flyctory.com

John Legend – Bigger Love

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

John Legend - Bigger Love

John Legend - Bigger Love
3.4

Rating

 3.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Outstanding "Never Break"
  • Many songs, different styles
  • Great, versatile voice

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too many too weak songs
  • Too few really great ones

Quite some big names were on my list of album released for 19th June 2020. One of them is John Legend, who especially caught us with All of Me in 2013. Bigger Love is trying to connect to his big hits, so I was curious if the album is finally a good one.

 

John Legend – About The Artist

John Lengend’s civil name is John Roger Stephens, he was born in Springfield, Ohio, USA. He was into music from his early ages and for example played the piano from the age of four, but skipping two grades at school and being offered admission to Havard, there also seemed to be very different career options at the beginning. He finally graduated with a magna cum laude degree in English at the University of Pennsylvania. Thereafter, he was working as a management consultant, but wrote and recorded his own music as well. It took few years before Legend released Get Lifted, his debut album, in December 2004. Not only due to the successful single Ordinary People, the album sold really well and made it to the fourth spot in the US album charts. Some two years later, Once Again performed similarly. To me, his most well-known song was All of Me, part of the 2013 album Love In The Future, though. The song topped multiple charts.Legend’s success was fading thereafter, though, slightly. If you include a 2018 Christmas album, Bigger Love is the seventh studio album released by John Legend.

 

John Legend – Bigger Love – Track by Track

The 16 track album lasts 55 minutes.

1. Ooh Laa

The first track of the album just cannot deny a Hawaiian touch – finally, the wittly-summerly sound of Ooh Laa leads to one of the best songs of the album. Nice opener, even though the lyrical depth of the song is on the quite limited side.

2. Actions

In this song John Legend states that Actions speak louder then love songs. A somehow nice listen R&B track without too many character or uniqueness. Maybe the quieter love song sound would have been the better choice.

3. I do

I do feels a bit more than a radio track. It is also the first song which gives a bit of a touch of the vast talent of John Legend. Finally, it is not a hit but not a bad one either.

4. One Life

One Life is the first song of the album I really like quite a bit – in fact it feels a bit like a time travel to the 1980’s to me. Very catchy.

5. Wild feat. Gary Clark Jr.

The album is getting better, definitely. This duet with Gary Clark Jr. is a very intense one, highly focused on

6. Bigger Love

The title track of the album is quite rhythmic and definitely stays in your heart. One of the better tracks of this album, definitely. Still, I do miss something really special in this album.

7. U Move, I Move feat. Jhene Aiko

Jhene Aiko is a 32 year old R&B singer from Los Angeles. I like that collaboration, I like the collaboration and harmonics of voices. It is good music… But unfortunately not more.

8. Favorite Place

Half time already – and I am still looking for my Bigger Love in Bigger Love. Favorite Place is definitely not the one. Forward button.

9. Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker? Maybe some recipies? The song is definitely special and has a nice touch. Especially the beginning of the track gives a very special sound. Not a blast, but definitely a right swap (in Tinder language) on my music app.

10. Focused

A very slow track with a special mood. I like the Slow Cooker much more, Focused is just too reduced to me.

11. Conversations In The Dark

And then, there is Conversations In the Dark. It may not be All of Me – but at least it is a song which is a bit in the style of the big one. I have to say I miss that sound, would love to hear more of John Legend songs like this one. Definitely the highlight of the album so far.

12. Don’t Walk Away feat. Koffee

A very rhyhthmic track, in which the drum machine is just too dominant to me. Such a bad luck, as I feel this one does have quite some potential.

13. Remember Us feat. Rapsody

This collaboration with rapper Rapsody is rather average to me. At least Legend shows – again – his great talent. So bad that I cannot say anything better.

14. I’m Ready feat. Camper

In this series of three artist collaborations in a row, I’m ready is definitely the crown of the triage. Very nice vocals, good melodies and song. Good!

15. Always

Always has a nice vibe to me. The voice is comparably intense in this song as well. Lyrics? Don’t try to count the word always in these 3:26 minutes. But still, a pleasing one.

16. Never Break

Why now? Why so late. Apart from the lovely Conversations in the Dark, you have to wait for songs like Never Break 15 tracks and more than 50 minutes. So bad, as this piano ballad is so lovely. Thanks for this smile on the finish line, John Legend!

 

 

John Legend – Bigger Love – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Bigger Love:

 

John Legend – Bigger Love – My View

Disappointed. Angry.. Shaken. Bigger Love shows the great potential of John Legend. He can still do amazing songs, just have a listen to the fantastic Never Break. But this is just the very last song out of 16 songs. First of all, thanks to Legend that he grants his fans so many (different) songs on one album – some other artists would have gone for two albums.

I don’t believe that Bigger Love has the chance to lead to a big comeback of the artist. Too many ups and downs in this album. So sad as I feel so much more potential in him still.

 

US-American Media Reviews

Here are all other music and other media reviews about bands originated in the USA:

 

Hilton Hotels – More Reviews

Here are all my reviews of Hilton Hotels:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *