Darkness and Light (John Legend album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Darkness and Light

| type = studio

| artist = John Legend

| cover = Darkness and Light.jpg

| border = yes

| alt =

| released = December 2, 2016

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio = East West Studio 2 in Los Angeles

| genre = R&B

| length = 45:50

| label = {{hlist|GOOD|Columbia}}

| producer =

Blake Mills
John Legend
John Ryan

| prev_title = Love in the Future

| prev_year = 2013

| next_title = A Legendary Christmas

| next_year = 2018

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Darkness and Light

| type = studio

| single1 = Love Me Now

| single1date = October 7, 2016

| single2 = Penthouse Floor

| single2date = November 18, 2016

| single3 = Surefire

| single3date = March 27, 2017

}}

Darkness and Light is the sixth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and pianist John Legend. It was released on December 2, 2016, by Columbia Records, as well as his last album to be released with GOOD Music, following the end of his five-album contract with the label.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fVLQBYsGVA&t=20m25s |title=John Legend Confirms End of Five-Album Deal on the Breakfast Club |website=YouTube |date=29 September 2016 |quote="It's a five-album deal with GOOD Music and [Darkness and Light] is my fifth album." }}

Recording and production

Legend recorded the album at East West Studio 2 in Los Angeles. It was produced almost entirely by Blake Mills, who also played various instruments and co-produced most of the songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/darkness-and-light-mw0002995855|title=Darkness and Light - John Legend|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 5, 2019|last=Kellman|first=Andy}} Legend also collaborated with rapper Chance the Rapper, and vocalists Brittany Howard and Miguel.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7565606/john-legend-new-album-darkness-and-light-chance-the-rapper-miguel |title=John Legend Reveals Guest Appearances for 'Darkness and Night'|publisher=Billboard |date=November 4, 2016 |access-date=November 11, 2016}}

Singles

The album's lead single "Love Me Now" was released on October 7, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-me-now-single/id1160843931 |title=iTunes - Music - Love Me Now - Single by John Legend |publisher=iTunes |date=October 8, 2016 |access-date=November 11, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008083047/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-me-now-single/id1160843931 |archive-date=October 8, 2016 }} On October 6, 2016, the music video was released for the single.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL_NP1mD0UQ|title=Video: John Legend - 'Love Me Now' |publisher=YouTube |date=October 8, 2016|access-date=November 11, 2016}} On November 18, 2016, the album's second single "Penthouse Floor" featuring Chance the Rapper, was released.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7580482/john-legend-chance-the-rapper-penthouse-floor|title=John Legend And Chance The Rapper Takes Us To The 'Penthouse Floor': Listen|publisher=Billboard|date=November 18, 2016|access-date=November 20, 2016}} On November 25, 2016, the album's first promotional single "I Know Better", was released and on March 27, 2017, was announced that the album's third single is "Surefire".

Commercial performance

In the United States, Darkness and Light debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with 38,000 album-equivalent units, marking the sixth highest debut of the week.{{cite web|last=Hernandez|first=Victoria|url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.41640/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-hamilton-mixtape-steals-the-show-on-billboard-200-chart|title=Hip Hop Album Sales: "The Hamilton Mixtape" Steals The Show On Billboard 200 Chart |work=HipHopDX |date=December 12, 2016 |access-date=December 14, 2016}} The album selling 26,000 copies in its first week.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7624533/rb-charts-childish-gambino-hamilton-rihanna|title=Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Debuts at No. 1 on R&B Albums Chart|magazine=Billboard |date=December 14, 2016|access-date=December 14, 2016}} The album was also streamed 12.5 million times in the first week.

Critical reception

Darkness and Light was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 10 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/darkness-and-light/john-legend|title=Darkness and Light by John Legend Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=January 5, 2019}}

Reviewing the album in The New York Times, Jon Pareles applauded its treatment of love as a multi-dimensional theme and "as something far more complex than a panacea and a fount of perpetual reassurance, with music to match".{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|date=November 30, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/arts/music/john-legend-darkness-and-light-review.html|title=John Legend: Love Songs That Bow to Dark Shadows|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 5, 2019}} Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau cited the title track, "Marching Into the Dark", and "I Know Better" as highlights and said the lyric from the latter song ("My history has brought me to this place/This power and the color of my face") is "not an easy brag to bring off modestly, and the more I listen the more I appreciate the trick".{{cite magazine|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=March 3, 2017|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/nz5bkq/expert-witness-with-robert-christgau-turn-to-eros|title=On Syd's Depth and Resonance: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau|magazine=Vice|access-date=January 5, 2019}}

