John Legend (3 stars)
Get Lifted
Protégé? I think not. John Legend is given this label in almost every article. Of course, he'd have been just another blip on the music map without his association with super-producer Kanye West, who enlists Legend's soulful elegance on almost every track he's ever produced. With gospel-based vocals and more than 20 years of piano savoir faire, he's a big part of Kanye's production arsenal.
After years of cameos, he's breaking out on his own with his debut, Get Lifted, an R&B album that can stand on its own. With appearances from Snoop Dog, will-i-am from the Black Eyed Peas and, of course, Kanye, it's an unquestionable hit. It's musically diverse, expressing feelings from romance to childhood memories, intertwined with undeniably strong beats that are sure to have your head swaying back and forth. The first single, "Used to Love U," is also my favorite track. With catchy lines like, "Maybe I should rob somebody / So we could be like Whitney and Bobby," it had me dancing and rolling on the ground. But the overall tempo is bona fide Kanye-ish: identical, easy to pinpoint and eventually dull.
The CD's mixed messages about love and infidelity have me wondering. "She Don't Have To Know" is about sneaking out while "Ordinary People" is about devotion. I have to ask: Which is Kayne looking for a hit, and which is Legend sparking the R&B flame?
Gladys Knight (3 stars)
One Voice
Who knew there was a music category called contemporary pop gospel? That's where you can find Gladys Knight, in her first recording with Las Vegas' Saints Unified Voices, a Mormon choir of more than 100 voices, which Knight also directs. SUV and Knight cover a solid range of material and styles, starting with opening track "One Voice," made up of short declarative statements about Jesus Christ in a multitude of languages. It's followed by "Come, Come, Ye Saints," an English folk song but performed with African percussion and rhythms. It's a surprising mix, and one that's far too short. Knight's voice is still strong at 60 and blends well with SUV, especially on "I Am a Child of God" and "Did You Know." Also standing out is tenor John Fluker, who does double duty on piano and keyboards.