NEW YORK (AFP) - John Legend has become known as a modern master of the ballad, probing the emotional depths behind love and discovering the darkness that lurks nearby.

Releasing his fifth studio album Friday, Legend stretches into new musical territory as he subtly broadens his conception of ballads, injecting elements of funk and rap.

The new album is entitled “Darkness and Light,” but instead of representing some sort of tug-of-war between the two forces, Legend sees them as intertwined -- no love song is spared from a touch of melancholy.

The first single off the album, “Love Me Now,” is among the most rocking on the album, with a beat bringing uplift -- in contrast to Legend’s biggest hit, 2013’s heartrending “All of Me.”

Yet “Love Me Now” also has an undercurrent of loss, even as Legend implores the listener to celebrate the joys of the moment.

“I don't know who’s gonna kiss you when I'm gone / So I’m gonna love you now like it’s all I have,” Legend sings.

The album comes at a new stage of life for the 37-year-old Legend.

A musical prodigy whose talents brought him an Ivy League education and steady ascent through the music business, Legend recently became a father with his wife, model Chrissy Teigen.

Legend dedicates “Right By You,” a piano number with a smoky jazz backdrop, to his daughter Luna as he promises to care for her, but wonders about her future and that of the world.

“You see, love contains a meaning of despair,” Legend warns his daughter, his mellifluous voice backed by strings.

“Will we do right by you? Will you have what you require to make your days on this Earth be not so dire?”