Around track six, I started getting bored with John Legend’s sophomore album “Once Again.” That’s when I realized that “Once Again” was not made for me, but instead for people who were actually in love. John Legend didn’t write the lyrics, “I just can’t leave her, no, / I’ll write a song,” for a dirty-minded »
Louise Gluck recited her verse in a mesmerizing monotone, Fred Strebeigh employed the lilts and lifts of the Newfoundland accent to bring his essay on whales to life, and a bluegrass melody — sans banjo — allowed the audience to empathize with John Crowley’s frustrated protagonist. The power of voice is undeniable, and nobody understands »
Lupe Fiasco said that his new album “Food and Liquor” was modeled after NaS’ somber “It Was Written”, which is odd because “Food and Liquor” lacks exactly what made “It Was Written” so successful: focus. Fiasco’s long-delayed and much-hyped release isn’t an album so much as a collection of singles — some memorable, some not. »
