Album: Evolver
Artist: John Legend
2009 G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia
CD: 88697387452
John Legend (John Stephens): lead vocals (2-7, 9, 10-11, 13),
background vocals (3, 5, 9-11, 13), vocals (1, 8, 12), piano (6, 8,
13), keys (11), organ (12)
featuring:
André 3000 (Andre Benjamin): lead vocals (2)
Kanye West: lead vocals (3)
Brandy: lead vocals (5), background vocals (5)
Estelle: lead vocals (7), background vocals (7)
Buju Banton (14)
Eugene "Man Man" Roberts: keys (1), additional keys (11),
programming (1), Vocoder (1)
Sharief Hobley: guitar (1, 9, 11, 13)
Hornz Unlimited: horns (1, 2, 11)
Jason Freeman: trumpet (1, 2, 11)
Jerry Freeman: trumpet (1, 2, 11)
Richard Owens: trombone (1, 2, 11)
Kebbi Williams: tenor sax (1, 2, 11)
Malay: additional keys (3), additional programming (6, 9, 12), all
other instruments (2)
Jessyca Wilson: background vocals (3, 4, 6, 7, 9-11, 13)
Pharrell Williams: background vocals (3), percussion (3)
Terrence "Scar" Smith: background vocals (4)
Tomi Martin: guitar (4)
Christopher "Lonny" Breaux: background vocals (5)
Dwayne "Supa Dups" Chin-Quee: programming (7)
Mitchum "Khan" Chin: guitars (7), keys (7)
Dean Fraser: horns (7)
Dave Tozer: keys (8), guitars (8)
Stephen Tirpak: keys (8)
Jamie Muhoberac: keys (8, 13)
Tim Pierce: guitars (8), additional guitars (13)
Pete Donnelly: bass (8)
Shannon Sanders: keys (11)
Joshua Loperz: guitar (12)
Lenesha Randolph: background vocals (13)
Candice Anderson: background vocals (13)
Trevor Horn: additional guitars (13)
Luis Jardim: percussion (13)
Strings conducted by Larry Gold (8)
Michael Jarosz: copyist (8)
Violins (8): Emma Kummrow, Igor Szwec, Olga Konopelsky, Charles
Parker, Gregory Teperman, Robert Martin
Violas (8): Alexandra Leem, Davis Barnett
Cello (8): Jennie Lorenzo
Strings conducted by Chris Walden (8, 13)
Violins (8, 13): Bruce Dukov, Tammy Hatwan, Alan Grunfeld, Neel
Hammond, Julie Rogers, Katia Popov, Sid Page, Darius Campo, Marc
Sazer, Jennie Levin, Nina Evtuhov, Lorenz Gamma, Joel Pargman,
Shalini Viijayan, Irina Voloshina, Neil Samples, Robin Olson, Lesa
Terry
Violas (8, 13): Shawn Mann, Kate Reddish, Alama Fernandez, Caroline
Riley, Carol Castillo, Piotr Jandula
Celli (8, 13): Cecilia Tsan, Larry Corbett, Giovanna Clayton, Victor
Lawrence
Basses (8, 13): Bruce Morgenthaler, Drew Dembowski, Sue Ranney, Ann
Atkinson
French horns (8, 13): Jim Thatcher, Paul Klintworth, Dan Kelley,
Jennie Kim
Agape Choir conductor: Tim Mcaffee-Lewis (13)
First sopranos (13): Angel Travis, Rev. Diana Presley, Sayida
Peprah, Elle Perrault, Marianne Lewis, Pamela Dearing
Second sopranos (13): Lisa Michelle Tallamentes, Joy Bella Heilig,
La Donna Bennett, Angie Hughes, Cheryl Jackson, Windy Bielaich
Altos (13): Sonia Jackson, Rickie Byars Beckwith, Tracette Hillman,
Reirani, Laurie Wilder, Miriam Green, Michelle Lactose, Lynn Biehl,
Jan Lebow, Greta Brown
Tenors (13): Teddy Bass, Skip Jennings, Jason Powell, Ray Davis,
Toyian Forte, Jonnie Acuna
Bass (13): Charles Murphy, Rikk Galvin, Ramon Pratt, Ron Blair, Paul
Harburger, Ian Cousineau, John Meeks
(12) contains replayed elements from "Tunnel of Love", written by
Mark Knopfler
Album producers: Legend/Kawan "KP" Prather
Produced by Legend (1), Malay/Prather (2-4, 15), Dirty Swift/Bruce
Waynne/Dapo Torimiro (5), will.i.am (William Adams) (6, 9, 12),
Chin-Quee (7, 14), Tozer/Horn (8), Syience (10), Drew Ramsey/Sanders
with Legend (11), Horn/Devon "Devo" Harris (13)
Co-produced by West (3, 15), Chin (7, 14), Ne-Yo (10), Marcus John
