Not quite a legend.
It's time for a quick poll on Room 13. Hands up all of you who have heard of John Legend? Okay, maybe ignoring the emo and metal kids but those of you who keep an ear on the charts in the past few years certainly won't have missed him. Legend's slick vocals and easy going music falls into the category of being easy to play on the radio and the singles always seem to chart and hang around. A friendship with Kanye West isn't going to hurt either, so that's okay; John Legend probably isn't a total stranger.
Next question.
How many people have an album by him? It's a lot less isn't it? Sure, the singles are all of a good standard and his live reputation is meant to be pretty good but there's just no great compulsion to buy his records – John Legend is a man who provides a short fix, almost like they Kinder Hippos that catch your eye in the Newsagents. It's unlikely you've left the house specifically to buy a Kinder Hippo (that may not be their real name, you know the ones) but sometimes, it fills a gap. Just like John Legend when he comes on the radio or perhaps when his track is up for download or on the shelf of the cd singles rack.
And 'Heaven' is just the same old same old. Starting off with some lovely female vocals and the hint of a cracking sample, the track is definitely modern soul, trading on an old school style and it's not going to cause offence. The beats move sedately but allow head bopping and Legend's vocals stand out as always and it whiles the time away but that's it, there's no jaw dropping feel to this track that you really want to hit you.
It's just good but with no lasting substance or meaningful impression. Just like they luxury confectionery treats you find perfectly placed for impulse buying.