Customer Reviews

Get Lifted

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1 star:		(20)

 

 

Although his surname may be something he picked up from an old friend in Chicago, John Legend's debut album "Get Lifted" proves a definite validation in the making. A gifted singer, songwriter and pianist, he has already gotten his hands dirty as a session player and songwriter for the likes of Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Twista. He even played piano on Lauryn Hill's 1999 Top 40 hit "Everything Is Everything" when he was still a teenager, and his work on Kayne West's debut album "College Dropout" that helped yield sizzling success last year led West to produce "Get Lifted."

Although criticism that he has relied too much on his influences to guide his musical direction is semi-justified, Legend (real name John Stevens) has more than enough talent and charisma at his disposal that one listen to the album will leave no doubt in the minds of listeners that he is something special. With his sparkling strokes on the keys of his piano and his singing expressive and powerful, "Get Lifted" will make some think that Alicia Keys' male counterpart has arrived on the scene. It is appropriate, then, that she utilized his talents on her "Diary of Alicia Keys" album and has him to support her on her forthcoming tour.

Although the initial single "Used to Love U" was the most obvious song for radio play, it is a mere taste of what the album has to offer. Current single "Ordinary People," which is currently ascending the Hot 100, is full-fledged musical rapture, infused with crystalline passion and grace. Anyone who has heard this song and is not smart enough to appreciate the talent behind it will not like the rest of the LP either.

A particular highlight comes when he waxes romanticism on the radio-ready "Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)":

"When it's cold outside/There's no need to worry cuz/I'm so warm inside/You give me peace/When the storm's outside/Cuz we're in love I know/It'll be alright."

The sunny, smile-inducing "Number One" which features a wonderfully exuberant rap by West is an absolute delight:

"You know that I love you/There's no one above you/I said it the last time/But this is the last time/Don't make me over/Cuz I can be faithful/Baby you're my number one."

Other highlights include the infectious "I Can Change" featuring Snoop Dogg, the soul-searching "So High" and the closing "Live It Up" where his awesome interpretation of his lyrics combined with colorful production and vinyl crackles brings his disc to a regretful conclusion.

John Legend has crafted an album that is pure candy to the ears and spotlights a wealth of talent that is truly all his own. If there is any artist out there worthy of all the hype surrounding them, he is the one. Expect great things from him for a long time to come.

They say, "Persistence pays off". After years of working behind the scenes (like playing on Lauryn Hill's 1999 "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill": "Everything is Everything" and title track "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill") John Legend (Stephens) is finally the front man. "Get Lifted" is one impressive debut that ranges from R&B/Soul ballads to R&B/Hip Hop hybrids, both complemented with the piano. Highlights include the instantly intriguing "Let's Get Lifted", its vocally impressive counterpart "Let's Get Lifted Again", the catchy "I Can Change" & "Alright", the beautiful "Ordinary People", the soulful "Stay With You", and the best song on the album, the incredible "She Don't Have To Know" where the perspective is switched onto the two people cheating. Noble? No. Unique? With the way John Legend presents it; definitely. The only place where the album falters is the collaboration with Kanye West; "Number One" sounds like an obligatory track between the "mentor" and "protégé" (and Kanye just kills the song with his verse). But overall, the album is exceptional from start to finish. With innovative and fresh-sounding material, John Legend proves that he is not just another "throwaway artist", but rather an artist that has potential and whose talent will inevitably extent far into his career.

