Later this year John Legend, the R&B singer, will be unleashing new material while out on the road when he takes his upcoming studio album “Evolver” out on a theater show run.

The soul singer from Ohio will be kicking off his run in Minneapolis on November 19 and visit a total of 14 cities through the middle of December.  Raphael Saadiq, the singer’s label mate from Columbia Records, will be providing opening support for all of the dates.

“Evolver” is set to be released on October 28.  The set features special guests Andre 3000 from OutKast, Estelle, soul/hip-hop singer, Brandy, pop singer, and Kayne West, who also helped to produce the set along with The Neptunes and Will.I.Am.

“Green Light,” the first single from the album, was released to radio in late July.  Recently in an interview with MTV News Legend said, we wanted to have a mixture of modern, current feel with classic, old-school Hollywood feel.  The song kind of has a big-band quality along with a dance song, or more modern quality.  We wanted a mixture of those two different aspects.

The previous release from Legend, “Once Again” from 2006, sold over 231,000 copies during the first week it was released to stores.  According to the publicist for Legend, it debuted on Billboard’s 200 album chart in the No. 3 spot.

“Once Again” peaked on R&B album chart at No. 1.  For “Heaven” Legend won the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy award.  Legend and Joss Stones also won the Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals Grammy for their “Family Affair” cover, the hit song from Sly & The Family Stones.

John Legend, Grammy award-winning pianist and singer, has added new dates onto his tour with Corinne Bailey Rae to extend the outing through May.

Rae and Legend will be covering mainly locations on the West Coast and South West with their new dates.  The tour was launched in early April and will resume on Tuesday, April 17.

Pre-sale tickets for the upcoming shows can be purchased from the John Legend members only fan website.

Legend continues backing “Once Again,” his latest studio album released last October.  During the first week released to stores the set sold over 231,000 copies and debuted on Billboard’s 200 chart in the No. 3 spot, according to the publicist for Legend.  The set peaked in the No. 1 spot on R&B Album chart.  Legend earned a Grammy award for “Heaven” in February in the category Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.  For their “Family Affair” cover by Sly & The Family Stones,  Joss Stone and Legend also won “Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Legend won three Grammys with “Get Lifted,” his debut album from 2004.  According to a recent press release, the album has sold over 3 million worldwide copies.

Rae, a newcomer from Great Britain, received three Grammy nominations for her self-titled debut set in 2006.  She was nominated for Best New Artist, Song of the year and Record of the Year.

John Legend, Mariah Carey and Kayne West each received eight Grammy nominations to lead all nominees announced on Thursday.

Nominations for Carey include Best Contemporary R&B Album and Album of the Year for “The Emancipation of Mimi,” her career-reviving set, as well as Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best Traditional Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song “We Belong Together.”

“Late Registration” by Kayne West will compete against Carey’s “Emancipation” for Album of the Year.  His set was also nominated as Best Rap Album and the single “Gold Digger” has been nominated as Best Rap Solo Performance and Record of the Year.

West led last year’s nominees with 10 nominations, winning three Grammy Awards.

Earlier this week West told MTV, if I don’t win the Album of the Year award this year, I will have a big problem with it.

Other nominees for Album of the Years besides “The Emancipation of Mimi” and “Late Registration” include “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” by U2, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” by Paul McCartney, and “Love. Angel. Music. Baby,” by Gwen Stefani, No Doubt’s singer.

Competing with Carey and West for Record of the Year will be “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani and “Feel Good Inc” by Gorillaz, with De La Soul featured.

John Legend will be competing for Best New Artist along with Sugarland, Keane, Fall Out Boy and Ciara.  Legend’s “Get Lifted” has also been nominated as Best R&B Album, “Ordinary People” has been nominated as Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Other multiple nominees are Stevie Wonder, Will.I.Am from The Black Eyed Pea, Beyonce Knowles and 50 Cent with six nominations each; U2, Gwen Stefani, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott with five nominations each; and Gretchen Wilson, Phil Tan, Brad Paisley, Neptunes, Gorillaz, Foo Fighters, Destiny’s Child and Common with four nominations each.

The 48th annual awards ceremony for the Grammys will be taking place in Los Angeles at Staples Center on February 8.  CBS-TV will air the awards ceremony live.

Full disclosure: I am a fan of John Legend.  The first thing is, anyone who has the guts to change their name to John Legend from John Stephens I have to admire.  Second, the debut album of Legend’s, “Get Lifted,” was a musically gifted and emotionally honest work that earned Legend not only a Grammy but also a regular spot in my music rotation, especially when I am in the company of a lady friend.

The essential question before going any further is, why John Legend? Is there something about Legend to lift him over all of the ordinary singers.  The simple answer is Legend makes us feel good.  Not in that romantic, cliched way.  What I’m talking about is that feeling good sleeping in late on a Sunday morning kind of feeling.  For months you’ve been asking a girl out and she says yes finally kind of feeling good.  This is a more profound but ordinary feeling, which is quite fitting due to the fact that Legend’s extraordinary music is made for ordinary people.  That’s why when I got the new album from Legend, the energetic “Evolver, there was one basic measure I was prepared to judge the set by.  How good did the album make my special lady friend and I feel?

