John Legend’s gifts keeps dropping
An injection of positivity, John Legend’s new EP, “Legend (solo sessions),” is here to blanket you in feelings of warmth as the holiday season approaches it’ zenith.
Known for a unique fusion of R&B and Soul music, the Grammy-winning artist paired with Apple Music to participate in its “From Apple Music With Love” series. In the Christmas spirit, the series hosts special music-related drops throughout the month.
Some other offerings, so far, include new interviews with musicians, artist curated playlists and mixes, even a unique bedtime story narrated by Nile Rodgers.
“Legend (solo sessions)” finds Legend, a pianist/producer/singer contributing five piano-driven, re-imagined songs from his latest and eighth overall album, “Legend” (2022).
That work, is a double album cut into two acts. Act I opens with a sexy and sultry side and the second closes with aspects of spirituality and healing.
Opening with “Honey (piano version),” the original album version, released on Sept. 9, featured a duet with Muni Long nestled in an R&B instrumental.
Now, Legend empowers the song with more emotion. With piano execution that expresses a sense of veneration, his metaphors emphatically describe how addictively sweet a romantic interest is.
All recorded from a live take, in a few isolated points during this first song, he doesn’t hit some highs/lows perfectly. There’s no cause for concern, though.
There’s multiple mixes of “Nervous” already out, notably the standard album version that became viral on social media with 17 million streams, after Legend issued a duet challenge, this year.
But he hits a stride with the driving tempo of the new “Nervous (piano version”). Again, the piano expresses the mood, initially being smooth and light.
When he builds tension with strongly sung lyrics such as, “When your lips hit my lips and the fire works fly/ Sendin’ sparks through the air, like the Fourth of July/ I can fall for you forever, I’m certain/ ‘Cause I still get nervous” his Jazzy key runs become lively, even celebratory.
“Wonder Woman (piano version)” has faint vibrations of Bill Withers’s “Lean on Me” (1972). Striding in an upbeat style, this lively ode speaks to the tenacity and grace of women. Capitalizing on this song that fits for any romantic setting, he gifted the album version’s video to his wife, Chrissy Teigen, as part of their ninth wedding anniversary. Just like the aforementioned song, Legend stretches his silky falsetto on “One Last Dance (piano version).”
He keeps in tune with his latest album’s style of closing with songs about spirituality/healing, concluding with a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s iconic “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970).
Whether you’ve been a fan of John Legend for years or are relatively uninitiated with his emotional and eclectic crooning, “Legend (solo sessions)” is a great companion or starting point into his artistry.