Once Again : John Legend : Review : Rolling Stone

On 2004's Get Lifted John Legend stood out from the R&B pack -- and scored a Best New Artist Grammy -- with a piano-driven throwback sound and an all-star lineup of collaborators that included Kanye West and Will.i.am. Legend's famous friends are back for the bigger, better follow-up, which blends lush, elegant band arrangements with stylish synth parts and cool samples (including one of Hendrix backing Lonnie Youngblood). Over thirteen tracks, Legend ranges from strummy rock ballads (the excellent "Show Me") to McCartney-style love songs ("Where Did My Baby Go") and Temptations-channeling R&B ("Slow Dance"). Often the tunes take surprising, oddball turns -- near the end of the sprightly first single, "Save Room," a dark organ freakout emerges for a few measures before quickly disappearing. Too quickly, actually: Those moments leave you wishing Legend had indulged his weirder instincts a little more. But it's possible Legend is just too polite -- even the awesomely titled "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)" turns out to be a crooned ballad, complete with Vince Guaraldi-esque piano, that wouldn't sound out of place in a Nora Ephron movie.