John Legend and The Roots want you to Wake Up!

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: Music

Due out September 21st from Sony Music, John Legend and The Roots have joined forces and want you to Wake Up! The new offering will feature soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s with the underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness.

Both John Legend and The Roots were inspired by the 2008 Presidential election campaign and felt a need to throw their collective hats in the ring. Initially, the collaboration began as a single but quickly evolved into a series of singles that the two have strung together into a full album. As all the songs on the upcoming album were programmed as singles, each one covers the message of change, hope and activism – and not just for today or tomorrow, but rather for the duration, no matter what the political climate may be.

The end result is an 11 track album with gospel, rock, reggae, and hip-hop influences. Some standouts from the upcoming release include the not so oft hear “Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye, and “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway, as well as Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times” and “Hand on in There” by Mike James Kirkland.

“These songs sound so relevant now,” Legend says. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (the album’s first single, featuring contributions from Melanie Fiona and Common) has four verses — the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.”

“When these songs were written, people were more spiritually in tune,” says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. “It was fresh from the civil rights era and there was a feeling of hope that maybe, yes, someday we will all be free. In 2010, not so much.”

And it’s not just a cover album. Wake Up! does feature one John Legend original, “Shine”, which will also be featured in Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary Waiting for Superman.

John Legend is a six time Grammy winner, with all three of his albums hitting number one on the Billboard R&B charts.

The Roots are most currently visible as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, have released nine studio albums and are cited as one of the premier live instruments meet hip hop performers.