dallaspenn.com

I’m gonna be the first guy on the internets to admit that I enjoyed the JOHN LEGEND debut album. No Boutros Boutros Boutros to that admission. While I’m coming clean I should also admit that I have a greatest hits collection from Krispy Kreme queen LUTHER VANDROSS. These albums are essential grown and sexy accessories and they can help to loosen the clothing up of even the toughest Black bitch you have evar tried to scrape. Of course, I say bitch in only the most loving and endearing of ways.

When my folks fom the Negro network called me up to piece me my quarterly allotment of record label swag they included two(2) R & B CD’s that they said I had to hear. I knew JOHN LEGEND had a new disk on the streets, but I hadn’t heard too much from it. I don’t listen to commercial radio too tough either and they only seem to play R & B from the person whose name I will not mention until he publicly apologizes to JANET JACKSON for calling her a nigger.

The other R & B CD in my package was from ROBIN THICKE a/k/a Vanilla MAXWELL. I’ve heard some of his stuff over the internets and at first I thought it was a MAXWELL comeback until I saw the video with LIL’ WEASLE in it.

ROBIN THICKE’s album is formulaic R & B which doesn’t make it trash, it just makes it predictable. Looking for love, falling in love and falling out of love. Rinse, wash, repeat. I will give dude a pass since it’s the first CD of his that I’m hearing and because blue-eyed soul isn’t in any danger of becoming trendy since white dudes are finding guitars again like Sam Ash were having a fire sale. THICKE whines all over the disk and its hard to not think about how much better this CD would sound if it were MAXWELL instead. The only knock against THICKE would be that his style needs some more evolving. If I didn’t get this CD for free from B.E.T. I would prah’lee still download it. I give this CD 1.5 LUTHERS

ROBIN THICKE – ‘Lost Without You’

I like teasing JOHN LEGEND because he is obviously KANGAY’s kept man. Again, that means nothing when talking about his musical acumen for which dude is certainly talented. I don’t get the same fake piano playing that ALICIA KEYS exudes. LEGEND appears to actually compose his songs which is the rarest of all talents in a pop music driven market.

‘Once Again’ finds JOHN LEGEND doing what he is best at by creating funky, melodic, new millenium, new jack swing, new soul tracks. He drifts out of love and into wanderlust so often it’s impossible to figure out where his head is at (extra NO CLAY AIKEN) during any given moment. I think that’s why I enjoyed the album too. There’s nothing too heavy going on in here, even the track sung about a soldier waiting to get home to his lady(ha!) doesn’t feel weighted down. Basically, this is the kind of shit that I will put into the CD player when I take my ladybug to the Applebee’s drive-thru, or wherever it is you people go when you want to have a ‘classy’ night out.

LEGEND’s has a smoother than silk persona that evokes another R & B legend with ‘good hair’, Mr. LIONEL RICHIE. I’m not saying that JOHN LEGEND is on par with the capo of the Care Free Curl Mafia, but he is on his way to having a career that will get him extended runs in Vegas. LUTHER VANDROSS’ shiny sequined jacket may have found it’s new owner. ‘Once Again’ gets 2.5 LUTHERS and should be downloaded from lemonwire or whatever it is the kids are using.

JOHN LEGEND – ‘Heaven’

JOHN LEGEND – ‘Stereo’