John Legend has been a constant in the game. Somebody that you could always rely on to put out good music. Heโs extremely talented and in my opinion heโs one of the best singers out there today. His career has been filled with numerous awards, huge hits, and a catalog of mostly good to great albums, and yet for me thereโs always been something missing. While heโs put out a ton of technically good music, heโs never made anything thatโs stuck with me long term. Nothing thatโs resonated at a deeper level. Heโs always played things too safe for me and itโs something I was hoping heโd look to push past withย Darkness and Light.
โOnly future I can see, ainโt what it used to be
And I didnโt know this, I didnโt know this
Once youโre above the city lights
Wonโt want to spend another night, down there on your ownโ
When I heard the first single, โLove Me Nowโ, I had little hope that heโd look to push the boundaries. Yeah itโs an ok song, but itโs so safe, like most of his previous works; technically great, but emotionally lacking. Luckily, that lead single wasnโt representative ofย Darkness and Light as a whole. Yes there are still his bread and butter grandiose, gospely arrangements, but in general thereโs a concerted effort to escape his comfort zone and really dig into more emotional and introspective material. โPenthouse Floorโ, โOverloadโ, โWhat You Do To Meโ are some of his most ambitious songs in years but even they play things a little too safe for me.
โLet that cellphone ring, let that bluebird sing, let that message say unread
Let them talk about us, let them talk too much while we rule the whole world from our bedโ
Lyrically, John Legend tries to dig a little deeper this time around and tries to reconcile his artistry with his more vocal and opinionated public self. Itโs a commendable attempt that he unfortunately never fully commits to. Touching on deeper issues and speaking with more raw emotion, but still remaining firmly on the outskirts. While his lyrical content isnโt as big of a step forward as I was hoping for, his vocals are as good as ever. His silky smooth singing ensures that no matter how safe he plays it, his music will always sound good.
Have you heardย Darkness and Light? Whatโd you think about it? Do you think he plays it too safe? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your rating for the album.
