second single and uses an old sample to give this song a new dimension because Legend isn't the only one singing. Again and Where Did My Baby Go? really show Legends vocal capabilities and his skills on a piano. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Label / Distributor: Columbia / Sony BMG/Arvato Services
Producer: John Legend; Will.i.am; Craig Stree
Pieces in Set: 1
Studio / Live: Studio
Stereo: Stereo
Format: Performer
EAN: 828768032329
Catalogue Number: 82876803232
Additional notes
Album Notes: If John Legend hadn't made his name working with Kanye West, producing Jay-Z, and playing on Lauryn Hill's classic THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL, his 2004 studio debut GET LIFTED would have still established him as a true frontrunner in the world of R&B. His studio follow-up, 2006's ONCE AGAIN, is better than its predecessor; the music is still steeped in vintage 1960s- and '70s-flavored R&B, but Legend's songcraft, productions, and nuanced singing are even more appealing.
Album Reviews: Rolling Stone (p.70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] bigger, better follow-up, which blends lush, elegant band arrangements with stylish synth parts and cool samples."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Save Room
2.: Heaven
3.: Stereo
4.: Show Me
5.: Each Day Gets Better
6.: PDA (We Just Don't Care)
7.: Slow Dance
8.: Again
9.: Maxine
10.: Where Did My Baby Go
11.: Maxine's Interlude
12.: Another Again
13.: Coming Home
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Listed on Ciao since : 14/11/2006
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