Remember when Alicia Keys first came out and a lot of haters said that she really couldn't sing, and that she was just this poor little Clive Davis puppet? Years later she proved that she belongs, and I think that John Legend will do the same.
They said Keys was overated. No! She was not overated, but she was over-hyped. There is a difference. We got tired of seeing her on the cover of every mag and hearing how good she was. Once Mr. Stephens gets out on tour and away from the shadow of Mr. West he'll prove that he is more substance than hype as well.
He's not the female Alicia Keys, he's more like the male Mary J. Blige. And you know what I mean by that, his voice IS NOT pitch perfect; but damn if he doesn't put enough emotion in his sung lyrics to take your mind back to the same situation he's singing about. He's the truth.
True R&B is pretty miserable right now. This album is not just another I love you, I need you, I want you R&B record. In time and with polish he'll be among the elite as Maxwell and Brian Mcknight are now.

when I heard him on Chicago's radion staion B96, in the studio with the piano singing Ordinary People. The CD was supposed to be released in November, early December but the release date was pushed back. Anyone who can go into a radio station and literally sing his heart out like, Mr. Ledgend did, deserves all the kudos he is getting right now. In the time of these NONE artists out here, here is someone who is a writer, musician and singer like Alicia Keys, making his mark. He will be around for a very long time. Good breakthrough start for Chi-Town's Kanye West's new label.

With his debut album, Get Lifted, John Legend manages to avoid the over-commercial/under-creative stigma of many R&B singers without pigeonholing himself with the label of "just another neo-soul artist". Beyond that, he puts forth an honest and cohesive statement that he is a force to be reckoned with, especially when paired with mercurial producer, Kanye West.

There is an unmistakable narrative in Get Lifted. It starts with Legend spouting braggadocio and unapologetic accounts of womanizing over slick hip-hop beats. The production on "I Used to Love You" is one of Kanye's finest moments, and provides the album with an early highlight. "Alright" and "She Don't Have to Know" (which cops the opening of Sly & the Family Stone's "Luv & Haight") both breach the subject of infidelity, but nowhere near as audaciously as "Number One". With its bouncy Curtis Mayfield loop and campy guest spot from West, "Number One" is one of the most infectious tunes on the album. Legend's lyrics are so flippant, though, that it comes off almost insulting, but it perfectly captures the mindset of the habitual cheater. By the time "I Can Change" comes around, we have no doubt that the song's title is a bald-faced lie. The song turns out to be a pivot point for the whole album, however. Starting off in the same vein as all of the previous tracks, "I Can Change" is a hip-hop/R&B hybrid with dense horns, a steady groove and even a verse by Snoop Dog. Legend is re-treading much of the same ground as he did in "Number One", but there is an actual touch of sincerity to his voice. Somewhere along the way, Kanye and John completely flip the script and take us to church, dropping the horn samples and the bass and bringing in a full choir while Legend makes us believe that a change really is going to come. We have no idea.

"Ordinary People" is one of those songs that grips you instantly the first time you hear it, but takes several listens to fully appreciate. On the heels of seven terrifically produced songs complete with full instrumentation and samples, the track is a little disorienting. Stripped of all bells and whistles, "Ordinary People" relies only on Legend's robust voice and a single acoustic piano to survive. It is at the same time the most powerful song on the album and the most fragile, mirroring the subject matter perfectly. In addition to serving as Get Lifted's centerpiece, it serves to cleanse our palate for the second half.

Here is where the soulful side of John Legend gets a workout. The focus becomes more about Legend's voice, and the subject matter deals with life after the attempted reconciliation of "Ordinary People". Unabashed love songs like "So High" and the Solomon Burke-style "Stay With You" suggest that the reconciliation worked. In addition, Legend has shifted his focus from hook-ups to family life, as in the glorious "It Don't Have to Change" (which features his actual family) and "Live it Up". Even though the sexual energy hasn't dried up, it is presented in a monogamous context. The title track, featured early on, is a cocky come-on to one and all, boasting Legend's prowess by comparing it to a drug. The reprise of the song, nested comfortably in the second half of the album, is much more intimate and focuses only on seducing the woman he loves. What separates these songs from contemporary R&B is partly their production, but more importantly the choices that Legend makes with his vocals. He has a very good voice, but it isn't particularly awe-inspiring. Fortunately, he has the control to push his voice to its limit without going too far, and the maturity to avoid the type of self-indulgent caterwauling that is popular with so many of today's pop divas (men and women both).

