Once Again (John Legend album)

Last updated
Once Again
Once Again.jpg
Studio album by
John Legend
ReleasedOctober 24, 2006
Recorded2005–2006
Genre
Length59:13
Label
Producer
John Legend chronology
Get Lifted
(2004)		Once Again
(2006)		 Evolver
(2008)
Singles from Once Again
  1. "Save Room"
    Released: August 8, 2006
  2. "Heaven"
    Released: December 2006
  3. "Another Again"
    Released: January 9, 2007
  4. "Slow Dance"
    Released: 2007
  5. "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"
    Released: February 27, 2007
  6. "Stereo"
    Released: April 27, 2007
  7. "Show Me"
    Released: December 2007

Once Again is the second studio album by American singer John Legend, released by GOOD Music, Sony Urban Music and Columbia Records on October 24, 2006. Legend co-wrote and co-produced the bulk of the album, working with collaborators such as Kanye West, will.i.am, Raphael Saadiq, Craig Street, Sa-Ra, Eric Hudson, Devo Springsteen, Dave Tozer and Avenue.

Contents

Singles from the album include "Save Room", "Heaven", "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)", "Stereo", "Another Again", "Slow Dance", "Show Me" and "Each Day Gets Better". Once Again has been certified platinum by the RIAA, after shipping over one million copies. The song "Heaven" won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Also, "Save Room" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly B [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Spin 8/10 [9]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]

The album so far has a score of 77 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". [1] Yahoo! Music UK gave it a score of nine stars out of ten and called it "frequently staggering". [12] Paste gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Legend has grown by leaps on this disc, delivering a richer sound and more adventurous experimentation." [13] The A.V. Club gave it a B+ and said that "While [the album] occasionally slips from understated to sleepy, there isn't a bum track on the album." [14] Mojo also gave the album four stars out of five and said of Legend, "His most impressive skill is echoing the laid-back charm of Bill Withers and the melodic instincts of Stevie Wonder." [1] Blender likewise gave it four stars out of five and said it "sets out to rebuild the dramatic storytelling and redemptive power of soul music on a hip-hop foundation." [1] Q likewise gave it four stars, calling it "soulful" and "not funky". [1] Billboard gave it a positive review and called it "A timeless, feel-good album that could easily slide into your papa's Sam Cooke and Percy Sledge collections, yet still sounds contemporary." [1] The Village Voice also gave it a positive review and stated, "There are a number of words to describe contemporary mainstream r&b, but "elegant," "mature," "breezy," and "sophisticated" aren't usually among them. Luckily, they apply to John Legend's subtle follow-up to 2005's Grammy-winning, multiplatinum Get Lifted." [15] Hartford Courant likewise gave it a positive review and called its songs "Soul music impeccably poised between past and future, anchored by a warm voice comfortingly similar to Bill Withers'." [16]

Other reviews are average or mixed: The Observer gave it three stars out of five and said that Legend "has stepped up into territory that references his background in gospel and soul but avoids the more obvious nods to the past." [17] Slant Magazine also gave it three stars and said that the album's midsection "bulges with excess MOR fat, but unlike Legend's debut, the album doesn't resurrect itself by the end." [18] Now likewise gave it three stars and said, "Legend's lounge-track sentimentality often spills into schmaltzed-out Streisand-on-Broadway territory." [1] Prefix Magazine gave it a score of five out of ten and stated that "The album's second half is still woefully lacking, one big mess of boredom and monotony." [19] Vibe gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "frustratingly uneven". [1] The Independent gave it two stars out of five and stated, "It's hard not to feel underwhelmed by this follow-up to Legend's major-label debut Get Lifted, which secured three million sales through a judicious blend of his gospel roots and hip-hop ties. The lunge for the mainstream is too pronounced, and probably ill-advised, inasmuch as it places him in direct comparison with more expressive, adept singers." [20]

Commercial performance

Once Again debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 behind the soundtrack to Disney's Hannah Montana and My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade , selling 231,000 copies in its first week. [21] This became Legend's second US top-ten debut and his highest-charting album. In its second week, the album dropped to the number four on the chart, selling an additional 115,000 copies. [22] On December 5, 2006, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million units in the United States. [23] As of September 2007, the album has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. [24]

Track listing

Once Again – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Save Room"
3:55
2."Heaven"
  • Stephens
  • West
  • Vaughn Stevens
  • Alexandra Brown
  • J. Wilson
  • Milton Bland
  • West
  • Legend [a]
3:34
3."Stereo"
4:09
4."Show Me"
4:58
5."Each Day Gets Better"
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
3:47
6."P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"
4:38
7."Slow Dance"
  • Stephens
  • Adams
  • Swaray
  • Mike Lewis
  • Poindexter
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
4:43
8."Again"Stephens
  • Street
  • Legend
5:01
9."Maxine"
4:27
10."Where Did My Baby Go"Stephens
  • Street
  • Legend
5:03
11."Maxine's Interlude"
Tozer1:50
12."Another Again"
  • Stephens
  • West
  • J. Wilson
  • George Patterson
  • West
  • Ken Lewis
  • Legend
  • Street [b]
4:01
13."Coming Home"
  • Stephens
  • Adams
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
  • Street [b]
5:05
International bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."King & Queen" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
  • Crandle
  • Legend [a]
3:47
14."Out of Sight"
  • Stephens
  • Craskey
  • Vaughn Stevens
  • J. Wilson
  • Legend
  • Craskey
4:13
15."Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Legend5:13
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes. [25]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [49] Gold50,000^
Ireland (IRMA) [50] Gold7,500^
Netherlands (NVPI) [51] Platinum70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [52] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [53] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  2. ↑ Mark Edward Nero. "Review: John Legend's "Once Again"". About.com Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  3. ↑ AllMusic review
  4. ↑ Bernstein, John (2006-10-27). "Once Again Review". Entertainment Weekly . No. 904. p. 71.
  5. ↑ Caroline Sullivan (20 October 2006). "CD: John Legend, Once Again". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Real soul rooted in suburbia". Los Angeles Times . 21 October 2006.
  7. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: john legend". robertchristgau.com.
  8. ↑ "Once Again". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007.
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  15. ↑ Amy Linden (5 August 2024). "Polite But Firm Loverman Flaunts the Soft Triumph of Subtle Soul". Village Voice.
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