John Legend has become a vital cultural staple since we first met him in 2004 with his debut album Get Lifted. It’s been a fruitful ride for the crooner ever since, with him eventually achieving EGOT status while dropping off 10 celebrated albums over his time in the business. But John is looking to shake things up by collaborating exclusively with Pharrell Williams for his 11th project Muse, and we get our first preview of the set with lead single “Daylight.”
The song begins with Pharrell’s signature four-count intro, but it opens up into something new for both he and John. Piano then meets with programmed drums to create a warm, almost tropical feel as a rumbling 808 acts as the song’s bass. As with most of P’s productions, this one slaps. It also makes for an interesting juxtaposition against the softness of John’s voice and the sentiment of the song.
Lyrically, “Daylight” comes from the point of view of a man in love. He sings of fate bringing he and his love together and the poetry and rhythm of life that he feels whenever she’s around. When he speaks on how this love feels, he simply sings on the chorus, “And it feels like / Daylight / Yeah, it feels like / The sun will rise.”
John Legend and Pharrell Williams is a combination that definitely makes sense, especially after listening to “Daylight.” And Muse, according to John, finds the two musicians looking to stretch beyond their boundaries with inspiration from the likes of Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye and Nat King Cole as they aim for a more cinematic sound that would fit into a “Black James Bond” aesthetic. And it seems that the crooner is looking at it as a way to reinvigorate his sound and his audience’s interest.
“There are plenty of artists who get to a point in their career where they don’t make anything new. We can just play the hits; we can stay in our comfort zone,” Legend said. “But I believe it’s important to keep the mindset that I have to continue to prove myself. I wanted this album to have that sense of urgency — to feel like something that needed to be made and is fully worthy of my audience’s attention.”
We are excited to hear what the collaboration between John Legend and Pharrell Williams will bring, though we have an idea thanks to the set’s tracklist. Outside of a feature from Clipse, it’s a John and Pharrell affair with intriguing titles like “Pray For Ya,” “Get Back” and “Bodies On The Floor” among others. We’ll get to hear exactly what they’re bringing when Muse arrives on Friday, October 23rd. Check out the album’s cover and tracklist below.
John Legend Muse tracklist:
1. Muse feat. Pharrell Williams
2. Pray For Ya
3. Her Introduction
4. Her feat. Pharrell Williams
5. Daylight
6. Get Back feat. Pharrell Williams
7. Are You OK? feat. Pharrell Williams
8. Under The Bridge Introduction
9. Under The Bridge
10. Next Time feat. Pharrell Williams
11. Bodies On The Floor - Taps Introduction
12. Bodies On The Floor feat. Clipse
13. Doing Me
14. Fireflies feat. Pharrell Williams
15. Everything
16. Sail Off
