The Name’s a Giveaway

25 April 2007



John Legend Awes New York

When a man starts playing gospel and classical piano at the age of 5, graduates as salutatorian from high school at 16 while also being elected prom king and president of the student council, followed by a degree from an Ivy League university, one is quite prepared to hate him out of simple human jealousy. John Legend, though, is a musician of such passion, talent and technique that one can only hope human cloning becomes fashionable in the near future. Monday night, he held the crowd at what was once called the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City in the palm of his gifted hand. And “gifted” feels like an understatement.

The first clue that the aptly named Mr. Legend is something different is the composition of the audience. The baggage claim for international arrivals at Kennedy airport is less diverse. The age range went from teens to retirees. In an era of marketing musicians to a fixed demographic, Mr. Legend just doesn’t fit into any mold or category. The most one might say is that he isn’t country and western – and before his career is over, he may well take that on. Another piano man by the name of Ray Charles set the precedent.

His set was a mix of songs from both of his studio albums, and there were a few covers thrown in as well. What astonishes is the number of excellent pieces he has written in such a brief career. While the tempo and moods change, the quality of the compositions doesn’t. Backed by a strong band, which includes two other keyboard players, Mr. Legend took fullest advantage of the Paramount’s acoustics and sound system.

Visually, his concert was a lesson in how to perform when one has talent. The back-up singers were there to sing, not gyrate, and yet, they conveyed a sensuality entirely appropriate to his work. Dressed in a white suit with a grey T-shirt, he somehow managed not to look like an extra from “Miami Vice.” In his encore, he appeared in an undershirt and sweatpants and again, failed to look sloppy and tired. Yet, the energy he had pumped into the theatre was massive.

His “Ordinary People” and “Heaven” were obvious crowd-pleasers, but when he took on Lennon and McCartney’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” he staked a claim to music a decade older than he is. With the help of Corrine Bailey Rae, his opening act, he tackled Donnie Hathaway and Roberta Flack’s “Where is the Love,” and both cleared that very high hurdle in style.

Ms. Rae of Leeds, West Yorkshire, is a new find with three Grammy nominations last year, and her career is going to blossom in the next few years. She is the opening act throughout this tour, and the exposure will only accelerate the process. As a composer, she’s delicate and jazzy; as a singer, she’s stronger than Sade and Norah Jones; as a performer, she comes across as a bit shy, but charmingly so. One has spent worse St. George’s Days in the company of far less accomplished Englishwomen.

During the encore, Mr. Legend made a pitch for his charity of choice The Show Me Campaign, after his song “Show Me.” Its purpose is to work against poverty in Africa. Regular readers know that this resonates with the core values of the Kensington Review. What could be better than a gifted musician who is also a gifted humanitarian?

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.


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