Dear hip-hop and R&B fans,
Please tell me I’m the last to know. Tell me you’ve been so enthralled with John Legend’s debut Get Lifted you simply forgot to tell me. Go on, admit it. This Kanye West-produced ode to love has kept you so preoccupied you temporarily forgot I existed.
You’ve been digging on the unassuming rhythms and heartfelt lyrics, right? Legend’s voice, a raspier version of D’Angelo’s, is just distinctive enough to carry the mid-album lull, yet soft enough to remain undemanding through the meatier tracks. What emerges is smooth, accessible R&B, equally appropriate for the casual fans and the diehards. It isn’t earth-shattering, but Get Lifted has stolen your heart anyway. It’s Stevie plus Marvin, Common plus Musiq – the old school simplicity with enough hip-hop bass lines to make the sound fresh.
Don’t tell me I’m the only one smitten with this album. I can handle being the last to know, but the only to know? With the quality of this album, that’d be a tragedy.
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