MY VIEW
Music: 'Get Lifted' by John Legend

By Jeremy Castillo
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely listen to it. 3 — Good: Worth listening to despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the group or singer, don't bother. 1 — Poor: Save your money (and your ears).

Released: Dec. 28

Style: Hip-hop/R&B

Rewind: "Used To Love U," "Alright," "Stay With You"

Skip: "Let's Get Lifted Again"

My take: "Get Lifted" is the debut studio album of John Legend, a child prodigy raised in Ohio who started singing gospel and playing piano before the age of 5, left home at 16 to attend college in Philadelphia and began playing with Lauryn Hill before he was out of his teens.

"Get Lifted" has a couple of hallmarks that are expected from a freshman release. One is the use of guest appearances on songs that would have been just as good without them — for example, the cameos by Snoop Dogg on "I Can Change," Kanye West on "Number One" and the Stephens Family on "Don't Have to Change." There are also several samples from older generations of music — Sly and the Family Stone, for instance — and pronounced religious overtones as in "Let's Get Lifted Again."

However, this doesn't mean Legend is bad at what he does. Actually, he's quite adept at it. Case in point: The song "Used to Love U," the tale of a man's fading love for a woman who costs more than she's worth, has all of the makings of a smash radio hit.

Other tracks on "Get Lifted" have Legend playing other characters on the stage of love: He's a reassuring lover on "Stay With You"; a cocksure, arrogant womanizer on "She Don't Have to Know"; and a lascivious clubhopper on "Alright," one of the album's best tracks.

As for Legend's performance, he sings with a tone that exudes more self-assurance than it does cockiness, which is rare in R&B music. (Or was it cockiness to change his name to Legend from his real surname, Stephens?)

To add to Legend's credit, he co-wrote all of the songs on "Get Lifted" and even though some of the lyrics and euphemisms have been done to death (the sex-as-drug analogy, for example), he delivers them well enough to make them enjoyable.

Grammy winner Kanye West produced "Get Lifted," adding one more album to his list of achievements. Here he works his magic again and emphasizes Legend's strong points such as his confident delivery and smooth, charming voice.

Legend has the potential to develop into an R&B powerhouse. Once he gains enough experience and songwriting ability, there will be no end to his success.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.