John Legend – 'Muse' review: Entirely in Pharrell's hands
Pharrell Williams produced the whole album. Critics are split: laut.de gives it two out of five, Beats Per Minute 72 per cent.
Photo: InfoMoto / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Single video: YouTube · johnlegendVEVO · youtube.com
Single: Daylight
John Legend released his new album 'Muse' on Republic on 23 October. It was produced in full by Pharrell Williams, who according to Beats Per Minute also co-wrote every song and features on six of the 13 tracks. Three short intros round it off, for a running time of around 42 minutes. Rap duo Clipse appear on 'Bodies On The Floor'.
laut.de critic Philipp Kause gives it just two out of five. The melodies are catchy and pleasant, he writes, but the beats are dull throughout, the promised range from Afrobeats to gospel never materialises and there are no rough edges. He singles out 'Bodies On The Floor' as the strongest song. Mary Chiney of Beats Per Minute is kinder at 72 per cent: after his 81-minute predecessor, Legend deliberately hands over control – a humility that is both the album's achievement and its limitation. Her favourite is 'Under The Bridge'.
The video is the official music video for the single 'Daylight' from the singer's VEVO channel.