John Legend - "Get Lifted"

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Has anyone picked this up yet? (For those who don't recognize the name, he's the guy singing the hook and/or playing the piano and/or cowriting on quite a few Kanye West productions). From the clips on his website, this sounds like the sort of thing I could get into (I guess I'm not sick of Kanye's production style yet), but I'd be curious to hear how strong the entire CD is. He's certainly got a gorgeous voice; I remember thinking so when I heard him in his college a cappella group.

― Greg, Wednesday, 5 January 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

too much kanye, too much hip hop programming, and too many recognisable samples.

not enough of what john can really do on his own.

― DVD (dickvandyke), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

how many songs did Kanye do on the album? I heard it was only 5 or something like that.

I liked the single and Kanye seems to do better work with him than most of his mediocre R&B production work. I don't know if I'm interested in the album, though. I heard some alright mixtape tracks a while back, there's a one that doesn't appear to be on the album called "Do What I Gotta Do" that has a nice Biggie sample.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

The song with Snoop Dogg is nice.

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 5 January 2005 22:15 (twenty years ago)

That Keith Murray song was nice. Roll a philly and get...

What was the other song this guy's had out??

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 6 January 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

"Used To Love U" with Kanye production in the same piano/gospel style as "My Way".

The opening lyrics are pretty good, though the "maybe a big-money hip-hop star might serve your needs" angle seems really familiar to me.

Maybe, it's me, maybe I bore you
No no, it's my fault, cause I can't afford you
Maybe baby, Puffy or Jay-Z
Would all be better for you
Cause all I can do is love you

― Gregory T (tubesocks), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:40 (twenty years ago)

Um, I meant Kweli's "Get By" not "My Way"

― Gregory T (tubesocks), Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

four weeks pass...

This is the only thread on this album? Really?
I'm really quite taken with it; it's like a glossier Bilal album and I'll take what I can get.
"Used To Love U" is great sinuous pop rnb, "alright" is TUBA DRIVEN, "she don't have to know" is sweeter cheatin' heart stuff than any of the last three Usher singles, "Number One" is beautiful faux Stevie and "I Can Change" is moany pleasedon'tleaveme done well... with Snoop!
Best of all, this run of songs reads like a short playlet: guy falls out of love with gal, falls for new girl, cheats with her, changes mind and recommits to girl who tells him to fuck off so he begs her to let him stay! It's great!
Sadly, the rest of the album is pretty much all soggy balladry. But the first seven tracks have been on repeat for the past three days.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 4 February 2005 01:05 (twenty years ago)

"i can change" and the title track are really solid.

― jimmy_tango, Tuesday, 8 February 2005 03:56 (twenty years ago)

"Live it Up" is so lush and beautiful!

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:08 (twenty years ago)

http://www.johnlegend.com/images/gallery_image12_lg.jpg

― djdee2005 (djdee2005), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 10:57 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

8 grammy noms and this is the only thread on the dude. i don't think i've ever heard him knowingly (the radio stations i listen to in the car never tell me what's playing).

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 20:40 (nineteen years ago)

EVERY TIME i look at a record store's R&B section, i see this album and am tempted to buy it. it's sort of shocking to me how much i like "ordinary people."

― don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 20:51 (nineteen years ago)

"Number One" is fantastic and it amazes me that it wasn't a single (supposedly they shot a video for it but then decided not to release it).

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

i like this cat considerably more than i should, given what manipulative maudlin trash "ordinary people" is.

― u saved me (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:10 (nineteen years ago)

haha i like/love OP but I don't think I could bring myself to cop the album

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:13 (nineteen years ago)

haha oh i like/love OP too; it's not just manipulative maudlin trash, it's effective manipulative maudlin trash.

― u saved me (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:14 (nineteen years ago)

i heard the album a buncha times when i was working at the record store, and it's solid but nothing mindblowing really.

― u saved me (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:15 (nineteen years ago)

he's the metrosexual anthony hamilton.

― u saved me (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:15 (nineteen years ago)

'Ordinary People' soured my love for it (I really really don't like that track; like the worst of Stevie done badly), but the first half is a great EP.

This came out in '04 tho', didn't it? Otherwise it would've likely have been in my best albums race...

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:18 (nineteen years ago)

yeah - im pretty sure 04.

― don't start a RYE-OTT! (plsmith), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

"ordinary people" is maudlin trash except for the fact that it's an amazing vocal performance and a pretty great piano track too. one of my favorite pop singles of the past couple years.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:32 (nineteen years ago)

it came out the very last week of 04 and got a good chart boost from the noncompetitive post-Christmas sales climate.

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:43 (nineteen years ago)

"mature" male r&b has been pretty noncompetetive of late in general, right? (still waiting on an allen anthony album...)

― vahid (vahid), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

"in the closet" aside

― vahid (vahid), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

I still think "Live It Up" is incredible.

― deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, 28 December 2005 23:42 (nineteen years ago)

the non-LP "Do What I Gotta Do" is pretty good

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Thursday, 29 December 2005 00:05 (nineteen years ago)

Anyone who thinks that John legend is anything other than a Great soyul artist doesn't know music. OP is songwriting at it's best, shows off his vocal talent and the melodey is something else. Anyone who has been to any of his 'Get Lifted' shows, will be able to relate to just how good this man is. And he's only 26!

― Brett Hadley, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 12:00 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

FUCK ME 'ordinary people' is good.

i forget.

but it's on the radio.

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:01 (eighteen years ago)

Why did his two-song first album get all the attention and his wonderful second album go completely under the radar?

― The Reverend, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:40 (eighteen years ago)

Because there was no real hit and a lack of Kanye?

Once Again is wonderful, though, I agree. I don't how "Heaven" and "PDA" haven't caught on....

― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:48 (eighteen years ago)

I don't understand how*

― The Brainwasher, Thursday, 12 April 2007 04:48 (eighteen years ago)

I still think "Live It Up" is incredible.

-- deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, December 28, 2005 5:42 PM (1 year ago)

― deej, Thursday, 12 April 2007 05:51 (eighteen years ago)

"Live It Up" is probably the closest to song #3, I'll give you that.

― The Reverend, Thursday, 12 April 2007 06:52 (eighteen years ago)

yeah, his second album was pretty good, too bad it looks like he's joining the Neo-Soul Sophomore Slump Club with Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Anthony Hamilton, Macy Gray, India.Arie, etc.

― Alex in Baltimore, Thursday, 12 April 2007 15:33 (eighteen years ago)

other than pda i wasn't really enjoying his second album too much ... its very good but lost some of the warmth that i really liked about the first.

― deej, Thursday, 12 April 2007 15:42 (eighteen years ago)

i honestly haven't even listened to it in at least a couple months, but "Another Again" popping into my head at least once a week keeps my impression of it pretty positive.

― Alex in Baltimore, Thursday, 12 April 2007 15:49 (eighteen years ago)

His first album sounds really cold to me.

― The Reverend, Thursday, 12 April 2007 21:24 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/Platform_Launch_Action/Hot%20Spots/Couples/Johnlegendgirlfriend4.jpg

just chillin w osamas niece, be cool

― deej, Thursday, 19 June 2008 06:08 (seventeen years ago)

She don't have to know.

― forksclovetofu, Thursday, 19 June 2008 06:30 (seventeen years ago)

At least have the decency to post it on the John Legend thread on the front page.

Thread for anticipation of the forthcoming John Legend album

― The Reverend, Thursday, 19 June 2008 06:50 (seventeen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

his first two albums are so good.

― jammin on the dud (Spottie), Thursday, 7 April 2022 22:49 (three years ago)

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