MUSIC REVIEWS

By: B.J. Harring

Posted: 11/27/06

John Legend - Once Again

The fabled question since the inception of time has always been "What's in a name?" An awful lot, if your name is John Legend. Legend has struck gold yet again with his sophomore album, Once Again. The singer/songwriter covers the entire spectrum on this album, referring to life, family and the bliss of being in the arms of the one you care about. What makes Legend so appealing is not just the soothing vocals that are capable of subduing even the most ferocious of creatures, but also the brilliant piano playing that separates Legend from the rest of the pack. While fellow artists turn to their computers to create a bass-driven pornographic loop, Legend digresses to his training and allows his fingers to dance back and forth over the ivory, which is, in reality, the true root of Rhythm and Blues.
From the first beat of the album, Legend captivates with a contemporary sound that could be played anywhere at any point without listeners stopping to question what it is they are hearing. Legend's ability to take mere words and paint a masterpiece is unmatched by others in his genre, thrusting him to the forefront of his craft. With backing support from artists like Kayne West, as well as his ability to not only write, but truly feel the music he plays, John Legend will be a staple in R&B for years to come.

Cradle of Filth - Thornography

The dark lords of England have emerged from the depths once again with their October release, Thornography. Cradle of Filth, however, should have kept this album locked up. Following 2004's Nymphetamine, Cradle began to stray from the sound that immortalized them in black metal lore over a decade ago. What made Cradle of Filth so identifiable among the hordes of European black and doom metal bands was their poetically driven folk-lorish lyrics delivered in a shrill spectral manner evoking the eeriest horror one can feel without witnessing something supernatural. Lead singer, Dani Filth, however, has begun to move away from his ghoulish style, seemingly attempting to push Cradle of Filth in a new, more death metal-type, direction.
The issue that the band faces in trying to create a new sound and style at this point in their career is that other established black metal bands are standing on guard and waiting to procure their own spot on the Ozzfest tours and other metal festivals throughout the US and Europe. Cradle will always be invited, but will find themselves second stage material, while Norway's Dimmu Borgir will continue to headline the main stages. Unless Cradle can deliver the sound that thrust them into the spotlight in the first place, they will continue to find fans moving away for the newer, more captivating groups on the market. 2004's Nymphetamine is acceptable in that the band still had traces of it's classic sound in songs like "Gabrielle," but Thornography never had anything even remotely captivating after the album's opening track. The band will tour and still draw a decent crowd for their lavish stage performance, but the group will have their work cut out for them on their next venture if they hope to reconnect with those who favored "Cruelty and the Beast" and "Damnation and a Day" to the reinvented sound of the last two albums