This album was conceived in the heat of the summer of 2008,” says John Legend, “in the middle of a passionate election campaign that represented change and hope, and awakened a new generation of activists who had never been inspired before.” Faced with this moment of thrilling possibility, R&B singer Legend and hip-hop band The Roots felt a need to enter the action. “Our initial idea was to make something that was the cool, hip soundtrack to that spirit, that sense of restlessness and optimism,” says Legend. A planned single became an EP, which turned into a full album project that’s been given the appropriately fiery title Wake Up! The musicians also realized that if this project was really going to be significant, it had to address more than one moment in history. “A big part of the guiding spirit for this record was the days that led up to November of 2008,” says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, “but not wanting to jump the gun, we held off for a year to see if the songs could still stand no matter the political climate of Washington.” As they got deeper into the concept, they opted to focus on songs representing the last time American youth were so politically aware, which Legend describes as “funky, soulful black music from the ‘60s and ‘70s—music that’s been sampled by many rappers, but we wanted to put our spin on it.” Taking a cue from one of the first songs they attempted, “Wake Up Everybody” by Philly Soul masters Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, a theme began to emerge. Urban protest songs shared a concern for awareness, engagement, consciousness—they were telling listeners to Wake Up! The eleven songs on the resulting album—shot through with gospel, rock, and reggae inflections, yet never losing a hip-hop attack—mix selections familiar (“Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye, “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway) and obscure (Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times,” “Hang on in There” by Mike James Kirkland). Wake Up! blends Legend’s expressive, thoughtful vocal interpretations with the limber funk of The Roots, all filtered through Thompson’s encyclopedic musical knowledge. Bringing Legend and The Roots together is an inspired pairing, so logical that it’s a little surprising they haven’t teamed up before. John Legend is a six-time Grammy winner whose three albums have all hit Number One on the Billboard R&B charts,
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