Album Review:
Dooley was fortunate enough to have an audience this lunch time with dapper nu-soul heavyweight John Legend and has to say he came away charmed.
The velvet voiced singer (and piano player to the stars) was in town to play a selection of tracks from his new album, Once Again, to a motley crew of journalists, industry types and one be-hatted columnist. And very good they were too.
Kicking things off, Save Room, co-produced by Will I Am from the Black Eyed peas, has a lovely organic feel, with Stax style organ and heavy live drums, bursting into a delightful, summery chorus.
Heaven Only Knows, one of two Kanye West productions likely to feature on the album, boasts a gospel-y intro, before breaking into some choppy hip hop backing with a soaring chorus that is reminiscent of Ordinary People. A great possible single.
Show Me, with Raphael Saadiq, has a melancholy feel, an interesting skewed rhythm and a beautiful vocal. Legend later revealed that the song is "a prayer to God for those who have questions".
PDA (it stands for Public Displays of Affection, NOT Personal Digital Assistant as a number of bemused journalists clearly thought) was a disco-esque ode to the joys of making love in original locations and would be another strong single.
Each Day Gets Better, again with Will I Am, is an upbeat pop album that could hold its own among later period Motown, but with a very 2006 pop soul feel.
By contrast Coming Home is a very wistful, anti-war song from the perspective of a soldier. It is a sparse, tender song and all the better for it. Quite what the US will make of such liberal feelings is anyone's guess but Legend probably has the charm to pull it off if anyone does.
And then, just showing what a thoroughly nice man he is, Legend takes the audience into the adjoining studio for a run through of another two new songs on a grand piano, namely Where Did My Baby Go (complete with doe eyed looks at the largely female audience) and Maxime, a jaunty track that sounds strangely like an old show tune.
And to ice the cake, Legend played a rousing version of his brilliant break through single Ordinary People, before thanking us all for coming and sending us on our ways with firm handshakes. Lovely.
I'm so excited now.
