Riding off his Get Lifted debut, the Springfield, Ohio R&B sensation John Legend has a lot to live up to. That project garnered him eight Grammy nods, three wins and a couple of platinum discs. Not bad for a first time effort.

But as the saying goes, you have your whole life to make your first album; for many that is a complete work of art before the labels come knocking. Second albums have a lot to live up to, especially when the first was such a huge success. For John Stevens, however, concerns about the second album not living up to his first need to be ignored and forgotten. Once Again is literally a perfect example of a teenager becoming a man. The album shows tremendous growth and a distinct air of maturity.

Using a vast array of notable producers; Raaphel Sadiq, Kanye West, Craig Street and will.i.am, he opted to rest the lyrical offerings on his own shoulders. Even though collaborations were kept to a minimum on the last album, he did have Kanye West and Snoop as a security blanket; both names which of course always make a person look. This time, JL realizes his competence and his name are enough to jump on the solo ride which makes this product so much more unique.

The album exemplifies the importance of his presence in R&B/Soul today. He 'courted' us with his Get Lifted collection, but with Once Again you definitely feel that he is here for the long haul. He is THE man; this is it - this is the relationship. The album flows from start to finish and contains "real' tracks, ones that are over four minutes long, occasionally even over five. With the concrete musical formation, his dulcet tone and tales of love, belonging, and happiness it is easy to understand why he is at the plateau he is after only one album.

There is no getting away from the appreciation this man has for music in general. He allows you close to sixty minutes where you literally can hit play and forget the world outside. The lead-off track from Come Again is "Save Room" and is literally a re-introduction and crash course into why John Legend marked his territory with fans first time out. Here he is telling fans or a girlfriend, however you interpret it "To save a little for him...you never know what you're missing 'til you try/ I'll keep you satisfied." This reassurance allows us to realize that this prodigy has no intentions of going anywhere.

The content of the album is pretty much love/lust orientated, from "P.D.A (We Just Don't Care)," a track that gives us a solid offering of support for displays of affection to "Again," where he is admitting to his weaknesses and desires for a certain lady, to the guitar-infused "Slow Dance," has a man longing to re-kindle the passion he once had with his lover by slow dancing: "forget about the news, put on your dancing shoes, forget about the war and what they fighting for, I propose we go to the floor and slow dance."

The track that hits you in the heart and mind is the close out track aptly titled "Coming Home." The political climate in which we find ourselves has obviously had a serious impact on the singer as his grand finale is based around a soldier waiting to come home from war to the family and loved ones he left behind. It is a very moving rendition showing understanding to what many men and women are going through right now, being away from the ones they love. Amidst a tumultuous choral arrangement, John Legend leaves his mark and proves why he is so needed in today's music environment in his distinct style.

As much as everyone talks about "real Hip Hop" these days, this is "real R&B," not the usual trash with singers trying to act gangsta. Amongst musical influences that span decades and having pulled from all genres of music, seducing our minds with his words and touching our souls with his appreciation of humanity, John Legend has provided an incredible project to exemplify why he will go on to become a legend of R&B.