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THE ROOTS WASTE NO TIME FOLLOWING UP THE RECENTLY RELEASED HOW I GOT
OVER
The Roots |
John
Legend and The
Roots will release their collaboration, Wake Up! on September 21, 2010. The album will feature soulful music from the 60s and 70s with an
underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness.
After being inspired by the recent historical Presidential election campaign of 2008, the R&B singer and hip-hop band felt a need to enter the action. What started as plans for a single quickly developed into an album representing change, hope and activism. The resulting album features eleven evocative songs, including Marvin Gaye's “Wholly Holy” and Donny Hathaway's “Little Ghetto Boy” mixed with more obscure selections like Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times,” and Mike James Kirkland's “Hang on in There”.
“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.”
The album features one original composition, Legend’s song “Shine,” which is featured in
director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary film Waiting for Superman.
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