John Legend & The Roots: Wake Up!

An album like this poses a unique problem for a sonically-inclined listener like me. It sounds great, but it's also music with a purpose. Primarily a collection of socially-conscious soul covers, this album has a message. My question is: is it the time and place for the message, and are people going to listen?

It probably doesn't say a lot about the state of the world that we might need the same songs of 40-odd years ago to address our problems today, but as long as people are struggling these songs will be relevant, so I guess that's forever. The songs are all pretty powerful, and taken together they form a cohesive concept: a call to wake up and remember that there's still work to be done, for races, for society, for countries, for everybody.

But the source of this material is so rich because back when these songs were written, people were not only keen to speak out, but to listen... probably. There are so many of them because it was part of a movement. Without the context that created them, Legend's project runs the risk of becoming a tribute instead of a re-invigoration of their ideals. Instead of a movement, it might just be a moment.

That's no fault of Legend's, the Roots, the producers, the songwriters, or anybody. And things can't change overnight. The album doesn't have the answers, but it's willing to admit there's a problem. Too often in America nowadays -- shit, in Canada too -- the attitude seems to be "Everything's fine except the economy and the opposing political party." People aren't as good at being pissed off as they used to be. Maybe we're all being pacified. Shit, I know I am. It's hard to make a change, whether you're in a position to enact any or not. This album is a step in the right direction, but it knows it can't do all the work. The songs don't have all the answers, but they don't pretend to.

Anyway. The album sounds great: all the benchmarks of vintage soul, funk, motown and r&b are in the mix, as well as hip hop that calls to attention the urgency of certain situations without overpowering either the message or the sound. I can't really go through and critique every single track, but "I Can't Write Left-Handed," the wartime protest song by Bill Withers, sounds especially current, affects me the most, and gets the best performance. Legend makes his opening statement clear, though on the gripping soul of "Hard Time," and the "cut the bullshit" of "Compared to What," two general statements of uplift. The album taps the vein of soul by sounding urgent and deep throughout, but I worry that in going for a classic sound, Legend & Co undermine their own work, causing the listener to think maybe it really is all in the past. So, it's problematic: it's great-sounding music that risks turning itself into a gimmick by existing outside the pop continuum.

I don't personally require that all music have a message, or do anything but sound good, but it's true that songs are a great way to convey something important. My hope is that this becomes a trend rather than a single event. That more albums like this come out and keep people thinking about the possibilities of their own lives, and that even if they don't start forming revolutionary groups, they at least take the steps they need to help themselves and to help others. It's easy to wake people up, it's not so easy to get them to stay up.

Buy this album from iTunes now!