Once Again (John Legend album)

Once Again
Studio album by John Legend
Released October 24, 2006
Recorded 2005–2006
Genre
Length 59:13
Label
Producer
John Legend chronology
Get Lifted
(2004)Get Lifted2004		 Once Again
(2006)		 Evolver
(2008)Evolver2008
Singles from Once Again
  1. "Save Room"
    Released: August 8, 2006
  2. "Heaven"
    Released: December 2006
  3. "Another Again"
    Released: January 9, 2007
  4. "Slow Dance"
    Released: 2007
  5. "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"
    Released: February 27, 2007
  6. "Stereo"
    Released: April 27, 2007
  7. "Show Me"
    Released: December 2007

Once Again is the second studio album by American singer John Legend, released by GOOD Music and Sony Music Entertainment on October 24, 2006. Legend co-wrote and co-produced the bulk of the album, working with collaborators such as Kanye West, will.i.am, Raphael Saadiq, Craig Street, Sa-Ra, Eric Hudson, Devo Springsteen, Dave Tozer and Avenue.

Singles from the album include "Save Room", "Heaven", "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)", "Stereo", "Another Again", "Slow Dance", "Show Me" and "Each Day Gets Better". Once Again has been certified platinum by the RIAA, after shipping over one million copies. The song "Heaven" won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Also, "Save Room" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com[2]
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
The Guardian[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
Robert Christgau[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Spin8/10[9]
The Times[10]
USA Today[11]

The album so far has a score of 77 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[1] Yahoo! Music UK gave it a score of nine stars out of ten and called it "frequently staggering".[12] Paste gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Legend has grown by leaps on this disc, delivering a richer sound and more adventurous experimentation."[13] The A.V. Club gave it a B+ and said that "While [the album] occasionally slips from understated to sleepy, there isn't a bum track on the album."[14] Mojo also gave the album four stars out of five and said of Legend, "His most impressive skill is echoing the laid-back charm of Bill Withers and the melodic instincts of Stevie Wonder."[1] Blender likewise gave it four stars out of five and said it "sets out to rebuild the dramatic storytelling and redemptive power of soul music on a hip-hop foundation."[1] Q likewise gave it four stars, calling it "soulful" and "not funky".[1] Billboard gave it a positive review and called it "A timeless, feel-good album that could easily slide into your papa's Sam Cooke and Percy Sledge collections, yet still sounds contemporary."[1] The Village Voice also gave it a positive review and stated, "There are a number of words to describe contemporary mainstream r&b, but "elegant," "mature," "breezy," and "sophisticated" aren't usually among them. Luckily, they apply to John Legend's subtle follow-up to 2005's Grammy-winning, multiplatinum Get Lifted."[15] Hartford Courant likewise gave it a positive review and called its songs "Soul music impeccably poised between past and future, anchored by a warm voice comfortingly similar to Bill Withers'."[16]

Other reviews are average or mixed: The Observer gave it three stars out of five and said that Legend "has stepped up into territory that references his background in gospel and soul but avoids the more obvious nods to the past."[17] Slant Magazine also gave it three stars and said that the album's midsection "bulges with excess MOR fat, but unlike Legend's debut, the album doesn't resurrect itself by the end."[18] Now likewise gave it three stars and said, "Legend's lounge-track sentimentality often spills into schmaltzed-out Streisand-on-Broadway territory."[1] Prefix Magazine gave it a score of five out of ten and stated that "The album's second half is still woefully lacking, one big mess of boredom and monotony."[19] Vibe gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "frustratingly uneven".[1] The Independent gave it two stars out of five and stated, "It's hard not to feel underwhelmed by this follow-up to Legend's major-label debut Get Lifted, which secured three million sales through a judicious blend of his gospel roots and hip-hop ties. The lunge for the mainstream is too pronounced, and probably ill-advised, inasmuch as it places him in direct comparison with more expressive, adept singers."[20]

Commercial performance

Once Again debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 behind the soundtrack to Disney's Hannah Montana and My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade, selling 231,000 copies in its first week.[21] It serves as John Legend's second top-ten album in the United States. The album dropped to the number four in its second week, selling an additional 115,000 units.[22] On December 5, 2006, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling of over 1 million copies in the United States.[23] As of September 2007, Once Again has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.[24]

