Customer Reviews

Wake Up!

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most cover albums are failures from the jump. It's not really the artist's faults, it's more a problem with the fact that most of us consumers just can't let go. We love those classic songs that we grew up with, so we just naturally figure "Hey, there's a new version of My Funny Valentine out there, I'm there!"

Instead what we tend to get is meaningless and pointless versions of songs that have none of what made us treasure them. Whether it's the artist's voice or tempo of the remake, or perhaps it's just a matter of that original song hitting you at the right moment, and becoming embedded in your timeline, it's just not the same. Often it can make you angry to hear a remake of a beloved song and have it just destroy all your positive thoughts.

In my entire life, I've only heard three albums that involved covers that I willingly would listen to regularly. UB40's "Labour of Love Volume 1", The Jeff Healey Band's "Cover to Cover" and the Bob Marley tribute album called "Chant Down Babylon"

And that's it. When I see an album of covers I tend to steer clear, because the odds are just not in your favor if you're wanting to be entertained.

So that's why I was curious when I first heard about the new John Legend album that he did with The Roots called "Wake Up!". While I've never really been what you'd call a "fan" of Legend, I've absolutely loved some of his songs.

Also, Philly band The Roots are, in my opinion, one of the top 10 bands of all time. OF ALL TIME! They're that good. I'd stack them up against anyone in any genre, and particularly hip hop they're heads and shoulders above everyone else. They're lapping the competition something serious.

Their newest album "How I Got Over" is their best album in years, and easily dominates 99.9% of anything that's come out this year. (I left the .1% because I haven't heard everything, but that's about the percentage chance I give anything of being better). At this point in their career, you see a release with The Roots on the cover, and you just put your credit card on the counter, and just say "Run it."

So the two teaming up for a set of classic soul music is a great idea, and the fact that the songs are all socially conscious tracks just makes it even better. That is why I have been geeked out for several months after hearing about "Wake Up", the newest release by Legend, and his first collaborating with The Roots.

When it comes to cover songs though, especially ones like these which are evoking specific memories and social commentary from back in the civil rights era, and the war in Vietnam, you have to have a voice that can carry these tales. Your voice has to not just hit the right notes, but has to be able to invoke the very essence of the song. You're not just singing a song from 40 years ago, for many people you will be attempting to recreate a moment in time. An important moment in our history in which the soul singers of the past stood up, put their name out there and decided to fight for what they believed in, the one way they knew how: with their voice.

And in that respects, John Legend does a heck of a job. While I've always liked his singing, on this album I think he truly steps into the spotlight as an artist. His voice is perfect for these songs, and Legend has the proper amount of inflection and balance to his voice, if that makes sense.

Listening to this album with your eyes closed, you can almost imagine that Legend was actually back in the 60's singing these for the first time. With the highly accomplished band The Roots backing him up, and with Legend's more than capable vocals, there's virtually nothing to find fault with this. In fact, the only area that I can imagine someone really taking issue, is the additions of Black Thought or Common's rapping on some of the songs. I can imagine there will be the purists who will find that just atrocious that there would be added rap lyrics ontop of what truly are classic songs.

And to that, I would suggest that most of those who would not like the rap lyrics on here are also ones who would take offense at their favorite songs being covered in the first place. Meaning, that nothing is going to satisfy them, and that if it wasn't the rap, it'd be something else. However the rap actually adds to these songs, and does not detract. They're not there just for the hell of it, or a "Buy the Roots get Black Thought free" or something. Black Thought is a top 10 MC, folks. Much like Edward Francis Hutton, when he speaks, you should listen. He's often got a lot to say, and this release is no different.

The songs being covered on here are pretty impressive, and while I don't think any of them will replace the original in my heart or mind, they are by far better than most covers out there. I don't think anyone could touch Donny Hathaway's original "Little Ghetto Boy" or Marvin's "Wholy Holy", however there are many that Legend is just in a groove. Many of these songs have heavy heavy subject matter, and are songs that you don't simply hear. You listen to it, you close your eyes, you soak it in and absorb it.

I find myself listening to him singing "I Can't Write Left Handed" and try in vain to understand what it would be like, as the song's protagonist sings, to be in a war that I didn't understand. To desperately find someone to write home to my mother and beg her to get a deferment for my brother so he didn't get sent off to war as well. To be at that point that I felt that I would never get home alive, and wanting with all my heart and soul to somehow try to save my brother from a similar fate.

