Get Lifted by John Legend

Get Lifted, John Legend's debut album, came out on December 28, 2004, through GOOD Music, Sony Urban Music and Columbia, and it's the sound of a backroom session man stepping into the spotlight. Legend had already played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" and sung uncredited backup for Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, and he was the first artist Kanye West signed to GOOD Music. West, then his manager, executive produced and co-produced alongside Dave Tozer, will.i.am and Devo Springsteen, and turned up on the mic too, with Snoop Dogg and violinist Miri Ben-Ari also dropping by.

The record is warm, churchy neo soul with hip-hop in its bones, Legend's piano and gospel-tinged voice doing the heavy lifting. The hit ballad "Ordinary People" was the one that broke him. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, went double platinum and swept up Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 48th Grammys.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.