As students get into the school routine again, and the remnants of our favorite summer songs are less frequently hummed on the Quad, the time to start exploring new music is upon us.

This fall season, we can expect new music from favorites like Lady Gaga, Eminem, Miley Cyrus, Kings of Leon, Katy Perry, Icona Pop, Avicii, Grouplove, MGMT, and even Sean Kingston (where has he been?). Gaga and Miley have already taken the world by storm with their respective singles “Applause” and “We Can’t Stop,” but we’ll have to wait to see whether their respective albums will match the hype.

One newly released album that I’ve been able to preview in its entirety is John Legend’s Love in the Future. On this album, Legend uninhibitedly explores the very essence of love. His lyrics speak to optimism and hope in romance – a message very difficult to find in many of today’s music fads. The sound on this album is incredibly raw. Coming from a soul/R&B oriented musician, the album is more on the pop side than expected – but not as much as previous Legend albums like Evolver. The album contains a few swoon-worthy ballads including a cover of Bobby Cadwell’s “Open Your Eyes.”

The album’s released single, “All of Me,” is an emotional, smooth song, with completely starry-eyed lyrics. Legend sings in the chorus: “All of me loves all of you/ Love your curves and all your edges/ all your perfect imperfections.”

“‘All of me’ is really romantic. I would definitely play it as a song at a wedding for the bride and groom’s first dance,” Glynnis Lawler ‘17 said.

In the song “Made to Love,” Legend channels a similar tone to Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” in a tune that focuses on the necessity for humans to love and be loved. The music video for “Made to Love” is simple but powerful, portraying distorted human shapes intertwined with each other, and alternating images of flowers and running paint complimenting the raw and at times erotic tone of the album.

The album is great as background music for a date night, a pick-me-up when it feels like love has failed, or something to simply relax to. With an incredibly tender tone, Love in the Future is rich in melody, but soft and sweet – a perfect match for any hopeless romantic.