It's a heartbreaking situation that Bill Withers just perfectly laid out in his original. While Legend doesn't surpass the original, he is just flat out on fire on this song, and there's really nothing to criticize.

If you're a fan of Legend or The Roots, you need to buy this. You need to just not even think about it and just get it. But I really don't need to tell you that, if you are. If you're a fan of those two, you really didn't need any provocation, and you've probably already pre-ordered it, and just wanting to see what someone else thought about it, and whether it was as good as you imagined it would be.

It is. For those who perhaps never heard either Legend or The Roots, well my friend, you're in for a treat. This is a perfect introduction to the two, and I guarantee you that once you've heard this, you'll want to find more albums by The Legendary Roots Crew, and the fantastic Mr. Legend. A man who shows signs of absolutely living up to that heavy last name.

Neo Soul crooner John Legend hooks up with Hip Hop collective The Roots to release "Wake up!", a collection of covers of socially/politically conscious Soul classics from the sixties and seventies. This has been a rather prolific year for The Roots as they released "How I got over" earlier in the year.

Both were inspired by the 2008 United States presidential election and chose songs they felt were obscure. The album has a loose live-jam feel to it with the only Hip Hop infusion being sporadic rapping by Black Thought or guest rappers.

The lone original composition is the church piano-driven "Shine". "Humanity (Love the way it should be)" is horn-sprinkled Reggae. They eschew the popular songs on Marvin Gaye's "What's going on" going for "Wholy holy".

Lead-off single "Wake up everybody" features Common and Melanie Fiona and is light and breezy. "Hard times" and "Compared to what" (with an incredibly groovy bassline and funky horns) are Funk/Soul, "Little ghetto boy" an airy organ-driven Jazz/Soul ballad, while "I can't write left handed" is a sprawling 12 minute epic, an anti-war lament originally done by Bill Whithers telling the story of a wounded war veteran writing a letter to his mother.

Each song stands out really, and what prevents the album from being too depressing and preachy are the excellent vocals and superb musicianship. A much needed wake up call musically.

Rap royalty and neo-soul star power come together on the fine Wake Up!, a covers album by The Roots and John Legend. While 'Wake Up!' doesn't "reinvent the wheel" by any means, it is an enjoyable and soulful listen, finding both the Roots and Legend at their best. While the Roots rap contributions are modest here, that is smart considering the tone and the scope of this album. John Legend sounds among his most soulful ever here, particularly on the best cuts. There are moments that sag just the slightest bit, but the dynamic moments easily mask the sagging ones.

"Compared to What" opens the album superbly with atmospheric retro-soul production work that possesses an organic quality. The extended instrumental opening simmers for over a minuter until Legend's soulful vocals enter. While "Compared to What" is lengthy, it is quite enjoyable, accentuated even more by the soulful use of organ, trumpet, and saxophone. "Hard Times," similarly, doesn't miss a beat, again beginning with a dramatic opening and the incorporation of a tasteful rap verse. "Little Ghetto Boy" opens with a rap, incorporating The Roots' prodigious rap talents, something that is only subtly appears throughout this album. The piano work here by Legend is spot on.

"Wake Up Everybody" features fine guest spots by Common and Melanie Fiona. Here, the super collaborative team do a fine job of recreating the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes classic with some sense of justice. Similarly, "Our Generation" shines finding Legend channelling his gospel roots - particularly on the out-tro section ("Atlanta...come on Lagos, lets straighten out...) "Humanity (Love the Way It Should Be)" incorporates reggae and works, though it isn't as "epic" as say "Compared to What" or "Hard Times" or "Wake Up Everybody." "Hang On in There" is solid, featuring low-key production work that shimmers. It is "I Can't Write Left Handed" though that redirects the energy of the album back to the level set early on. Here, the production work is easily the best of the album and The Roots and Legend truly let loose. Sure, it's over eleven minutes in length, but once you hear it, you will instantly note it is the very best cut of the album.

"Wholy Holy" features understated production work (compared to the overt nature of "I Can't Write Left Handed"). Here, Legend sounds best as he channels the gospel elements of his voice as far as nuances, phrasing, etc. "I Wish I Know How It Would Feel to Be Free" one-ups "Wholy Holy" cranking up the tempo and finds the super-band all but performing in the church. The gospel element here is inescapable and one just wishes the cut were longer than its brief duration. "Shine," the only original (penned by Legend) is typical Legend songwriting and closes the album strongly, though not say revolutionarily.

