Bigger Love

Bigger Love[7] is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Legend. It was released on June 19, 2020 through Columbia Records and succeeds his 2018 Christmas album A Legendary Christmas. The album includes the singles "Conversations in the Dark", "Actions", "Bigger Love", and "Wild". The album was nominated for a Best R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Bigger Love
Digital version and stylized graphics colors of lighter green instead of dark green.
Studio album by
John Legend
ReleasedJune 19, 2020
Length55:51
Label
Producer
John Legend chronology
A Legendary Christmas
(2018)		 Bigger Love
(2020)
Singles from Bigger Love
  1. "Conversations in the Dark"
    Released: January 10, 2020
  2. "Actions"
    Released: March 20, 2020
  3. "Bigger Love"
    Released: April 17, 2020
  4. "Wild"
    Released: August 13, 2020
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic59/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash6/10[2]
The Guardian[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
Pitchfork(6.4/10)[5]
The Independent[6]

Background

Bigger Love was written mostly in 2019.[8] Recording for the album finished in February 2020.[9] Legend stated he hoped the album would bring joy and be uplifting in light of the George Floyd protests that were taking place during the album's release.[9] He released the cover art and track listing on June 12, a week before the release.[10]

Artwork

The cover art was painted by artist Charly "Carlos" Palmer. The piece features a smiling portrait of the singer-songwriter covered in blooming flowers and a starry sky against a pop of turquoise backdrop.

Singles

Three singles were put out before the album was released.[9] "Conversations in the Dark" was released on January 10, 2020.[11] "Actions" was released on March 20. Legend performed "Actions" on The Tonight Show.[12] The title track, "Bigger Love", was released on April 17, 2020. "Wild", a collaboration with American musician Gary Clark Jr., was released on August 13, 2020.[13]

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics.[1] Rolling Stone rated the album 3.5/5 stars, stating that the album's "self-aware" themes fit well with the current environment of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Rated R&B recognized the album on its 30 Best R&B Albums of 2020 list, stating, "Bigger Love celebrates everlasting love as John Legend serenades with soothing falsettos, bold instrumentation, and groovy new sounds."[14]

Track listing

All tracks and album credits and metadata adapted from iTunes.[15]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ooh Laa"
2:59
2."Actions"
Oak2:54
3."I Do"
2:47
4."One Life"
3:14
5."Wild" (with Gary Clark Jr.)
3:16
6."Bigger Love"
2:50
7."U Move, I Move" (featuring Jhené Aiko)
  • Stephens
  • Campbell
  • Jonas W. Karlsson
  • Michael Bywaters
Jonas W. Karlsson3:43
8."Favorite Place"
2:48
9."Slow Cooker"
  • Stephens
  • Campbell
  • Elias "LIAS" Näslin
  • Toluwanimi Adeyemo
4:22
10."Focused"
3:02
11."Conversations in the Dark"
  • Wattenberg
  • Pom Pom
3:55
12."Don't Walk Away" (with Koffee)
Di Genius3:40
13."Remember Us" (with Rapsody)
  • E. Hudson
  • Murdock[a]
4:51
14."I'm Ready" (featuring Camper)
DJ Camper3:51
15."Always"
  • DJ Camper
  • Justus West[a]
  • Branden Rowell[a]
3:26
16."Never Break"
4:13
Total length:55:51
Japan bonus tracks[16]
No.TitleLength
17."Conversations in the Dark" (John Legend vs. David Guetta)3:30
18."Bigger Love (Remix)" (featuring Mau y Ricky)3:22
Total length:62:55

Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[v] signifies a vocal producer

Charts
Chart performance for Bigger Love
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 52
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 42
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 179
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[20] 165
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 93
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 30
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 63
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[24] 1
US Billboard 200[25] 19

References
  1. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  2. Murray, Robin (June 19, 2020). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  3. Kheraj, Alim (June 19, 2020). "John Legend: Bigger Love – synths, snogging and schmaltz". The Guardian. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. Dolan, Jon (June 18, 2020). "John Legend's 'Bigger Love' is a Bear Hug We Need Right Now". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. Pearce, Sheldon (June 24, 2020). "John Legend Bigger Love". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork.
  6. O'Connor, Roisin (June 17, 2020). "Album reviews: Neil Young – Homegrown, and John Legend – BIGGER LOVE". independent.co.uk. The Independent.
  7. Aniftos, Rania (May 13, 2020). "John Legend's 'Bigger Love' Album Gets a Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  8. Dinges, Gary (June 17, 2020). "EGOT winner John Legend says new album 'Bigger Love' is his 'best work' yet". USA Today.
  9. Saponara, Michael (June 17, 2020). "Inside John Legend's 'Bigger Love' Album, Which He Hopes Can 'Lift People Up'". Billboard.
  10. Grant, Shawn (June 12, 2020). "John Legend Reveals Cover and Tracklist for 'Bigger Love' Album". The Source.
  11. Aniftos, Rania (January 10, 2020). "John Legend Unveils the Sweet 'Conversations in the Dark' Ahead of Upcoming 'This Is Us' Episode". Billboard.
  12. Zemler, Emily (March 25, 2020). "Watch John Legend Perform 'Actions' on At-Home Edition of 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone.
  13. Sources concerning the single release of "Wild":
  14. "The 30 Best R&B Albums of 2020: Staff Picks". ratedrnb.com. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  15. "Bigger Love by John Legend on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  16. "Bigger Love / ビガー・ラヴ – Tower Records". Tower Records. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  17. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 29 June 2020". No. 1582. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 29, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – John Legend – Bigger Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  19. "Top Albums (Week 26, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  20. "John Legend". Oricon. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  21. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  22. "Swisscharts.com – John Legend – Bigger Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  24. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  25. "John Legend Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
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