I don’t begrudge John Legend his popularity. I wished I liked the guy more. He seems nice enough, wears argyle, went to Penn. It’s not that he isn’t talented. He’s a nimble piano player and wields a powerful singing voice. That said, there may not be a more cloying performer out there. The guy’s sappier than a Hallmark card. At one point, he sang a track called, “P.D.A. (We Don’t Care),” featuring the hook, “Let’s Go to the Park.” Which wouldn’t have been so bad were it not for the matching jumbo screen images of people holding hands on swing sets. Vanilla latte soul at its most soporific. “Green Light,” remains great. “John Legend” remains the worst misnomer since Stoner’s Pot Palace.

Opener Estelle was similarly professional. A slick and well-produced diva-in-training with a few choice cuts, none of which match up to “American Boy.” She’s a solid cipher for expensive beats and a paucity of ideas. As far as Estelle’s go, I still prefer Getty.

LA Times: John Legend, Vanilla & Sugar

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MP3: John Legend ft. Andre 3000-”Green Light”
MP3: Estelle ft. Kanye West-”American Boy”

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