The dichotomy of Get Lifted is such that it almost feels like two different albums. John Legend's songwriting is so strong that they would be two considerable debuts if forced to stand alone. When combined, however, the listener is taken on a journey through the mind of a man (it isn't clear how much of Get Lifted is auto-biographical) as he makes mistakes, gets hurt, hurts others and ultimately grows. It is an intoxicating effort that it is impossible to take out of your CD player. I can't wait to see what's next for the best new talent around.

First off I love this disc. Listen to it more than any other released so far this year. And I normally don't give a lot of weight to lyrics when reviewing an album. I'll take James Brown's "I Feel Good" over any of Jim Morrison's "poetry" any day. Nonetheless, when I heard Kanye West's rap in the middle of "Number One", I cringed with embarassment. It can't be meant to be taken seriously (can it?), but it's too stupid to be funny either. Did he really just pledge his love to the woman he had been unfaithful to by telling her his penis told him she was his favorite?????

That aside, I will still buy Legend's next album before hearing a single track. He is an immensely talented musician with a great soulful voice. The arrangements are outstanding as well. It is also nice to hear a new soul singer who can sing melisma-free. I just hope he decides to take a stand and deny his organ's future requests to pen any of his lyrics.

Well, I've got to admit, this guy's voice is amazing! He is very original and you won't hear many people singing in the "old school" R&B style anymore. My one and only complaint with an otherwise solid cd (with little to no filler) is the number of songs about cheatng. Even one of the "love songs" was apologizing for cheating (number one). He tells his girl that even though he sleeps around he "wraps it up" and she is still his number one girl. I really wouldn't care if there was only one song or maybe two. But theere are references to cheating in four songs straight(some of which the whole song is about cheating). Sadly, one of the best songs on the album is She Don't Have To Know. I would just appreciate the cd more if it had more love songs and relatable songs, and if I could play it around my fiance' without making her uncomfortable.
Also, I kind of found it funny, but I could swear that "get lifted" has little more to do with a plant that a lover. Great cd, but not one that is easily relatable through the whole cd, and not one that you would play at a romantic dinner.

If you want great soul vocals and lyrics that you can identify with, check out Anthony Hamilton. Hope this helped.

John Legend is one of the best and most-promising male R&B/Soul artists to arrive on the scene in the last decade and more. His voice is notably distinct in music where most males have a highly nasal, squeaky vocal tone and where their music is relatively one-dimensional. John speaks about so many different things. Pair this with the fact that he writes and composes his own music and can play the piano and we have the male counterpart to Alicia Keys, who both herald from the school of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and other music extraordianaires.

Let's Get Lifted-Produced by Kanye West and John Legend, this opening track is a mid-tempo that has a very uplifting theme of John lifting music, giving the listener something fresh, something different. When I listen to the song, I do not listen as much to the lyrics as I just get encapsulated in the instrumentation of the song and the vocal arrangements. Lyrically and musically, this is a great introduction to the talent that is John. A

Used to Love u-Produced by Kanye West and John Legend, John's first single which did minimally well as an introductory single, is a mid-tempo cut with a very strong drum/percussion prescence as well as horns and trumpets. The background vocals add a haunting element to the song which simply talks about not loving someone anymore. The references to Puffy, Jay Z are kind of standard but in this non-standard song, they are refreshing. The song has many elements which makes it a very tight musical piece. A

Alright-Produced by Kanye and John, this song contains a trumpet, saxophone, trombone and tuba. How many modern-day songs contain such a diverse array of musical instruments? All I hear are electronic instruments and programmed drums. However, this dark-toned song which has a relatively haunting, sneaky mood to it, has John talking about a girl who already has a man that she is "alright" to him and he still wants to experience her. The lyrics really create a story as does the music of the song. Not as good as some of the other songs, but still a very strong musical piece. A-

