John Legend’s 5th album Darkness and Light was released last month after three long years since Love In The Air. This time Legend treats fans to twelve brand new tracks featuring a wide range of popular artists including Miguel and man of the moment Chance the Rapper. The smooth as silk piano playing songwriter is back with a bang, there is no doubt that this release will have all the girls swooning once again.
The project kicks off with I Know Better, his mind blowing vocal abilities are on display and full of emotion as per usual. His clever manipulation of the piano gives the accompaniment heaps of expression, organs also sit in the mix; reinforcing the gospel influences. It is a perfect introduction to the album but up next is the album’s first collaboration featuring Chance The Rapper – even though there is some clever songwriting on Penthouse Floor, the outcome is incredibly jarring with too many elements fighting for the limelight. Darkness and Light is up next and is another masterclass in how to perform a heart felt song, the addition of the Alabama Shakes’ Britney Howard works very well bringing a different energy to the proceedings. Thankfully the third feature in a row includes some gorgeous vocals from the talented Miguel, pop R&B at it’s best from the choice of instrumentation to the inspiring marriage of these two voices.
Production wise the next two tracks come as a surprise, Love Me Now is an uplifting pop number that comes together well whereas What You Do To Me has opted for a much more electronic sound palette. The eastern strings bring so much texture to the track, while the stops before the heavy bass comes back in leave room for some of Legend’s finest vocal runs so far. Far from a traditional John Legend piece, however this one will no doubt be one of the album’s stand-out moments, at times it is reminiscent of his earlier collaboration with Dubstep superstars Magnetic Man (Skream, Benga and Artwork).
Surefire sounds much more familiar but it is still unique, muted guitar plucks, oriental strings and more beautiful backing singers make this an exquisite piece of music. Right By You is another sweet vocal over an expertly written chord progression, pushing and pulling between sadness and elation. This track in particular proves why he is so well respected for his writing abilities, there is no question that he will be remembered as one of our generation’s greats. Somehow the production manages to show inspiration from the experimental sounds of Bonobo or James Blake, as well as referencing gospel and blues effortlessly.
From here on out the album certainly holds your attention but is not quite as impressive as what came before it, Temporarily Painless is nearly there but for once you almost want to hear the captivating instrumental by itself. This is something that follows across the next two tracks, sonically they are intriguing but on the whole they end up luke warm. Use of live strings is very prominent once again, especially on the tear jerking melodies of Same Old Story which once again has similarities to James Blake’s recent output, the vocoded voice is well executed but take the attention away from the stunning violins. Marching Into the Dark is similar to Penthouse Floor in the sense that some sections might need to be stripped back a touch, an odd choice for the final track as it may leave a bitter taste; however the chorus’ backing singers still work their magic.
Even though there is little to complain about with this album it maybe could have done with one or two less tracks to keep the overall quality higher, Legend has managed to cater to his fans without being constrained to just one style. It is an impressive listen that will age well, unlike some of 2016’s other releases that have followed too many current musical trends. If you would like to hear it for yourself why not head to your local Richer Sounds to check it out on some of our over-ear headphones?
