His newest album is different than albums before. Here’s why.

Things haven’t been going too badly for John Legend since he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999.

For three years, the singer and pianist from Springfield, Ohio, whose real name is John Stephens, worked as a management consultant in New York and Boston while eyeing a music career and playing small gigs.

With the help of another ambitious young man named Kanye West, Legend put out his gospel- and hip-hop-inflected debut, “Get Lifted,” in 2004. That earned him a best new artist Grammy in 2006, and he followed it up that year with the vintage soul platter “Once Again.”

In October, the R&B love man released his third studio album, “Evolver.” With appearances by rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast on the sleek “Green Light and by Legend’s British protege, Estelle, on the reggae groove “No Other Love,” the album subtly moves Legend in new directions.

Talking from a tour bus headed to Boston last week, Legend, 29, spoke about “Evolver.”

Q: “Evolver” is more of a club record than anything you’ve done before.

A: It is. I’ve never felt that anything should be off limits to me that feels good, musically. When I went in, it wasn’t like, “Man, I want to write a club record.” We did “Green Light,” and that was a good song, and then we did “It’s Over” (with West) and a couple more like that, and it worked.

It’s kind of cool to go to clubs and know that they’re playing you not just because you showed up, but they would have played you anyway.

Q: The hip-hop element on “Evolver” isn’t brand new. People think of you as a retro-soul kind of guy, but Snoop Dogg was on “Get Lifted.”

A: In some ways, “Evolver”is a return to the production style of “Get Lifted,” updated. You could use the Rhodes (electric piano) or a more electronic, synthesized sound…And the sound of hip-hop right now is more electronic, so when I collaborated with hip-hop producers like Pharrell or will.i.am, it just made sense to go with those sounds, because that was the milieu we were working in.

Q: You’re in a hurry to get into bed on this record.

A: Yeah, “Quickly.” (Laughs) The other albums have been romantic and sensual, but this one is more overtly sexual. It’s not crass, though. It’s still consistent with my own approach to writing about sex and love.

By Dan Deluca / McClatchy Tribune