Surpassing a Grammy-loving, platinum-winning album like Get Lifted is not always easy, however, John Legend exceeds all expectations on his new album Once Again. Blending '60s and '70s music with Legend's soulful voice makes Once Again sound irresistible. Although he strays away from the funk and soul that marked his first album, Legend enchants the listener with his lyrics and phenomenal voice.
It is refreshing to hear his lyrics, which mostly pertain to women, true love and past relationships. Legend's lyrics are a mirror into his soul, which is something very unique in today's artists. On ""Each Day Gets Better,"" Legend creates an old school love sound, poetically singing ""I just had to write a song about her / Tell her I don't want to live without her / Tell her I would build my world around her."" His soulful intention shines through the lyrics in this track.
Legend's voice is a force to be reckoned with. He enchants listeners through his talented piano and innovative song writing skills. The song ""P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"" tops many of the other tracks with an upbeat and catchy tune. It opens slowly with a piano ballad and suddenly picks up speed to a toe-tapping rhythm. This transition in pace is a common feature of this album and gives the album a magnificent balance of sounds.
The first track, ""Save Me,"" is not very powerful, due to repetitive sounds and lyrics. The track is broken up by a bizarre organ interlude that disappears just as quickly as it started, creating an awkward feeling that is almost irritating. Legend needs to experiment more with these peculiar sounds to make them work.
Once Again maintains a sound that is quiet and inviting, rather than the loud music of Legend's contemporaries. It is refreshing to hear beautiful harmonies over and over again. Legend's blend of sophisticated seductive and sexy music makes Once Again spectacularly irresistible.
Once Again takes the listener back to the older decades when music was happier and had more feeling and soul. Instead of going for more of a pop sound this time, Legend heads in a more sophisticated, adult-listener direction. The results generate fresh innovative sounds that prove Legend is a soul genius.
