Review: Wake Up! by John Legend and the Roots

by Josh Stillman

Wake Up!, the new album from John Legend and the Roots, is a damned impressive production. Consisting almost exclusively of covers of R&B tracks from the '60s and'70s, the record recalls time when music wasn’t just important but essential; when the Civil Rights movement had the country in turmoil and the musician was as much a political and social entity as an entertainer.

Legend and the Roots, two of today’s most talented performers, drew inspiration for the album from Barack Obama’s 2008 election—they saw the landmark occasion as an opportunity to highlight the societal ills that continue to plague the nation into the 21^st century. Themes that were so implemental in the social upheaval of the 1960s are shown to remain relevant thirty years later: “Our Generation (The Hope of the World)” echoes the uplifting, “Yes We Can” sentiment of Obama’s presidential campaign, while “I Can’t Write Left Handed,” originally a Vietnam War protest song, now resonates amid the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If anything, Legend and the Roots prove that these issues endure and that music can still offer commentary and a call to action in a way nothing else can.

And it is the music on this record that truly stirs the soul. Culling from some of the greatest artists and composers in American history—Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Nina Simone—the group performs searing, heart-wrenching updates of both iconic classics (“Little Ghetto Boy”) and deeper cuts (“Wholy Holy”). Legend, a formidable singer and pianist, is equaled and even upstaged by the Roots’ backing band, who play their music with a rhythmic ferocity and technical precision that is unparalleled in today’s market. They also demonstrate a remarkable range, transitioning from the hard funk of “Compared to What” to the tenderness and vulnerability of “Wholy Holy” with seamless virtuosity. Their musicianship, along with stellar production and John Legend’s considerable prowess at the vocal helm, make Wake Up! one of the most musically enthralling records in years.

Even if the protest songs feel a bit heavy-handed by the end, John Legend and the Roots deserve credit for reviving an increasingly overlooked tradition in which lyrics matter and content fuels the musicians’ fervor. This is music, man, and it’s thrilling to hear it again.