Track listing

Once Again – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Save Room"
3:55
2."Heaven"
  • Stephens
  • Alexandra Brown
  • Wilson
  • Kanye West
  • Milton Bland
3:34
3."Stereo"
  • Stephens
  • Harris
  • Tom Craskey
4:09
4."Show Me"
4:58
5."Each Day Gets Better"
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
3:47
6."P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"
4:38
7."Slow Dance"
  • Stephens
  • Swaray
  • Ray Lewis
  • Poindexter
  • Adams
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
4:43
8."Again"Stephens
  • Street
  • Legend
5:01
9."Maxine"
  • Keith
  • Husayn
  • Arnold
  • Legend[a]
4:27
10."Where Did My Baby Go"Stephens
  • Street
  • Legend
5:03
11."Maxine's Interlude"
Tozer1:50
12."Another Again"
  • Stephens
  • George Patterson
  • Wilson
  • West
  • Ken Lewis
  • Legend
  • Street[b]
4:01
13."Coming Home"
  • Stephens
  • Adams
  • will.i.am
  • Legend
  • Street[b]
5:05
Notes
Samples
  • "Save Room" contains samples from "Stormy", performed by Gábor Szabó.
  • "Heaven" contains excerpts from "Heaven Only Knows", performed by Monk Higgins
  • "Each Day Gets Better" contains a sample of "In These Changing Times", performed by The Four Tops
  • "Slow Dance" contains samples from the composition "She's a Fox", performed by the Icemen featuring Jimi Hendrix
  • "Another Again" contains samples from the composition "Lost for Words", performed by Midnight Movers Unlimited

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[44] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[46] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Critic Reviews for Once Again - Metacritic". Metacritic.
  2. ↑ Mark Edward Nero. "Review: John Legend's "Once Again"". About.com Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  3. ↑ AllMusic review
  4. ↑ Bernstein, John (2006-10-27). "Once Again Review". Entertainment Weekly (904): 71.
  5. ↑ Caroline Sullivan. "CD: John Legend, Once Again". the Guardian.
  6. ↑ "Real soul rooted in suburbia". latimes.
  7. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: john legend". robertchristgau.com.
  8. ↑ "Once Again". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2007.
  9. ↑ "John Legend, 'Once Again' (G.O.O.D. Music/Sony Urban/Columbia)". Spin.
  10. ↑ The Times review
  11. ↑ "Legend moves 'to the next level' to build his legacy - USATODAY.com". usatoday.com.
  12. ↑ "LAUNCH, Music on Yahoo! - John Legend - Once Again". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006.
  13. ↑ Kemp, Mark (2006-12-12). "John Legend - Once Again :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Archived from the original on 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  14. ↑ "Once Again - John Legend - Review". avclub.com.
  15. ↑ Amy Linden. "Polite But Firm Loverman Flaunts the Soft Triumph of Subtle Soul". Village Voice.
  16. ↑ "A Legend Still In The Making". tribunedigital-thecourant.
  17. ↑ Emma Warren. "CD: John Legend, Once Again". the Guardian.
  18. ↑ Sal Cinquemani (22 October 2006). "John Legend Once Again - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine.
  19. ↑ "Album Review: John Legend - Once Again". Prefixmag.
  20. ↑ "Independent Online Edition > Reviews". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007.
  21. ↑ Hasty, Katie (2006-11-01). "'Hannah Montana' Trumps My Chem, Legend At No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  22. ↑ Hasty, Katie (2006-11-08). "'Montana' Zooms By Manilow For Second Week At No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  23. ↑ "RIAA Gold and Platinum: John Legend - Once Again". Recording Industry Association of America. December 5, 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  24. ↑ Graff, Gary (November 16, 2007). "Legend Tapping Kanye, Pharrell For New Album". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – John Legend – Once Again" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – John Legend – Once Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – John Legend – Once Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  29. ↑ "John Legend: Once Again" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Lescharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – John Legend – Once Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – John Legend – Once Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  38. ↑ "John Legend | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  39. ↑ "John Legend Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  40. ↑ "John Legend Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2006". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Billboard 200: Year End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  43. ↑ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – John Legend – Once Again" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 7, 2018. Enter Once Again in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  45. ↑ "British album certifications – John Legend – Once Again". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 7, 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Once Again in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  46. ↑ "American album certifications – John Legend – Once Again". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 7, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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