The sticker affixed to the cover of this album should read “GOOD IDEA.” On Wake Up!, the funkiest, most flexible band on the planet backs one of the most skilled and accomplished singer/keyboardists in modern R&B.
Stirred by Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and the social climate, the Roots and John Legend, with appearances from Black Thought, C.L.
Smooth, Common, Melanie Fiona, and Malik Yusef, reinterpret a soul-dominated set of ever-relevant songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
A few exceptions aside, the source material will be unfamiliar to the average fan of the artists.
In January 1976, the motivational “Wake Up Everybody” was a number one R&B single for the Teddy Pendergrass-led Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
During the 2000s, versions of Eugene McDaniels' fiery “Compared to What” appeared in unlikely forms: a soft-drink commercial starring Mya and Common, and an episode of Lost, when a Les McCann and Eddie Harris take played on the Swan turntable.
Otherwise, the majority of those who play this album will hear it with a fresh set of ears.
The intent is not to improve upon the originals but to update them, introduce them to a younger audience, and inspire.
The burning passion of the players cannot be denied, whether conveyed during the hushed “Wholy Holy” (first recorded for Marvin Gaye's What’s Going On) or the muscular “Our Generation” (Ernie Hines).
There are several instances when the Roots, who are deeply intimate with grit, outshine Legend, whose polished and pride-rich voice occasionally clashes with the material.
This is most evident on “Hard Times,” a terrifying song written by Curtis Mayfield and recorded by Baby Huey.
The Roots lunge into it with cold-blooded precision, but the lyrics (“Eatin’ Spam, Oreos, drinkin’ Thunderbird”), when voiced by Legend, do not resonate.
On a 12-minute version of “I Can’t Write Left-Handed,” written by Bill Withers after encountering a soldier who lost his right arm fighting in the Vietnam war, guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas lets loose a solo that trivializes Legend’s litany of yeahs and sounds more raw, impulsive, and impassioned than any vocal on the set.
Older folks who approach the album for the sake of hearing a band play old-school rhythm & blues should familiarize themselves with the Roots catalog, beginning with Game Theory, Rising Down, and How I Got Over.
Those albums are just as significant and vital as the songs honored here.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hard TimesCurtis Mayfield | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 05:16 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Compared to WhatEugene McDaniels | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 06:26 | 14 MB | 40 MB |
| 3 | Wake Up EverybodyVictor Carstarphen, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | Our Generation (The Hope of the World)Leon Moore, C.L. Smooth | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | Little Ghetto BoyEarl DeRouen, Edward U. Howard | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 01:58 | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| 6 | Little Ghetto BoyEarl DeRouen, Edward U. Howard | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 05:26 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 7 | Hang On In ThereMike James Kirkland | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 07:15 | 16 MB | 46 MB |
| 8 | Humanity (Love the Way It Should Be)Lincoln Thompson | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Wholy HolyRenaldo Benson, Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 05:50 | 13 MB | 34 MB |
| 10 | I Can't Write Left HandedRay Jackson, Bill Withers | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 11:44 | 26 MB | 72 MB |
| 11 | I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be FreeDick Dallas, Billy Taylor | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 12 | ShineJohn Stephens | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | Shine (Waiting For 'Superman' Version) | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 20 MB |
| 14 | Wake Up Everybody (Studio Performance Live) | John Legend, The Roots | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 72 mins | 167 MB | |||||
| 72 mins | 438 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damien Alexander | A&R |
| 2 | Nick Banns | Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Vocal Recording |
| 3 | Davis Barnett | Viola |
| 4 | Renaldo Benson | Composer |
| 5 | David Bett | Art Direction, Design |
| 6 | Owen Biddle | Bass, Composer, Group Member |
| 7 | Michelle Bishop | Violin |
| 8 | Black Thought | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 9 | Randy Bowland | Guitar |
| 10 | Jeff Bradshaw | Trombone |
| 11 | Matt Cappy | Flugelhorn, Trumpet |
| 12 | Dustin Capulong | Assistant Engineer |
| 13 | Victor Carstarphen | Composer |
| 14 | Al Cleveland | Composer |
| 15 | Common | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 16 | Natalie Curtis | Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Dick Dallas | Composer |
| 18 | Earl DeRouen | Composer |
| 19 | Captain Kirk Douglas | Group Member, Guitar |
| 20 | Jimmy Douglass | Mixing |
| 21 | Kirk Douglass | Composer, Guitar (Electric) |
| 22 | Bojan Dugic | Engineer |
| 23 | Chris Farr | Flute, Saxophone |
| 24 | Chris Feldmann | Art Direction, Design |
| 25 | Timiney Figueroa-Caton | Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Melanie Fiona | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 27 | Ruth Frazier | Viola |
| 28 | Marvin Gaye | Composer |
| 29 | Larry Gold | String Arrangements, String Conductor |
| 30 | Michelle Holme | Art Direction, Design |
| 31 | Edward U. Howard | Composer |
| 32 | Michael Ilbert | Vocal Recording |
| 33 | Ray Jackson | Composer |
| 34 | Lacey Jones | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Ryan Kelly | Assistant Engineer |
| 36 | Mike James Kirkland | Composer |
| 37 | Olga Konopelsky | Violin |
| 38 | Emma Kummrow | Violin |
| 39 | Dave Kutch | Mastering |
| 40 | Derik Lee | Assistant Engineer |
| 41 | John Legend | Liner Notes, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 42 | Jennie Lorenzo | Cello |
| 43 | Meaghan Lyons | A&R |
| 44 | Steve Mandel | Engineer |
| 45 | Anthony Mandler | Photography |
| 46 | Curtis Mayfield | Composer |
| 47 | Eugene McDaniels | Composer |
| 48 | Gene McFadden | Composer |
| 49 | Darren Moore | Mixing Assistant |
| 50 | Leon Moore | Composer |
| 51 | Charles Parker | Violin |
| 52 | Joe Peluso | Vocal Recording |
| 53 | Denise Powell | Vocals (Background) |
| 54 | James Poyser | Composer, Group Member, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer, Xylophone |
| 55 | Questlove | Composer, Drums, Group Member, Percussion, Producer |
| 56 | Lenesha Randolph | Vocals (Background) |
| 57 | The Roots | Primary Artist |
| 58 | Ashley Simpson | Vocals (Background) |
| 59 | Jon Smeltz | Engineer |
| 60 | Linwood Smith Jr. | Vocals (Background) |
| 61 | Tamika Smith | Vocals (Background) |
| 62 | C.L. Smooth | Composer, Featured Artist, Lyricist, Vocals |
| 63 | Chris Soper | Engineer, Vocal Recording |
| 64 | John Stephens | Composer |
| 65 | Maki Suzuki | Mixing Assistant |
| 66 | Igor Szwec | Violin |
| 67 | Billy Taylor | Composer |
| 68 | Gregory Teperman | Violin |
| 69 | Lincoln Thompson | Composer |
| 70 | Salamishah Tillet | Liner Notes |
| 71 | Alex Venguer | Engineer, Vocal Recording |
| 72 | Matia Washington | Vocals (Background) |
| 73 | John Whitehead | Composer |
| 74 | Jessyca Wilson | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 75 | Bill Withers | Composer |
| 76 | Ghian Wright | Engineer |
| 77 | Malik Yusef | Composer, Featured Artist, Lyricist |
Black Thought
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |