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Avg: 4.0 (50 ratings)
- Date Released: December 28, 2004
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: R&B
- Label: Getting Out Our Dreams/Sony Urban Music/Columbia
- Copyright: (P) 2004 Getting Out Our Dreams and Sony Music Entertainment
Heartbroken? Let's sing! Someone die? More singing!
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We Say...
Generally speaking, John Legend is a happy guy. A UPenn graduate, one-time a capella singer, management consultant, backup singer and college roommate of Kanye West's cousin, Legend (neé Stephens) has taken a circuitous route to stardom. You'd never know it to hear his first album. Signed by West to his G.O.O.D. imprint, Legend manages to make even the saddest songs, like the gutsy "Used to Love U," sound like a tent revival. Heartbroken? Let's sing! Someone die? More singing! The West-produced "Number One" opens with the zippy "You can't say / I don't love you / just because I cheat on you," while bopping along at 75 BPM, before breaking down into a Gospel coda. But there are two crucial moments where the tempo slows and the tone shifts. The first, "Ordinary People," is one of the most uncomplicated songs of the decade. Co-written by the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, of all people, the initial tint of melodrama melts away the higher Legend's tenor reaches. The second moment may explain all the goofy joy elsewhere: "It Don't Have To Change" is a family spiritual sung with, well, the Stephens Family. Employing those a capella bona fides, and a shockingly straight-faced yearning for "those simple days," Legend shares the spotlight with a clan that makes the saddest things sound righteous. What a good son.
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They Say...
If you've listened to Top 40 radio or flipped through the video channels during the past few years, odds are pretty good you know something about John Legend. He played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and might as well be considered Kanye West's sidekick, having assisted the producer and MC on several sessions -- Jay-Z's "Encore" and Slum Village's "Selfish" being two of the more prominent 2004 singles featuring his work. A former choir director, he has also released a handful of energetic live discs, some of which are credited to his less hubristic birth name, John Stephens. And though he claims "I've got something new," you've also heard substantial chunks of Get Lifted in records made decades ago by Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and Bill Withers. This might not be a problem for listeners who crave anything that recalls the music they first heard in their youth, but Legend's over-reliance upon his inspirations is an impediment as much as a slick way to grab attention. That's because he has more than enough talent and charm to get by on his own. His own lyrics and hooks are unique and clever enough to get the point across that he's no everyday R&B artist and, just as importantly, he has a personable and instantly fetching voice you could listen to all day long. However, the association with West -- whose Sony-distributed boutique label released the record -- is very helpful. Without it, Legend would likely be zoned into neo-soul (2003's Live at SOB's New York City really makes this notion apparent), thereby standing little chance of reaching the ears of anyone younger than 30. The production work supporting his songs strikes a fine balance between soul and hip-hop, allowing him to appeal to those who are coming from either angle. This is a very good record. It's a given that Legend is destined to make at least two others that top it.
