How do you describe the voice of John Legend? Pointed, unpretentious, sweet and brimming with the spirit of so many crooners from our past, except here he is, in the now. He sings about love and loss, just like any other balladier. But the song I love most by this master of swoon is If You’re Out There. Wistful yet hopefully aspirational lyrics tell of joining together to make this one earth a better place. We all talk about it and we all say we want it, but too few of us actually stand up. It takes artists like John legend to throw these issues at us in beauty and style. Listen to this song and be empowered. Honorary mention goes to the first song I’d ever heard by this genius with a beautiful voice: Someday, from the August Rush film soundtrack. Chris and I saw the movie in the theater and as we sat through the credits, I was blown away by the splendor and simplicity of this song about lovers once again meeting up someday, much like what happened in the movie. But I heard the message of someday being together with my recently departed Vincent while in the infancy of a new love with Chris. The definition of bittersweet.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: November 10, 2018. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.
