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John Legend Get Lifted [DualDisc] Release Date: 2005 06 07 Label: Columbia Rating:

If you've listened to Top 40 radio or flipped through the video channels during the past few years, odds are pretty good you know something about John Legend. He played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and might as well be considered Kanye West's sidekick, having assisted the producer and MC on several sessions -- Jay-Z's "Encore" and Slum Village's "Selfish" being two of the more prominent 2004 singles featuring his work. A former choir director, he has also released a handful of energetic live discs, some of which are credited to his less hubristic birth name, John Stephens. And though he claims "I've got something new," you've also heard substantial chunks of Get Lifted in records made decades ago by Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and Bill Withers. This might not be a problem for listeners who crave anything that recalls the music they first heard in their youth, but Legend's over-reliance upon his inspirations is an impediment as much as a slick way to grab attention. That's because he has more than enough talent and charm to get by on his own. His own lyrics and hooks are unique and clever enough to get the point across that he's no everyday R&B artist and, just as importantly, he has a personable and instantly fetching voice you could listen to all day long. However, the association with West -- whose Sony-distributed boutique label released the record -- is very helpful. Without it, Legend would likely be zoned into neo-soul (2003's Live at SOB's New York City really makes this notion apparent), thereby standing little chance of reaching the ears of anyone younger than 30. The production work supporting his songs strikes a fine balance between soul and hip-hop, allowing him to appeal to those who are coming from either angle. This is a very good record. It's a given that Legend is destined to make at least two others that top it. [Get Lifted was also released in the DualDisc format, containing the CD on one side of the disc and a DVD with a 5.1 mix of the album on the other.] Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Prelude	Stephens	0:44
2	Let's Get Lifted	Shobin, Stephens, West	3:37
3	Used to Love U	Stephens, West	3:30
4	Alright	Stephens, West	3:20
5	She Don't Have to Know	Adams, Stephens, Stewart	4:52
6	Number One	Mayfield, Stephens, West	3:18
7	I Can Change	Broadus, Stephens, Tozer	5:01
8	Ordinary People	Adams, Stephens	4:41
9	Stay With You	Stephens, Tozer	3:49
10	Let's Get Lifted Again	Stephens, Tozer	2:18
11	So High	Cho, Harris, Sawyer, Stephens, Ware	5:07
12	Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)	Cho, Harris, Stephens	4:13
13	It Don't Have to Change	Stephens, Tozer	3:23
14	Live It Up	Harris, Hester, Stephens, Torae	4:35
15	Prelude [DVD]	Stephens
16	Let's Get Lifted [DVD]	Shobin, Stephens, West
17	Used to Love U [DVD]	Stephens, West
18	Alright [DVD]	Stephens, West
19	She Don't Have to Know [DVD]	Adams, Stephens, Stewart
20	Number One [DVD]	Mayfield, Stephens, West
21	I Can Change [DVD]	Broadus, Stephens, Tozer
22	Ordinary People [DVD]	Adams, Stephens
23	Stay With You [DVD]	Stephens, Tozer
24	Let's Get Lifted Again [DVD]	Stephens, Tozer
25	So High [DVD]	Cho, Harris, Sawyer, Stephens, Ware
26	Refuge (When It's Cold Outside) [DVD]	Cho, Harris, Stephens
27	It Don't Have to Change [DVD]	Stephens, Tozer
28	Live It Up [DVD]	Harris, Hester, Stephens, Torae
29	[Untitled Track] [DVD]

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