John Legend’s “Love in the Future” is Just Plain Lovely

Ah, John Legend, the man every chick wants to marry and the envy of the entire male race. Now, to add to his many, many life accomplishments, Legend has released Love in the Future, his first solo record in nearly six years. Don’t let that lengthy timeframe fool you, though, Legend has been very busy lately. He collaborated with The Roots on their cut, Wake Up, has appeared as a guest vocalist on a litany of other artists’ records, and last but certainly not least, he married supermodel Chrissy Teigen.

That last accolade is pretty important, as his romance with Teigen seems to be the focal point of Love in the Future. While Legend is our generation’s top crooner, finding his muse in Teigen has lifted his talent to new levels. Tracks like “The Beginning” and “Made to Love” make it clear Legend’s heart and soul — two fundamentals for quality crooning — absolutely blaze for his wife.  And, it doesn’t hurt to have a slew of superstar producers (Q-Tip, Kanye, and Doc McKinney, to name a few) as well as guest appearances by fellow chart-topping musicians like Rick Ross and Stacy Barthe, lending their talents to the record.

Love in the Future features 16 tracks, including two excellent covers in Bobby Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes,” and Anita Baker’s “Angel.” There are interludes sprinkled throughout, breaking up the pacing a bit and drawing in the listener after blissfully cruising along to Legend’s obvious emotion. From top to bottom, this is a fantastic release, and it’s sure to solidify Legend as, well, a legend.