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| 01. |
Prelude |
0:44 |
|
|
| 02. |  |
Let's Get Lifted |
3:37 |
|
| 03. | |
Used To Love U |
3:30 |
|
| 04. | |
Alright |
3:21 |
|
| 05. | |
She Don't Have To Know |
4:52 |
|
| 06. | |
Number One
|
3:18 |
|
| 07. | |
I Can Change
|
5:00 |
|
| 08. | |
Ordinary People |
4:41 |
|
| 09. | |
Stay With You |
3:49 |
|
| 10. | |
Let's Get Lifted Again |
2:17 |
|
| 11. | |
So High |
5:07 |
|
| 12. | |
Refuge (When It's Cold Outside) |
4:13 |
|
| 13. | |
It Don't Have To Change |
3:23 |
|
| 14. | |
Live It Up |
4:35 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 52:27 Total Length
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Credits
- Snoop Dogg - Vocals // Snoop Dogg - Vocals // Snoop Dogg - Vocals // Snoop Dogg - Vocals // Snoop Dogg - Vocals // Snoop Dogg - Rap // Snoop Dogg - Rap // Snoop Dogg - Rap // Snoop Dogg - Rap // Snoop Dogg - Rap // Snoop Dogg - Vocal Ad-Libs // Snoop Dogg - Vocal Ad-Libs // Snoop Dogg - Vocal Ad-Libs // Snoop Dogg - Vocal Ad-Libs // Snoop Dogg - Vocal Ad-Libs // Snoop Dogg - Spoken Word // Snoop Dogg - Spoken Word // Snoop Dogg - Spoken Word // Snoop Dogg - Spoken Word // Snoop Dogg - Spoken Word // Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson - Vocals // Michael Harmon - Engineer // Manny Marroquin - Mixing // Candace Anderson - Vocals // David Bett - Art Direction // David Bett - Design // Andrew Dawson - Engineer // Danny Clinch - Photography // Glen Jeffery - Guitar // Pete Donelly - Engineer // Miri Ben-Ari - Strings // Miri Ben-Ari - Arranger // Miri Ben-Ari - Producer // Miri Ben-Ari - String Arrangements // will.i.am - Clavinet // will.i.am - Producer // will.i.am - Drum Programming // will.i.am - Moog Bass // George Pajon - Guitar // Kanye West - Vocals // Kanye West - Producer // Kanye West - Rap // Kanye West - Executive Producer // Kanye West - Drum Programming // Kawan "KP" Prather - A&R // Anthony Kilhoffer - Engineer // Lenesha Randolph - Vocals // Jason Carson - Assistant Engineer // Andy Manganello - Engineer // Printz Board - Trumpet // Pablo Arraya - Assistant Engineer // Tim Izo - Flute // Tim Izo - Saxophone // Jun Ishizeki - Engineer // Jason Villaroman - Engineer // Tom Craskey - Bass // Dave Tozer - Bass // Dave Tozer - Guitar // Dave Tozer - Keyboards // Dave Tozer - Producer // Dave Tozer - Engineer // Dave Tozer - Drum Programming // Ted Chung - Handclapping // Ted Chung - Finger Snapping // Jared Robbins - Mixing Assistant // Curtis Jay - Guitar // Elizabeth Lea - Trombone // Tarey Torae - Vocals // Michael Eleopoulos - Assistant Engineer // Steve Tirpak - Trumpet // Sharief Hobley - Guitar // Aaron Fessel - Engineer // John Legend - Organ // John Legend - Piano // John Legend - Keyboards // John Legend - Vocals // John Legend - Producer // John Legend - Executive Producer // John Legend - Fender Rhodes // Jimmy Coleman - Drums // I.Am Will - Clavinet // I.Am Will - Producer // I.Am Will - Drum Programming // I.Am Will - Moog Bass // Patrick Fong - Design // Tatiana Beedar - Stylist // Paul Cho - Producer // Jenee Dixon - Trumpet // DeVon "Devo" Harris - Producer // Corey Hogan - Saxophone // Horn Dogs - Horn // Matt Hueneman - ? // Tara Michel - Vocals // Na2 - Vocals // James Roston - Vocals // Shvona - Handclapping // Shvona - Finger Snapping // MBalia Singley - Vocals // MBalia Singley - Vocals (Background) // McGowan Southworth - Engineer // A. Wayne Stephens - Vocals // A. Wayne Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Brandy Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Brett Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Dionne Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Doris Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Kashaan Stephens - Vocals // Kashaan Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Marjorie Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Phyllis E. Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Phyllis Y. Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Ronald Stephens - Vocals // Ronald Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Vada Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Vaughn Stephens - Vocals // Vaughn Stephens - Vocals (Background) // Ronald "Bumper" Stephnes - Handclapping // Ronald "Bumper" Stephnes - Finger Snapping // Swiss Chris - Drums // Jayme Kelly Curtis - Guitar // Jeremy Dyen - Synthesizer // Patricia Tyree - Photography // Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos - Assistant Engineer // Tarrey Torae - Vocals // Tarrey Torae - Vocals (Background) // Candice Anderson - Vocals
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Performers
John Legend featuring Miri Ben-Ari // John Legend featuring Snoop Dogg // John Legend featuring Kanye west // John Legend featuring The Stephens Family
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