John Legend

In 2005, John Legend took home three Grammys for his work on Get Lifted, his outstanding debut. He's hoping to replicate that success with his latest effort, Once Again. This time out, he's crooning over more live instrumentation, and although the disc contains some hip-hop-inspired beats, as a whole, the tracks are more laid-back than anything you'd find at a club. Songs like "Save Room," "Show Me" and "Maxine" have a grown-n-sexy groove that may turn off younger R&B fans; Legend aims for even older vintage with ditties like "Each Day Gets Better" and "Slow Dance," which hark back to classic soul from the '60s and '70s. Ultimately, it seems as though he's trying to capitalize on the success of his hit song "Ordinary People" rather than the hip-hop-inflected "Used to Love U," from Lifted. And from sound of it, he's on the right track.