The Legend has returned.
Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist John Legend reclaimed his title last week as the reigning king of romantic ballads with the release of Darkness and Light, his fifth studio album.
Fresh off its release, Legend appeared on the Honda Stage at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles to serenade fans, beginning with the collection’s lead single “Love Me Now.”
Up next was a piano-driven rendition of "Overload" (which originally features guest verses by Miguel), a track about his now high profile marriage to supermodel Chrissy Teigen, and the public's forecast of an impending failed relationship ("Now they bet on our game/say we'll go down in flames/it's too good but we never could last”).
Then there was "Surefire," a downtempo ballad about being completely confident in his and Teigen's romance.
At the release party, Legend wrapped up the final half of his set by taking "it back to the beginning," and surprising the audience with his throwback hits "Ordinary People," "Green Light," and "All of Me."
His set was simple; no backup dancers, no LED light shows, no pyrotechnics, and no larger-than-life stage props — because he doesn’t need it. On stage, Legend was only accompanied by his longtime companion, the grand piano, as he relied on his arresting vocals to fill the room with collisions of love, gospel, and inspiring statements to find hope and happiness in difficult times.
In between performances, he spoke to host Ellen K and thanked Kanye West for kickstarting his career. "I don't know if I would've gotten signed to Columbia and Sony without [Kanye's] help and his work with me on my music back then," he admitted, "so I'll always be grateful to him for that."
On why Darkness and Light is an "honest" record, he said: "This kind of shows all the sides of me that I may have not always shown on each album. I think, in that sense, [makes this] the most honest. Also, I think just growing up and maturing a little bit you understand yourself, your point of view, [and] what you want to say in your songs a little better."
Darkness and Light -- produced by Blake Mills who worked with Alabama Shakes’ breakout album Sound & Color -- is the long-awaited successor to 2013’s Love in the Future.
Original article by Marc Inocencio at iHeartRadio