Album Review: John Legend – Bigger Love

Pop and R&B legend – pun intended – John Legend is back with his first album of original music in four years. Bigger Love is Legend's follow up to 2016's Darkness and Light, and it was well worth the wait.

Produced by Raphael Saadiq, and including features from such illustrious artists as Gary Clark Jr., Jhene Aiko, Koffee, Rapsody, and Camper, Bigger Love is an unabashed celebration of black music and culture. In a lengthy Instagram post, Legend said: “The songs are inspired by the loves of my life: my wife, my family and the rich tradition of black music that has made me the artist I am.

"This project has been a labor of love for me, something I’ve spent over a year conceiving and creating. I poured my heart and soul into these songs and collaborated with some incredibly gifted co-writers, producers and musicians."

As a result, the album is as rich as the history it portrays; Legend capitalises on his innate ear for lush arrangements and genre-fusion, spinning nearly every genre under the sun into smooth and summery pop tunes.

Album opener 'Ooh Laa' is a neo-soul-by-way-of-Sam-Cooke instant hit, underlaid with an explosive beat. 'Wild' is perhaps the only track that seems out of place, with its stadium-rock inspired electric guitar – courtesy of Gary Clark Jr. – but rather than jarring listeners, it acts as a reinvigorating burst of energy.

'Slow Cooker' – a title that is perhaps a cheeky reference to Legend's wife, Chrissy Teigen, who released a cookbook and kitchenware line last year – is a sensual, breezy track imbued with a warm horn section. It segues deftly into 'Focused' – a stellar showcase of Legend's buttery vocals.

One of the album's true delights is 'Don't Walk Away' – a reggae-inspired dance track featuring Koffee – the twenty year old reggae prodigy whose EP won a Grammy for reggae album of the year last year. With Bigger Love, Legend has created a refreshingly optimistic, anti-cynical soul food, and proven he's still got the 'it factor'.

• 8/10
• Out June 19th.