<p>R&B and soul singer John Legend is truly a legend with 10 Grammy awards. Even before his debut album, he had a series of successful collaborations with established artistes like Kanye West, Jay Z, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill to name a few. <br /><br /></p>.<p>His new album ‘Darkness and Light’, as the title indicates, contains both dark songs and light songs. The album begins with ‘I Know Better’, a gospel-tinged song in which he deprecates himself:<br /><br />‘Legend is just a name, I know better than to be so proud, I won’t drink in all this fame, Or take more love than I’m allowed.’<br /><br />He lets his fans know that he takes his success lightly. ‘Penthouse Floor’ has a catchy dance beat reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. It also features Chance the Rapper. It is an objective look at wealth.<br /><br />The title track ‘Darkness and Light’ is a duet with Brittany Howard. Their voices blend well together, rising to a crescendo of a chorus. ‘Overload’ is a subtly layered duet with R&B singer Miguel. <br /><br />In the anthemic R&B romantic track, ‘Love Me Now’, Legend demonstrates that he can still make a catchy pop track, although the words suggest the fear of losing love. <br /><br />‘What You Do to Me’, which makes use of synths, is not his usual style. It is a love-hate song instead. ‘Surefire’ has choir, synths, reverberating percussion, and is a song about sticking together: <br /><br />‘I may not know a lot of things, but I know that we’re surefire’. <br /><br />‘Right By You’ (for his baby Luna) is a piano ballad for his daughter, an expression of both hope and apprehension of what lies ahead in the future for her. <br /><br />In contrast to the other songs, the closing song ‘Marching Into the Dark’ has a surrealistic funky groove, something which is peppy.</p>
<p>R&B and soul singer John Legend is truly a legend with 10 Grammy awards. Even before his debut album, he had a series of successful collaborations with established artistes like Kanye West, Jay Z, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill to name a few. <br /><br /></p>.<p>His new album ‘Darkness and Light’, as the title indicates, contains both dark songs and light songs. The album begins with ‘I Know Better’, a gospel-tinged song in which he deprecates himself:<br /><br />‘Legend is just a name, I know better than to be so proud, I won’t drink in all this fame, Or take more love than I’m allowed.’<br /><br />He lets his fans know that he takes his success lightly. ‘Penthouse Floor’ has a catchy dance beat reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. It also features Chance the Rapper. It is an objective look at wealth.<br /><br />The title track ‘Darkness and Light’ is a duet with Brittany Howard. Their voices blend well together, rising to a crescendo of a chorus. ‘Overload’ is a subtly layered duet with R&B singer Miguel. <br /><br />In the anthemic R&B romantic track, ‘Love Me Now’, Legend demonstrates that he can still make a catchy pop track, although the words suggest the fear of losing love. <br /><br />‘What You Do to Me’, which makes use of synths, is not his usual style. It is a love-hate song instead. ‘Surefire’ has choir, synths, reverberating percussion, and is a song about sticking together: <br /><br />‘I may not know a lot of things, but I know that we’re surefire’. <br /><br />‘Right By You’ (for his baby Luna) is a piano ballad for his daughter, an expression of both hope and apprehension of what lies ahead in the future for her. <br /><br />In contrast to the other songs, the closing song ‘Marching Into the Dark’ has a surrealistic funky groove, something which is peppy.</p>
