Like any parent, Legend is worried about how his young child “will be free of all this sorrow” that’s seemingly subsumed the globe. That bare honesty flows throughout the project, reaching its height on a beautiful if uneasy ode to his daughter, “Right By You,” where he questions the world that his daughter will walk through when she’s older. A ringing organ lifts the opening track, “I Know Better,” on which Legend immediately dispels the gloss of his celebrity: “ Legend is just a name / I know better than to be so proud.” It’s a disarming line, equalizing audience and artist in fair dialogue-no pretenses involved. Legend’s church vibes open up the album appropriately. As a result Darkness and Light is charming and resolute, a mix of Legend’s vintage, loving modesty and a pressing concern for the current state of the world. By tapping the ever talented Blake Mills of the Alabama Shakes, the Grammy and Academy award-winning musician sprinkles a moderate dose of weird on his latest album that ultimately prove pivotal in weaving Legend’s political bend within his larger more traditional soul aesthetic. John Legend adds a little hitch into his decade-long formula of soft pop piano tunes on Darkness and Light and it’s a welcome departure.
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