Albums to watch

Wake Up!

John Legend & The Roots

Wake Up!

The US neo-soul singer teams up with The Roots to work through a collection of soul classics

ADM rating[?]

7.2

Label
Columbia
UK Release date
21/09/2010
  1. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Regardless of the songs that capture your attention most, each of them are perfect examples of a band constantly working to innovate and explore the outer reaches of their sound and beyond while continuing to make engaging and relevant music
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  2. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    A brilliantly conceived and executed album, reviving music from the Nixon-era heyday of politically engaged R&B
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  3. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Just short of being a genuine contender for album of the year
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  4. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Legend and The Roots revisit the landscape of late-'60s/early-70s soulful uplift. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Q

    One of the finest soul albums of recent times. Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    Wake Up!’s lush recordings make it a treat for any soul fan
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  7. 8.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    The Roots – in a golden period right now – make every note zing. It’s pure homage, but impressively done
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  8. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Driven along by the Roots' fearsome bass and drums, many of the tracks have a raw, driving feel along the lines of Gaye's Inner City Blues
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  9. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A very decent attempt to bring back the kind of politically conscious messages which are currently AWOL in mainstream black music
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  10. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Proof that Legend and The Roots possess both grit and gumption
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  11. 8.0 |   BBC

    The set is a masterclass in how to respectfully update and enhance classic music, and proves how vital and relevant 30-year-old music remains today
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  12. 7.5 |   Prefix

    The Roots are about to get flooded with production offers, since if they can lend John “Ordinary People” Legend serious street cred and make him more thrilling than he has ever been, they ought to be able to do this for everyone
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  13. 7.0 |   Clash

    A soulful reimagining of 60’s and 70’s urban protest songs
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  14. 6.0 |   Spin

    The results don't always play to the singer's melodic strengths; ?uestlove sounds a bit reined-in, too
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  15. 6.0 |   Eye Weekly

    These songs might not appeal to our disconnected, disenfranchised generation, but old souls and civil-rights veterans will find their passions reawakened
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  16. 6.0 |   The Independent

    There's something a touch too comfortable about the project, which favours smooth over gritty throughout
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  17. 5.0 |   The Observer

    His default blandness mars many of these otherwise intriguing finds
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  18. 5.0 |   The Digital Fix

    The intentions are the best but the execution is, at times, limp and drab
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