Bryant (13)
Additional producer: Teddy Riley (15)
Vocals production by Breaux/Rich King (5)
Executive producers: Legend, West
Recorded by Alex Venguer/Mike Wilson (1), Malay/Wilson (2), Anthony
Kilhoffer (3), Malay (4), Midi Mafia/Venguer (5), Padraic
Kerin/Venguer (6, 9), Conrad Golding/Venguer (7), Venguer/Tozer/Joe
Bisirri/Jeff Chestek/Steve Mac Millon [sic; MacMillan] (8),
Geno Regist (10), Wilson/Venguer (11), Kerin/Venguer/Wilson (12),
Venguer/Mac Millon/Tim Weidner (13)
Assisted by Denny Ogle (2), B-Don (4), Sam Farr/Edd
Hartwell/Phil Egan/Rob Smith/Graham Archer (8), Farr/Smith/Archer
(13)
Mixed by Venguer/Wilson (1), Manny Marroquin (2, 3, 5-9, 11-13),
Jean-Marie Horvat (4), Kevin "KD" Davis (10)
Assisted by Christian Plata (2, 3, 6-9, 11-13),
Plata/Erik Madrid (5)
Mastered by Dave Kutch
A&R operations: Juli Knapp
Management: The Artists Organization
Art direction & design: Michelle Holme/Chris Feldmann
Photography: Vincent Peters, Nabil Elderkin
Tracks:
1. "Good Morning (Intro)" [John Stephens/Ramsey/Sanders/Britton
Newbill] (0:47)
2. "Green Light" [Stephens/Rick Nowels/Andre Benjamin/James Ho/Fin
Greenall] (4:44)
2. "It's Over" [Williams/West] (4:28)
4. "Everybody Knows" [Stephens/Ho/Prather/Smith] (4:35)
5. "Quickly" [Stephens/Kevin Risto/Waynne Nugent/Dapo
Torimiro/Breaux] (3:43)
6. "Cross the Line" [Stephens/Adams/Prather] (3:23)
7. "No Other Love" [Stephens/Chin-Quee/Chin/Estelle Swaray;
arrangements by Chin-Quee] (3:59)
8. "This Time" [Stephens/Tozer/Prather] (4:24)
9. "Satisfaction" [Stephens/Adams/Christine Teigen] (4:45)
10. "Take Me Away" [Shaffer Smith/Reggie Perry] (3:03)
11. "Good Morning" [Stephens/Ramsey/Sanders/Newbill] (4:01)
12. "I Love, You Love" [Stephens/Adams/Knopfler] (4:36)
13. "If You're Out There" [Stephens/Harris/Prather/Bryant] (4:23)
14. "Can't be My Lover" [Chin-Quee/Stephens/Mark Myrie/Chin] (4:34)
15. "It's Over (Teddy Riley Remix)" [Williams/West] (4:20)
Strings arranged by Larry Gold (8); additional string arrangement by
Tozer/Tirpak (8); string arrangement by Pete Murray (8)
String arrangement: Nick Ingman (13)
Notes: The credits are extensive, but clearly incomplete: Legend's
lead vocals aren't credited on various tracks. Several tracks have
incomplete performer credits: presumably the credited producers
programmed the parts in those cases. No credits are given for the
bonus tracks, (14) & (15): I've taken details from Wikipedia. It
seems odd that there are two sets of credits for strings etc.
on (8), the latter matching the credits on (13). Is that an error in
the listing, or did they use two orchestral sessions?
(14) & (15) were the bonus tracks in Europe and Brazil and among
the bonus tracks for a Japanese tour edition. iTunes had different
bonus tracks. None of the various bonus tracks involved Horn.
The album was released 28 Oct 2008 in the US and Canada. It made #4
in the US (#1 in R&B/Hip-Hop; Gold), #7 in the Netherlands
(Gold), #19 in Italy, #21 in the UK (Silver), #26 in Japan, #36 in
Switzerland, #37 in Wallonia (Belgium), #38 in Sweden, #52 in
Ireland, #72 in France, #82 in Denmark and #86 in Germany. It was
also the 86th best-selling album of 2009 in the US (31st for
R&B/Hip-Hop) and the 157th best-selling of 2008 (57th for
R&B/Hip-Hop). It was the 65th best-selling album of 2008 in the
Netherlands and 96th of 2009.
For me, the second Horn-produced track, (13), is the standout. It
was used by Barack Obama's Presidential campaign. (HP, 4 Nov 20)
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