She Don't Have to Know-Produced by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas I believe, this cut has drums, a sax, trombone, moog bass and clav, another testament to the musical diversity on the CD. John is singing about his girl not having to know about him dipping off with another girl, whose man does not have to know about John and his mistress' shenanigans. I do not like the theme of the song, but it is a reality and the arrangement of the vocals and of the instrument really fit the song. John sings the song in the right key and it just works. You can almost hear it in his voice that it is something that he is doing, but he knows that it is wrong and that he should not. The regret is there in his voice, which is a quality missing from so many singers who sing all the songs with the same voice, the same emotion or lack of emotion. A

Number One-Produced by Kanye West and John Legend, this old/new school soul mid-tempo with elements of Curtis Mayfield's "Let's Do it Again" is a mini-masterpiece with a theme of John telling his girl that even though he may go out there and cheat on her that she still is his number one. The sample works really well here and gives it a classic feel. Kanye's rap is very humorous and is worth listening to the song as he says some very "different" things. This was John's third single which unfortunately made no gains on radio. A+

I Can Change-Produced by Dave Tozer and John Legend and featuring Snoop Dogg, this old school mid-tempo with John's scratchy vocals either sounds like an old song or a new song sung by an older, veteran artist. The song has many different musical instruments which seems to be a standard. The song speaks about John being able to change his unfaithful ways for his woman. Compared to its predecessors and even the ones that follow, this song is probably the weakest on the CD as it really goes nowhere and is not different at all. B+

Ordinary People-Produced by John Legend, this song is what put John on the map. For me, it is modern-day musical masterpiece that artists will be covering in decades to come because it is a song that tells a story and is complimented with simple piano chord progression. John interprets the lyrics of the song wonderfully and the lyrics are well-crafted. The song has a perfect climaxing effect as it builds slowly and by the end it returns to where it began...wonderful. This is one of the best songs of the 21st century thus far, and is part of the impetus in John being accepted and embraced as a serious talent. A+

Stay with You-Produced by Dave Tozer, this mid-tempo with John's scratchy, longing vocals makes this song a great follow-up to Ordinary People as John confesses that he will stay with his woman through the "ups and the downs." The background arrangements are on-point and the simple instrumentation fits the mood/theme of the song making for a very listenable/engaging melody/harmony. This song is wonderful and has classic written over it. It could even be serviced to Urban/Urban AC stations as a single. A+

Let's Get Lifted Again-Produced by Dave Tozer, this quiet slow song which is short and is basically an interlude has John singing in falsetto as he invites the listener to stay with him and to continue getting lifted as he continues to offer something new...."come fly with me." He hits some nice falsetto notes that are surprising because I did not think he could get that high. A

So High-Produced by Devon "Devo" Harris, next to Ordinary People, this song is the next best musical masterpiece on the CD. It is a very simply arranged song with just live drums, bass, piano and organ. But these instruments are used to help slowly build a climax to the song. Couple this with the fact that John interprets the song perfectly using his vocals as an instrument to paint the picture of his devotion to his girl. The song talks about a love that takes a couple so high and it works as you can picture someone flying on the wind of love. The melody of the song is awesome. The climax is killer as John takes it there like only an experienced, talented vocalist could do. Unfortunately, this is his fourth single and has not really been faring well on radio. But it is a masterpiece no doubt. I really feel this song. A+

Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)-Produced by Devon "Devo" Harris and Paul Cho, just as Stay With You follows Ordinary People, this song that follows So High is one of the best songs on the CD with its swirling beat and its different arrangement as John vows that his woman will be his refuge always from war, from violence, from the cold. It is a different song and it too has classic written on it. It could easily be a single in the Urban format. One of my favorites. A+

It Don't Have to Change-Produced by John Legend and featuring his family, this old-school, 70s sounding cut is a traditional soul groove that is missing on so much of today's music as John invites his family to vibe with him on this cut singing about things not having to change. A very different listen. A

Live it Up-Produced by Devon "Devo" Harris, Kanye West and John Legend and featuring Miri-Ben-Ari containing elements from "Love is Missing From Our Lives", this classic which sounds like the first song is one of the better as John tells his woman that they can now live it up after the sacrifices they have made for each other. A different love song in a different arrangement. A+

