Musical powerhouses John Legend & The Roots are presenting fans with a fiery new offering, WAKE UP! This CD, available in Whole Foods Market stores now, features soulful music from the 60's and 70's all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness- effectively telling listeners to WAKE UP! (Read on for a chance to win an autographed CD.)The album features eleven evocative songs infused with sounds of gospel, rock and reggae inflections with hip-hop influences. The album is highlighted by familiar tracks like "Wholly Holy" by Marvin Gaye and "Little Ghetto Boy" by Donny Hathaway mixed with the more obscure selections of Baby Huey and the Babysitters' "Hard Times," and "Hang on in There" by Mike James Kirkland.
The album features one original composition, Legend's song "Shine," which is featured in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim's upcoming documentary film Waiting for Superman. The song, a "Stevie-Wonder-meets-gospel" stunner, clearly demonstrates the strengths of this specific group of musicians.WAKE UP! blends Legend's expressive, thoughtful vocal interpretations with an element of funk that only The Roots can provide. Watch to John Legend & The Roots talk about what this album means to them in this video about the Making of WAKE UP! opens in a new tabGot a favorite song that helps you wake up to the needs of the world around us? Leave a comment below by October 13th telling us what it is and we'll pick three random winners to receive a CD and poster. One of the CDs is even autographed!
