Darkness and Light is the sixth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and pianist John Legend. It was released on December 2, 2016, by Columbia Records,[1] as well as his last album to be released with GOOD Music, following the end of his five-album contract with the label.[2]
Legend recorded the album at East West Studio 2 in Los Angeles. It was produced almost entirely by Blake Mills, who also played various instruments and co-produced most of the songs.[3] Legend also collaborated with rapper Chance the Rapper, and vocalists Brittany Howard and Miguel.[4]
Singlesedit
The album's lead single "Love Me Now" was released on October 7, 2016.[5] On October 6, 2016, the music video was released for the single.[6] On November 18, 2016, the album's second single "Penthouse Floor" featuring Chance the Rapper, was released.[7] On November 25, 2016, the album's first promotional single "I Know Better", was released and on March 27, 2017, was announced that the album's third single is "Surefire".
Commercial performanceedit
In the United States, Darkness and Light debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with 38,000 album-equivalent units, marking the sixth highest debut of the week.[8] The album selling 26,000 copies in its first week.[9] The album was also streamed 12.5 million times in the first week.[8]
Critical receptionedit
Darkness and Light was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 10 reviews.[1]
Reviewing the album in The New York Times, Jon Pareles applauded its treatment of love as a multi-dimensional theme and "as something far more complex than a panacea and a fount of perpetual reassurance, with music to match".[10] Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau cited the title track, "Marching Into the Dark", and "I Know Better" as highlights and said the lyric from the latter song ("My history has brought me to this place/This power and the color of my face") is "not an easy brag to bring off modestly, and the more I listen the more I appreciate the trick".[11]
Track listingedit
All tracks produced by Blake Mills, except where noted.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
^ ab"Darkness and Light by John Legend Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
^"John Legend Confirms End of Five-Album Deal on the Breakfast Club". YouTube. It's a five-album deal with GOOD Music and [Darkness and Light] is my fifth album.
^Kellman, Andy. "Darkness and Light - John Legend". AllMusic. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
^"John Legend Reveals Guest Appearances for 'Darkness and Night'". Billboard. November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
^"iTunes - Music - Love Me Now - Single by John Legend". Itunes.apple.com. October 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Video: John Legend - 'Love Me Now'". YouTube. October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
^"John Legend And Chance The Rapper Takes Us To The 'Penthouse Floor': Listen". Billboard. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
^ abHernandez, Victoria (December 12, 2016). "Hip Hop Album Sales: "The Hamilton Mixtape" Steals The Show On Billboard 200 Chart". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
^"Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Debuts at No. 1 on R&B Albums Chart". Billboard. December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
^Pareles, Jon (November 30, 2016). "John Legend: Love Songs That Bow to Dark Shadows". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
^Christgau, Robert (March 3, 2017). "On Syd's Depth and Resonance: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
^"Darkness and Light by John Legend on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). December 2, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
^"John Legend - Darkness and Light (Target Exclusive) : Target". Target. December 2, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
^"Australiancharts.com – John Legend – Darkness and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
^"Ultratop.be – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
^"Ultratop.be – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
^"John Legend Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.