Overall, John Legend is a talent who I hope will stay around and truly become a legend just like Stevie, like Marvin, like so many others. He understands the elements of music...vocal interpretation, vocal effects, melody, harmony, various instruments, telling a story with music, chord progression, all of that. What stands out the most is how he changes his vocals to fit the song. He does not use the same vocals even with the same kind of song...sometimes scratchy, sometimes determined, sometimes falsetto, sometimes belting it. John is a musical extraordinaire for this generation. His sales of 1.5 million are a testament to that.

I was so glad that John Legend will not be a "one-hit" wonder after hearing this CD. One of the few CDs that every song is worth playing again and again. He is the only redeeming thing that is associated with Kanye West who produced the album on his label. Kanye's arrogant personality is so bad that I still haven't heard his entire CD but this CD let's me know that Kanye does have some actual talent.

John Legend has been singing and playing professionally for nearly 8 years - appearing on many accomplished singers albums. I've known about him since summer of '04. He was playing piano and singing Jesus Walks on the MuchMusic awards. What a talented musician he is. His voice isn't spectacular, but it's minimalist and has a ton of emotion. He's quite a fine pianist as well. He's frequently called the male Alicia Keys, which I can understand, as they do have similarities.

Here's a track-by-track review of his masterpiece.
1. Prelude: A great introduction to the album. Draws the listener in with a simple piano part, and soulful, soft vocals. 5/5
2. Let's Get Lifted: The Prelude blends right into this. This has a slightly dark feel to it. It's about, well, getting lifted. Absoloutely gorgeous vocals. 5/5
3. Used to Love U: Upbeat, fun song to a girl who is materialistic. Slightly overrated, there are much better songs on this album. But it's a good welcome song to get new fans. 4.5/5
4. Alright: Lyrically weak. He's singing about being drunk, and how good a girl looks and how even though she has a boyfriend, he wants her. Bad concept. Vocally weak, he stays on the same few notes. 2.5/5
5. She Don't Have To Know: Opens with beautiful soaring vocals. Another concept somewhat like #4, but much stronger. 5/5
6. Number One: Good opening once again. John works better with R&B songs, not hip hop and rap. Kanye understands this, and it's a sweet sounding R&B song despite Kanye appearing on it. 5/5
7. I Can Change: Good beats, and good vocals and lyrics from John. Maybe it's just me, but Snoop's voice bugs the crap out of me. His lyrics sound so fake and his voice is annoying. 3.5/5 (Snoop only gets extra points for his Sam Cooke shoutout)
8. Ordinary People: What's not to say about this song? A gorgeous, honest song with John just singing and playing the piano. 5/5
9. Stay With You: Possibly my favourite song on this album. It's total R&B, no big beat in the background. John's voice is so beautiful and soft. Album highlight. 5/5
10. Let's Get Lifted Again: I LOVE the background music in this one. It could just be instrumental, and I'd love it the same. His voice is falsetto in it, and soars so high that the beauty can bring someone to tears. It's not a real song on the album, sort of an intro-type thing. 5/5
11. So High: The album gets so good around the last half of the CD, it blows me away. 'Ohh this feels so crazy/Ohh this love is blazing/Baby we're so high/Walking on clouds now/So high'. This song just soars. Another standout track. 5/5
12. Refuge (When It's Cold Outside): Another gorgeous melody. John sounds so sweet and romantic. ANOTHER standout. 5/5
13. It Don't Have To Change: SO old school. Frigging amazing song. "All I'm trying to say is our love don't have to change/No it don't, have to change". Beautiful vocals from each other singer on the song. 5/5
14. Live It Up: Very romantic song. Great closer. 5/5

The whole idea of this album is love, but it's not cheesy. Each song is so beautifully crafted, and John Legend just shines. His voice is nothing extremely special. But he knows his limits and makes the most of it. I cannot wait to hear more from this genius.