Track listing

All tracks produced by Blake Mills, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| headline = Standard edition{{cite web|url = https://music.apple.com/us/album/darkness-and-light/1170697676|title = Darkness and Light by John Legend on Apple Music|access-date = March 9, 2017|date = December 2, 2016|work = iTunes Store (US)}}

| title1 = I Know Better

| writer1 = {{hlist|John Stephens|Will Oldham}}

| length1 = 3:03

| title2 = Penthouse Floor

| note2 = featuring Chance the Rapper and produced with Greg Kurstin

| writer2 = {{hlist|Stephens|Chancellor Bennett}}

| length2 = 4:43

| title3 = Darkness and Light

| note3 = featuring Brittany Howard

and produced with John Ryan

| writer3 = {{hlist|Stephens|Oldham}}

| length3 = 3:50

| title4 = Overload

| note4 = featuring Miguel

| writer4 = {{hlist|Stephens|Miguel Pimentel}}

| length4 = 3:20

| title5 = Love Me Now

| note5 = produced with Ryan

| writer5 = {{hlist|Stephens}}

| length5 = 3:30

| title6 = What You Do to Me

| note6 = produced with Matt Sweeney and Michael Tucker

| length6 = 3:21

| writer6 = {{hlist|Stephens|Julia Michaels|Justin Tranter}}

| title7 = Surefire

| note7 = produced with Ludwig Göransson

| writer7 = {{hlist|Stephens|Oldham|Michaels}}

| length7 = 4:03

| title8 = Right by You

| note 8 = For Luna

| writer8 = {{hlist|Stephens|Ethan Gruska}}

| length8 = 4:16

| title9 = Temporarily Painless

| note9 = produced with Ryan

| writer9 = {{hlist|Stephens}}

| length9 = 3:55

| title10 = How Can I Blame You

| note10 = produced with Sweeney

| writer10 = {{hlist|Stephens|Francis White}}

| length10 = 3:56

| title11 = Same Old Story

| writer11 = {{hlist|Stephens|Tobias Jesso Jr.}}

| length11 = 3:32

| title12 = Marching into the Dark

| writer12 = {{hlist|Stephens|Jesso Jr.}}

| length12 = 4:21

| total_length = 45:50

}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| headline = Deluxe edition and Target exclusive (bonus tracks){{cite web|url = http://www.target.com/p/-/A-51885414|title = John Legend - Darkness and Light (Target Exclusive) : Target|access-date = March 9, 2017|date = December 2, 2016|work = Target}}

| title13 = Drawing Lines

| writer13 = {{hlist|Stephens|Oldham}}

| length13 = 2:21

| title14 = What You Do to Me

| note14 = piano demo; produced by John Legend

| writer14 = {{hlist|Stephens|Michaels|Tranter}}

| length14 = 3:41

| title15 = Love You Anyway

| note15 = produced with Sweeney and Tyler Johnson

| writer15 = {{hlist|Stephens|Michaels|Tranter}}

| length15 = 3:36

| total_length = 55:28

}}

Notes

"What You Do to Me", "Surefire", "Marching Into the Dark", and "Love You Anyway" features background vocals by Jessy Wilson.
"What You Do to Me" and "Surefire" features background vocals by Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe.
"Temporarily Painless" and "How Can I Blame You" features background vocals by Z Berg.
"Temporarily Painless" features background vocals by Perfume Genius.
"Drawing Lines" features background vocals by Moses Sumney.

Charts

=Weekly charts=

scope="col"\| Chart (2016–17) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{album chart\|Australia\|37\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Flanders\|75\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Wallonia\|167\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=January 28, 2017}}
{{album chart\|BillboardCanada\|29\|artist=John Legend\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 13, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Netherlands\|21\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
scope="row"\| French Albums (SNEP){{cite web\|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-albums-fusionnes/?ye=2016&we=51\|title=Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 51, 2016)\|date=10 June 2013 \|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique\|language=fr\|access-date=December 26, 2016}} \| 123
{{album chart\|Ireland\|61\|year=2016\|week=49\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Italy\|49\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
scope="row"\| New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ){{cite web\|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2016-12-09\|title=NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart\|publisher=Recorded Music NZ\|date=December 12, 2016\|access-date=December 9, 2016}} \| 1
{{album chart\|Scotland\|50\|date=2016-12-09\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Switzerland\|32\|artist=John Legend\|album=Darkness and Light\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 14, 2016}}
{{album chart\|UK2\|35\|date=2016-12-09\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|UKR&B\|3\|date=2016-12-09\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 10, 2016}}
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|14\|artist=John Legend\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 13, 2016}}
{{album chart\|BillboardRandBHipHop\|5\|artist=John Legend\|rowheader=true\|access-date=December 13, 2016}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (2017)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 26, 2020}}

| 189

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 26, 2020}}

| 84

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=John Legend|title=Darkness & Light|award=Gold|relyear=2016|certyear=2019|access-date=February 15, 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true|nosales=true}}