John Legend and Kane Brown Keep the Course, With Tweaks, in New Albums

On paper, John Legend and Kane Brown couldn’t be any totally different. The primary up is an EGOT whose quavering vocals and romantic, interpersonal lyrics have made him the toast of present-day soul. The opposite is an open-throated nation singer with issue-oriented tracts and a hip-hop lean. What unites every man, nonetheless, is that each have all the time sounded older than their respective ages, extra mature than their contemporaries, and avoiding something too trend-conscious, or out of their attain. They’re outdated souls.

However on their respective new releases that got here out Friday, Brown’s “Completely different Man” and the semi-eponymous “Legend,” these two stars handle to vary their respective highways’ lanes a bit whereas remaining considerably on their regular paths.

John Legend’s new album marks a change in additional than simply its music. Since 2004’s “Get Lifted,” and thru 2020’s “Larger Love,” the pianist-composer-singer was with Columbia Information. With “Legend,” he’s moved over to Republic, and gone for one thing far more ostentatious than his regular choices: a double album that trades on the efficiency of his epic-sounding final identify IN BIG BOLD LETTERS. Bathed in brighter manufacturing values and upped tempos than on his regular amniotic-bath tones, the expanse of “Legend” permits the vocalist to do one thing he hardly ever does: mess around and have amusing.

With the album damaged into two acts, one sensual and free, the opposite secure and home-bound, Legend’s theater of R&B contains extra visitor rappers than regular – outdated pal Rick Ross on the boozy “Rounds,” throaty new buddy JID on the awkward “Dope,” Saweetie on the salty “All She Wanna Do.” Extra feel-good than feel-bad, Legend sounds as if he’s having a tremendous time all through the rubbery soul of “Man Like Me,” whereas enveloping himself within the water-sporty grooves of “Splash.” Whereas his wriggly “Waterslide” isn’t precisely pop, it’s not not pop, a package bag Legend hardly ever reaches into. 

Lest it appears as in case your favourite clean and stalwart operator has misplaced himself within the pleasure, prickle and expanse of “Legend,” suppose once more. The woozy, tender duet with present Grammy goddess Jazmine Sullivan that’s “Love,” and the wealth of sensible, lover-man track devoted to being a one-gal-guy that’s all of Act II, is okay classic John. New tracks akin to “Marvel Girl,” the jazzy “Honey” (that includes Muni Lengthy, and one of many album’s greatest cuts) and “I Don’t Love U Like I Used To” convey the listener again to Legend’s regular earthen tones and his earliest Columbia albums’ swooning. However for essentially the most half, he has gone for a more-is-more aesthetic, and largely nailed the soar.

Brown’s “Completely different Man” additionally has an ever-so-bold, sunnier tone, maybe on account of the truth that the vocalist has co-produced this, his third studio album. There’s additionally one thing woodsy and natural as to how Brown approaches his mixed-bag sound, extra so than on previous albums. If the truth that he had a platinum single final yr collaborating with Blackbear leads you to anticipate his new album will veer extra in that course, he’s really drifting additional right into a pure-country lane, as an alternative.

Sure, Brown’s “Grand” may move for an up-tempo Drake reduce, with its less-is-more chord shifts, its sultry, clipped supply and its synth-phonic preparations. It’s a reminder that Brown has actually by no means shied away from R&B swishes and hip-hop twitches in his previous. However this day trip, on “Completely different Man,” roaming into rap’s path is extra of the exception than its norm, as Brown is extra devoted to presenting his Chattanooga-born, country-gospel-Southern-rocking musical roots and homespun lyricism than something radical.

Together with discovering a folksy setting through which to duet along with his spouse, Katelyn, on the comfortable, sanctified “Thank God,” Brown takes Blake Shelton for a roots-music hayride on “Completely different Man,” feasts upon blues-rock muscularity on “Grand” (co-written with Mike Posner) and settles into crazy nation grooves on cuts akin to “One Mississippi,” “Drunk or Dreamin’” and the sly and wily “Whiskey Bitter.” 

Whereas Brown has touched on socially aware points earlier than, any sense of his house state being within the information just lately is much away on the album’s bookend-ers, the holy-rolling, Dann Huff-produced “Bury Me in Georgia” and the nice and cozy embrace of “Expensive Georgia,” the place the vocalist and lyricist goes for love and memory. Solely “Riot,” with its lyrics devoted to grabbing torches, beginning fires, telling lies and defending his house, contact on something forcefully political with out getting particular as to the case of his ire. “Completely different Man” is comfortable on the socially astute or any tinges of a hip-hop vibe and goes nonetheless deeper into Brown’s nation sounds and old-school values.