Word: songfulness
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Still, the album does leave something to be desired. While Legend appears to have mastered the art of soul and by mixing a classic style with modern influences, it seems that he does so by template; there’s not much variety to the songs here. Even though each song sounds great on its own, after a few listens many of the songs begin to sound a bit too similar...
...guest appearances that Legend used on his first album to help establish himself as a top-shelf artist are definitely missed in this attempt. While not every song needs a hip-hop beat or a rapper cameo, the work of Kanye West and Snoop Dogg were definitely welcome variation on Legend’s previous album. Legend’s attempt to be truly classic and stand alone on the album is admirable, but this album lacks the frit and variety necessary to pull this...
Despite this, every song on “Once Again” is worth a listen. The instrumentals behind each track also carry out like a beautiful piece that serve to remind us that brilliant tracks can be produced without ripping off some earlier version of Pharrell. Rather, the brilliance of producers like Kanye West shine through in a low-key way, letting Legend’s voice carry smoothly over all the beats. Though it’s not a masterstroke, it’s safe to say that Legend’s sound will stand the test...
...pull it off that well. They are both over the top to a laughable degree and, not coincidentally, possessed of a very adolescent point of view. Most of their lyrics read like a slightly improved version of the poetry of a fifteen-year-old goth, and the song “Teenagers” in particular sounds like the screed of someone who never quite got over being picked on in high school...
Most of the album is fine, if a little boring, taken song by song. The problem with the album as a whole is that every song aspires to be an anthem. Nearly every track ends with twice the volume, three times the vocals, and five times the instruments it started out with. Piling on the drama time after time, however, just becomes fatiguing and a little silly, especially when it’s achieved each time simply by adding more and more of everything...