If Legend has evolved, the reason is that he has added tracks that are party-ready to his arsenal of music.  “Green Light” is a great example.  It’s his most club-friendly tune by far of his career.  For Legend “Green Light” actually isn’t all that groundbreaking.  He uses his same spare melodies and smooth vocals from his ballads.  The biggest difference is the addition of electronically echoing synths and banging rhythm line.  Andre 3000 described it best in his guest verse, “even Stevie Wonder got down sometimes.”  It is like, figuratively speaking, Legend on speed.  “Green Light” does prove, although he probably won’t be making a habit, that Legend is able to shift from slow motion when he wants to to.

“It’s Over” is an up-tempo, bouncing tune, adding a funky flavor and is a great break-up song, particularly with Kayne West’s heavy punch line verse- “new flash shorty it’s over, we like Def Jam and Hova.”   West seems to be addicted to auto-tune to the point where he will be needing to check into rehab soon.  It’s not like Ne-Yo really has anything to be afraid of, however Legend shows on “Evolver” that he does have a few tricks for radio up his sleeve.

Slow jam lovers, never fear.  There are plenty of piano-laced Legend trademark ballads as well on “Evolver.”  He might not ever strike that perfect balance of love and pain again like on “Ordinary People,” however “This Time” is very close.  The stripped down production on “This Time” allows the captivating voice of Legend’s to carry the story of second chances and regret to powerful effect.  On “This Time” Legend doesn’t get into vocal gymnastics, he just hits the note and then holds it.  The simplicity is what makes his voice strong.

“If You’re Out There,” by contrast, is a social and political anthem from Legend.  It doesn’t hit the heart nearly as close.  The song is admirable in the middle of a critical election, however it feels weighted down and heavy compare to his personal songs.  I personally will take something such as “Cross The Line,” the smooth plea for turning a friend into a lover any day over a song like “If You’re Out.”  Maybe I’m just shallow.

Breaking “Evolver” down into ballads and dance tracks categories ultimately is much too simplistic.  “Evolver” is much more far ranging than that.  “No Other Love,” for example, is a mellow reggae track that features the charismatic Estelle.  The guitar-tinged track “I Love, You Love” would fit right into the smoky blues club scene.  Both of these songs  employ the trademark style of Legend’s, but in ways that are new and easily defy any musical stereotypes.  Ultimately this album should win some new fans for Legend while at the same time providing plenty of love to his core fans.  It’s not easy pulling such a feat off.  However Legend, by evolving subtly instead of pushing too hard to be something he is not, is able to pull it off quite nicely.  “Evolver” is not a classic album.  However, you will be feeling good when you listen to  it.  I’m talking about that feeling of waking up the next morning next to the girl who said yes finally to going on a date with you kind of feeling good.

John Legend, R&B artist, continues with his very busy touring year.  He has scheduled an outing covering the Eastern U.S. which will keep the performer on tour from the end of October through November.

He started the year by providing support for Alicia Key’s North American dates, followed by tours of Japan and Europe.  In late August Legend finished up a long summer schedule, and then headed over to Australia to perform additional shows.

Legend continues backing “Get Lifted,” his debut album, which was released last December to stores.  The album debuted in the No. 7 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart, rising during the second week out to No. 4.  Kayne West, platinum rapper, produced the set.  “Ordinary People” and “Used to Love U” are featured cuts on “Get Lifted.”

Legend in August issued a remix duet of a song of his “So High,” featuring Lauren Hill vocals,  It was the first recorded appearance for Hill since “MTV Unplugged 2.0” in 2002.

In a recent press release Legend say, the first time for me to ever make a major album appearance was playing people on “The Miseducation of Lauren Hill” song “Everything is Everything.”  Ever since, I have wanted to work together again.  It was great having that wish come true finally.

This summer John Legend, who recently wrapped up a long stint as an opener for Alicia Keys, fellow R&B singer, will be setting out on a trek of his own.

The headlining run of Legend’s will kick off in the middle of June, with dates running into August.

Tickets are currently on sale for several of the shows.  Online pre-sales have been rolled out on Legend’s website prior to general on-sale times.

The U.S. outing for Legend will follow his European and Japan shows from May and June.  Details for these shows are listed on his website.

On April 24 Legend played his last night on the headlining tour of Keys’.  He had held the opening spot down since February.  His first collaboration with Keys was as a contributing vocalist on the lead single “You Don’t Know My Name” from Key’s second album “The Diary of Alicia Keys.”

Legend last December released his debut set “Get Lifted.”  It debuted in the No. 7 spot on Billboard’s 200 chart, rising to No. 4 in the second week of its release.  Kayne West produced the set, with the album featuring cuts “Ordinary People” and “Use to Love U.”