As far as the production work and concept,' Wake Up!' is easily the year's most unique R&B album. The performances are enjoyable, but maybe more enjoyable and awe-inspiring is the atmosphere of the album - the music sounds like it came from the 60's and 70's. As far as the content, this is a solid (actually better than solid) album, but the lengthiness of the tracks and the occasional "over-indulgence" sometimes wears on a bit too long. With that said, there isn't that much to quibble about here; the Roots and Legend do a much better job than most people do making cover albums. Exceptional effort overall in my eyes. 4 stars.

I so wanted to really like this album but I just cannot get into it! I love the Roots, have all of their albums and I enjoy John Legend when I need something mellow. I listened to it all the way through 3 times now and I am just not feeling it. The performances were lackluster at best, the song selection was just odd. I was a kid during that era that the original songs were written and these performances just don't do the era right. Sorry guys, these MP3 files are going into the "own it but don't like it much" file. For those of you considering this CD, go to You Tube and check it out first.

Wake Up is a socially conscience masterpiece!! John Legend and The Roots blended Soul, R & B, Rap and Poetry into smooth sounds that leave you waiting for the next track.. I've been a John Legend fan from his inception and a Roots fan from back in the day, but the two together is absolutely AMAZING and BRILLIANT!!! EVERYONE should WAKE UP!! Gentlemen.. JOB WELL DONE!!!!

I'm with those who are disappointed with this album. From the concept I thought it could be a dynamite album. But it's only half good, thanks to poor song selection and mostly ho-hum arrangements. With all the great anti-war and social consciousness songs available from the 60s and 70s, they picked a weak crop. "Compared to What" is a of a classic choice, but this arrangement doesn't compare to the rave-up Les McCann/Eddie Harris version on the Montreux live album. It's just ok. "Wake Up Everybody" is another classic song and at least in this case the album delivers a worthwhile remake, thanks to the vocals of Melanie Fiona and the inclusion of a rap break. But otherwise, I'm just not that impressed. The low point comes when people in the car beg me to turn off the screaming repetition of "They shot me in the shoulder!" from "I Can't Write Left Handed" and I'm happy to oblige because I can't stand it either. I had an inkling I wouldn't like this album when I heard it was being promoted through Starbucks. By and large I haven't liked the company's taste in music.

I know everyone is entitled to their own view or opinion, but the problem I have is that every time a musician, emcee or singer decides to pump some positivity the work gets over analyzed and critiqued. The Roots & John Legend are just trying to turn the minds of the people to think more positive, to be more self-aware. If a cat is talking about "slap a b****" or "kick a h**" or the usual "I get money look at my car & jewels" the cd gets a 4 or 5 star rating. It used to be cool to sing about love in the community or rap about being proud & educated. I guess The Roots & John Legend are only speaking truth to power to only a few folks. Instead of "waking up!" cats is still asleep. The state of music in really screwed up.

its good to hear proper music from artists these days and this is a shining example. the Roots have always been at the top of their game but not necessarily recognized for it. John Legend sounds like he's been around 4ever but is one of the best young r&b singers today. for them to come together seems natural yet surprising at the same time. you get the best all wrapped up in a smooth package, sweet sounds.

I saw them perform on Austin City Limits and ordered the CD that night. It arrived in new/wrapped condition and very quickly.

This album was a disappointment on two fronts -- the song selection and the arrangements. When I looked at the songs peformed I was a bit puzzled; but, since I've heard so much about The Roots and John Legend, I thought the arrangements would bring out something special. While Mr. Legend has his own reasons for picking the songs he did, I couldn't help thinking of better substitutes for the songs included here as I listened through the album. What about something from Marvin Gaye's "What's Happening" like "Flying High in the Friendly Sky"? How about a Curtis Mayfield tune like "Freddie's Dead" or "Thin Line"? And, as far as political messages go, a Gil Scott-Heron song like "Gun" or "Pieces of a Man" would have been nice. Since the band on this album is supposed to be top-notch, why not include a Mingus song or let the band stretch out and include an instrumental like Coltrane's "Alabama" or an Art Blakey burner like "Free for All" or "Freedom Rider." Of course, there are so many great Soul and R&B tunes from the era covered, it's hard to pick just a handful to record but I think William Parker's tribute to Curtis Mayfield "Inside the Songs of Curtis Mayfield" is the real deal that Mr. Legend may have been striving for.