John Legend, 'Evolver'

The buzz: John Legend and Kanye West helped each other rise to stardom, trading their talents on each other’s demos. Since his debut in 2004, Legend has won five Grammys and sold over five million albums. “Evolver” presents a more up-tempo side of the soul singer--while saving plenty of room for the light R&B fare that lifted him to celebrity status.

The verdict: The title of “Evolver” is a bit of a stretch. Legend is more of a throwback than a progressive artist, and he can’t escape the quicksand of mawkish ballads like “This Time” and “Good Morning.” He shows off a supple falsetto on “I Love, You Love,” but sometimes comes across as more technically gifted than emotionally affecting. Brandy coaxes some urgency out of him on the apocalyptic love jam “Quickly,” and Legend shows off some surprising sass and spark on “It’s Over,” where he’s joined by his robot-voiced pal Kanye. Guest artists can backfire, however, as when André 3000 steps in on “Greenlight” and drops a fantastically weird freestyle into an otherwise lukewarm dance track. André’s rap is tossed-off and still feels like a signature, impossible to imagine coming out of anyone else--which can seldom be said of Legend on “Evolver.”

Did you know? A meeting with Barack Obama (who counts himself as a fan) inspired Legend to write an anthem calling for social change via self-empowerment. The cheesy but well-meaning result, “If You’re Out There,” kicked off this year’s Democratic National Convention.

Add a comment