John Legend’s promising musical career is somewhat increasingly gaining momentum, with the release of his seventh LP, “Bigger Love”. Legend is one of the most versatile balladeers of this current generation, who’ve done quite a lot of pop and R & B scenes.
What separates Bigger Love, an album consisting of 16 tracks to his other works, is perhaps cohesiveness. Despite having some downtime to this particular project, Legend was still able to convey a striking and resilient move to his listeners.
1. Ooh Laa
“Ooh Laa” serves as an excellent introduction to Legend’s latest project, opening up with a remarkable bass and creative lyrics. It might not be a single, but with enough work, this one could easily snag some spotlight and radio play.
2. Actions
This song can be described as fiery, or perhaps something that could easily qualify as an ode to lovers. But, it’s also a single where he sings, “Actions speak louder than love songs,” which is perhaps a bold statement to make, but entirely accurate in today’s current generation.
3. I Do
With Charlie Puth, Legend has created “I Do”, a track reminiscent of Puth’s capabilities on his earliest days of his career. While it doesn’t put that much of a show, the two and a half minute track is more than enough to satisfy any casual listeners.
4. One Life
There’s a lot going on in “One Life”, and perhaps what laid the groundwork for a versatile track like this is the tempo. It opened up to more opportunities for Legend to incorporate more elements to allow the track to flow naturally and his strong vocals.
5. Wild
Despite being titled “Wild”, the instrumental sounds rather weak, but is more than enough to act as a vessel to Legend’s overflowing tone.
6. Bigger Love
The sixth entry is where we get to see the bigger picture. Legend seems to have put a lot of effort into “Bigger Love”, and its awkward slow-paced jam is quite pleasing to any soul.
7. U Move, I Move
With a commanding tone and a creative lyricism, Legend and Jhene Aiko were able to portray a striking message. Despite having a Disney-esque vibe, “U Move, I Move” still stands as something of its own, especially with the help of Aiko’s pleasing vocals.
8. Favorite Place
The song uses a lot of trap elements that works fine to complete the whole track. For its 3 minutes running time, it sure does pack a punch, and perhaps one of the highlights of Legend’s seventh album.
9. Slow Cooker
As the name suggests, the track starts effectively slow. With an emphasis on the low note of his “slow cooker” lyrics, Legend demonstrates why he has become such a quintessential balladeer of this generation.
10. Focused
For a 16-track length album, it’s not that surprising for some entries to go uninspired. While “Focused” isn’t that much of a letdown, although it could need some help to improve some of its weakest parts to make it sound more appealing.
11. Conversations in the Dark
This song is one of the singles that Legend has released before dropping “Bigger Love”. It functions how Legend has envisioned the song would do, and it surely did a lot of things to highlight some of Legend’s key points as an artist. Moreover, the lyrics sound fuller and embracing, something that you can comfortably listen for hours.
12. Don’t Walk Away
“Don’t Walk Away” features Koffee is perhaps the reason why the track feels so complete. Even so, Legend still did an excellent job of carrying the rest parts of the song. With a powerful tandem like this, “Don’t Walk Away” is easily one of the album’s most substantial piece.
13. Remember Us
An enthralling piece is what “Remember Us” is. It further reminds us of how Legend started, that particular sound is why people loved Legend, and it’s a relief to know that he’s still living up to his past. Rapsody is also a feature and provided an excellent contrast to Legend’s smooth and satisfying ode.
14. I’m Ready
Here, we see more of Legend’s brilliance. Maybe, it’s also one of the most underrated songs in this album. Its simplistic beat and assuring instrumental provided a perfect background for Legend’s majestic voice.
15. Always
Legend has been accessible to many couples, as some of his songs are perfect for weddings. But “Always” delivers more than that, and although it is not that much of a powerful ballad, it still was able to encapsulate what the theme of the whole album is offering.
16. Never Break
And lastly, we have “Never Break”. It was a great way to end an album like this and is definitely worth the four minutes of running time. Legend utilized most of his vocal prowess in his final track, and it did pay off.
John Legend rises above mediocrity. And although ballads aren’t that popular with the current generation, Legend was able to mix some of his signatures to improve a thriving genre. Bigger Love is one that will be remembered by many fans and casual listeners alike.
