In case you missed it, John Legend is in love.

But this love is not to be mistaken for the infatuation described in the 2005 smash hit, “Ordinary People.” In the last six years, Legend’s success has included winning nine Grammy awards and announcing his engagement to Sports Illustrated model Christine Teigen in 2011.

After taking a five-year hiatus, we’re now seeing a new side of Legend: a raw, unapologetic manifestation of his musings on love, commitment and passion.

Legend is no stranger to romance. “Love in the Future” is a wedding album without the added bells and whistles. It’s romantic without being overly sappy. It’s honest without being overwhelming. And it leaves enough to the listener’s imagination while giving some insight into what the pages of Legend’s diary must look like these days.

The album begins with a hauntingly beautiful 40-second intro in which Legend tells us, “This is a new year for love, love in the future, not the love I lost.” While it’s not meant as an actual song, the intro is strong enough to capture the listener’s attention. “What If I Told You?” is the response to the intro and is told in the same short, but intriguing voice, with a hint of Motown old school and rhythm and blues.

Memorable songs on the album include the fiery and animalistic “Made to Love.” A combination of percussion, synthesizers and featuring Kimbra’s vocals, this song is very simplistic in lyricism, but stands out in intensity. Legend doesn’t include much collaboration on the album, but Kimbra is an excellent choice for female vocals. The two seemingly compete for the listener’s attention while peacefully balancing one another out in the end.

If this album were the playlist for a wedding, “All of Me” would be played at the vow ceremony. Legend sings with such rawness of his undying love for his fiancée. The depth in his lyrics is nothing short of poetic, making this track an admirable addition to the album.

“Open Your Eyes” is Legend’s tribute to Bobby Caldwell, who originally recorded this song more than 30 years ago. This song was sampled in Common’s “The Light” in 2000, but now Legend adds a new dimension to this classic while still honoring its originality.

This is the Legend we know very well: the beauty and simplicity of a man and his piano. Caldwell would be proud.

In “Asylum,” Legend compares the intensity of his love for his fiancée Teigen to going crazy in an asylum. The song is slightly psychedelic, reminiscent of a Jimi Hendrix song. The lyrics are fairly straightforward, but Legend’s vocals throughout the song make this track stand out. He effortlessly shifts from falsetto to alto to soprano. Legend is one of the few mainstream artists today who has escaped the auto-tune craze, and it’s refreshing to enjoy his vocals without this added fanfare.

“Who Do We Think We Are,” featuring Rick Ross, is the strongest song on the album. Released as a single a few months prior to the album release, this song is incredibly catchy and sounds like a live recording from a concert. While the meaning of this song isn’t entirely clear, Legend ends the song by proclaiming: “This is our song, and our song for the future,” thus tying together the entire theme of the album: his relationship with Teigen.

Despite its high points, a bit more variety in style could have helped the album. No doubt, Legend has immeasurable talent. But he seemingly played it safe with this album, venturing out to use percussion and electronica if only for a moment.

Most of his songs echo the jazz and soulfulness of the Motown era, which is a huge inspiration for him. Perhaps on the next album, he will include more collaboration with artists who also share his affinity for piano playing like Tori Amos, Anthony Hamilton and Alicia Keys.

Until then, we celebrate his newfound love and excitement — and can’t wait to hear what he will create next.

Published on September 9, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Contact Elaina: ekcrocke@syr.edu