I think, out of all the R&B artists out there today, John Legend would have to be the best role model you can find. I'm not a fan. I don't like every song he releases or features on, but I once saw him being a guest on a show for college students. His life story was told and, along the way, he took questions from students. A level headed, extremely focused, communicative, unpretentious, passionate John Legend emerged and presented himself. Alongside his musical capabilities, this has left an incredible impression on me.
Other than that, I have to admit, that I don't keep up with the interviews he gives, so I don't know what else is to him. I just pay attention to some of his songs.
At the moment, he's just released a new album, "Darkness and Light", with "Love Me Now" as the lead single.
I've heard some people describe the album as experimental, prior to listening to it. I can definitely understand why they would when I heard tracks like "Same Old Story", which made me wonder if my Wi-Fi connection was buffering. The stop and go sound continues slightly on "Marching into the Dark". But none of the experimental tracks are crazy. They have strong influences of jazz, gospel, soul and neo-soul.
I don't think that I would describe John Legend as being a predictable man anyway, when it comes to his music. He's always been moving between various genres. To as far as I can tell they included hip hop (usually via features or collaborations), soul, R&B and, recently, a little dance / electronic as well.
On this album, he's managed to incorporate recent trends in a very mature way. The vocal effects used as an instrument, for instance, has found its way into two songs, but you are clearly not listening to a pop album. It's an artistic soul album. This is probably the reason why he's also released a remixes EP of "Love Me Now", with some very commercial dance remixes, like a tropical house version. Just to give you a little bit of everything for the darkness and the light.
