I’m a legit fan of John Legend. I’m super cool beans with his wife, former supermodel, Chrissy Teigen. I don’t follow EITHER on any social media platforms but I really dig the energy/vibe/feeling they give me. Family, belief, love, management, perspective, everything, WHATEVER they put down, I’m usually picking up. Why don’t I follow them?
*shrugs* It’s nothing personal but I don’t jam the “rich and famous” on social media. I rarely ever need their “adventures”, vacations, spending, general lavishness on my TL because I feel some type of way. I’ve never heard any John Legend album at all but the radio hits and numerous collaborations light up my playlists, normal and screwed & chopped…
*clears throat* Let me announce that I’m OFFICIALLY adding THIS album to my Daaaaaaamn-I-Ain’t-Know-Poppi-Could-Do-It-Like-THAT list. *crosses heart* I popped in Bigger Love expecting ballroom joints, love songs and whatever classical music is. (I always thought that’s what he did!)
What I got was nothing like that. The 1st tracks were head bobbers! By head bobbers, I’m saying YOUR head literally is bobbing to the beat, eyes squinting when the lyrics hit home and before you know it, shoulders swinging, neck jigging… That was the first THREE tracks. On song 4, One Life, I slowed down, paid attention and thought, “It’s not ‘ballroom music’ and dude is rocking.” The rest of the album, I was either bobbing, squinting at the lyrics and flat out sanging out loud. When Jhene’ Aiko slid unto track #7, U Move, I Move, I couldn’t wait to see how far John would get down. Favorite Place was even better! Slow Cooker, song #8, was the “ballroom music” I expected all album and MY GOSH was it jamming. I ran it back TWICE before moving on. No other artist do THAT for me. Hip hip, pop, lyrics, freaking BALLROOM MUSIC, and soul, soothers like #10, Focused. (I got some news and damn near had me in tears thinking of the wife. #SPM.) Of the 16 total songs, only 4 featured anybody at all. That’s a STRONG play and it worked. Even those three felt authentic, he wasn’t forcing some dance hit, singing crazy sex lyrics and neither were the artists.
The ultimate compliment to this album is that I played with my kids, they jammed and none of us felt comfortable. The homies popped up and jammed like 6 songs before it got too slow/love-y dove-y. The wife and I sat outside, gardening, planting, blogging, sipping and played the entire album with compliments and and flirts throughout. That means I can play it anywhere, anytime, any company and folks appreciate it just like me!
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