John Legend Goes Reggae On Evolver

John Legend is confident about his latest album Evolver, the dynamic successor to 2004's Get Lifted (which yielded his breakthrough love song Ordinary People) and 2006's Once Again.

'I never felt like I should be wed to one sound for my whole life,' he says. Somehow, he even makes a career decision sound romantic. 'It's consciously heavier than the last album. My songwriting might not have changed much at heart, but the beats and ideas have.'

Immediate proof of that comes in the poppy rush of his new single Green Light, featuring André 3000. Legend believes Evolver is a melange of styles - 'a reggae track, a couple of ballads, a socially conscious anthem' - but it's also the closest thing he's ever made to a club album. 'I go to enough clubs and it's weird they're the one place where my music doesn't play,' he reasons.

He's always been an enthusiastic collaborator, from his early guest appearances with Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys to his work with Kanye West and R&B starlet Estelle on her 2007 album, Shine.

In turn, Estelle appears on another of Evolver's stand-out tracks, Reggae flavoured No Other Love. Legend also mentions that London singer-songwriter Fink contributed to Green Light. 'The US is a bigger market but I'd say Britain has had a disproportionately high influence on music over the years.'

Young Legend's musical training ground was the church choir, and he's staunchly positive about the experience. 'Where else is a kid gonna get the opportunity to perform live music on a repeated basis?

Legend isn't about to deny that romantic expressions are his raison d'être; he's inspired by the soul music he grew up with. He has made room for some timely politics, however, on Evolver's aforementioned 'socially conscious anthem', If You're Out There, inspired by Barack Obama's campaign.

What if Obama doesn't get in? 'I'll be upset about it but I really think he's gonna win.' For a few moments, Legend is gushing like an excitable fan, but he regains composure with another top tip: 'Of course, the challenge is putting a message song into a nice package, so it goes down easy.' On Evolver, this savvy smooth operator makes that seem effortless.

Evolver drops state side on October 20 and the rest of the world on the 28th.

The Reggae News Agency

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