Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: John Legend (vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, keyboards); John Legend; Kanye West (vocals, rap vocals, programming, drum programming); Tarrey Torae, Vaughn Stephens, MBalia Singley, A. Wayne Stephens, Ronald Stephens, Kashaan Stephens (vocals, background vocals); Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson, Lenesha Randolph, Tarey Torae, James Roston, Na2, Candace Anderson, Tara Michel, Candice Anderson (vocals); Dave Tozer (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, programming, drum programming); Glen Jeffery, George Pajon, Curtis Jay, Jayme Kelly Curtis, Sharief Hobley (guitar); Corey Hogan (saxophone); Steve Tirpak, Jenee Dixon (trumpet); Elizabeth Lea (trombone); Horn Dogs (horns); will.i.am (Clavinet, Moog synthesizer, programming, drum programming); Jeremy Dyen (synthesizer); Swiss Chris, Jimmy Coleman (drums); Ted Chung, Shvona, Ronald "Bumper" Stephnes (hand claps); Brett Stephens, Marjorie Stephens, Brandy Stephens, Vada Stephens, Phyllis E. Stephens, Doris Stephens, Dionne Stephens, Phyllis Y. Stephens (background vocals); Snoop Dogg (vocals, rap vocals, spoken vocals); Miri Ben-Ari (strings); Tim Izo (flute, saxophone); Printz Board (trumpet). | | Audio Mixer: Manny Marroquin. | | Recording information: Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; Sound Images, Cincinnate, OH; Studio Crash, Philadelphia, PA; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; The Stechia, Los Feliz, CA; The Stewchia, Los Feliz, CA; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA. | | Photographers: Patricia Tyree; Danny Clinch. | | Unknown Contributor Role: Matt Hueneman. | | Arranger: Miri Ben-Ari. | | If you've listened to Top 40 radio or flipped through the video channels during the past few years, odds are pretty good you know something about John Legend. He played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and might as well be considered Kanye West's sidekick, having assisted the producer and MC on several sessions -- Jay-Z's "Encore" and Slum Village's "Selfish" being two of the more prominent 2004 singles featuring his work. A former choir director, he has also released a handful of energetic live discs, some of which are credited to his less hubristic birth name, John Stephens. And though he claims "I've got something new," you've also heard substantial chunks of Get Lifted in records made decades ago by Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and Bill Withers. This might not be a problem for listeners who crave anything that recalls the music they first heard in their youth, but Legend's over-reliance upon his inspirations is an impediment as much as a slick way to grab attention. That's because he has more than enough talent and charm to get by on his own. His own lyrics and hooks are unique and clever enough to get the point across that he's no everyday R&B artist and, just as importantly, he has a personable and instantly fetching voice you could listen to all day long. However, the association with West -- whose Sony-distributed boutique label released the record -- is very helpful. Without it, Legend would likely be zoned into neo-soul (2003's Live at SOB's New York City really makes this notion apparent), thereby standing little chance of reaching the ears of anyone younger than 30. The production work supporting his songs strikes a fine balance between soul and hip-hop, allowing him to appeal to those who are coming from either angle. This is a very good record. It's a given that Legend is destined to make at least two others that top it. [A year after its initial release, the album was issued with a bonus DVD recorded at Legend's performance at Hollywood's House of Blues in August 2005.] ~ Andy Kellman | | If you've listened to Top 40 radio or flipped through the video channels during the past few years, odds are pretty good you know something about John Legend. He played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and might as well be considered Kanye West's sidekick, having assisted the producer and MC on several sessions -- Jay-Z's "Encore" and Slum Village's "Selfish" being two of the more prominent 2004 singles featuring his work. A former choir director, he has also released a handful of energetic live discs, some of which are credited to his less hubristic birth name, John Stephens. And though he claims "I've got something new," you've also heard substantial chunks of Get Lifted in records made decades ago by Sly & the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and Bill Withers. This might not be a problem for listeners who crave anything that recalls the music they first heard in their youth, but Legend's over-reliance upon his inspirations is an impediment as much as a slick way to grab attention. That's because he has more than enough talent and charm to get by on his own. His own lyrics and hooks are unique and clever enough to get the point across that he's no everyday R&B artist and, just as importantly, he has a personable and instantly fetching voice you could listen to all day long. However, the association with West -- whose Sony-distributed boutique label released the record -- is very helpful. Without it, Legend would likely be zoned into neo-soul (2003's Live at SOB's New York City really makes this notion apparent), thereby standing little chance of reaching the ears of anyone younger than 30. The production work supporting his songs strikes a fine balance between soul and hip-hop, allowing him to appeal to those who are coming from either angle. This is a very good record. It's a given that Legend is destined to make at least two others that top it. ~ Andy Kellman | | Six years after cutting his musical teeth as a teen, tickling the ivories on the classic Lauryn Hill single "Everything Is Everything," John Stephens popped up everywhere in 2004, going by the bold name of John Legend. His ubiquity was unsurprising, since he was taken under the wing of Kanye West, the year's breakout success, who tabbed Legend "the future of hip-hop." It's an interesting label for a man whose elegant voice and schooled songwriting conjures up Bill Withers and Al Green, but sometimes the future intersects with the past in a manner transcending revival. | | Legend drops his debut, GET LIFTED, into the center of the neo-soul universe, and it's a charming, earnest record. Sometimes he dives into a contemporary slow jam, as on "Let's Get Lifted;" other times he finds a groove the Delfonics would be proud of, as on the West-driven "Number One." On the gently gorgeous "Ordinary People, " however, it's just the man and his piano. Whether he's truly the future direction of any genre or not, Legend is an artist to watch, and GET LIFTED offers the first major taste of his talent. |
Producer: John Legend; Miri Ben-Ari; Kanye West; Will.I.Am; Dave Tozer; Devon Harris; Paul Cho; John Legend; Kanye West; Will.I.Am; Dave Tozer |
Engineer: Dave Tozer; Jun Ishizeki; Jason Villaroman; Anthony Kilhoffer; Aaron Fessel; Andrew Dawson; McGowan Southworth; Andy Manganello; Pete Donelly; Michael Harmon; Michael Peters |
Musical Guests | | Snoop Dogg | | Kanye West | | Will.I.Am | | Lauryn Hill |
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