Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] brilliantly conceived and executed album, reviving music from the nixon-era heyday of politically engaged R&B." Mojo (Publisher) (p.97) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "An admirably cocksure romp through Eugene McDaniels' 'Compared To What' ups the lyrical ante, with Legend bringing full-throated truth..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.51) - Ranked #48 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2010" -- "Legend's plaintive, gospelly cadences had a previously absent edginess." Paste (magazine) - "The album is organic and opulent, with a heart of diamonds a lush sound to match, and it delivers exactly what it promises: consciousness-raising tracks from spiritual-soul all-stars..." Clash (Magazine) - "[A] soulful reimagining of 60's and 70's urban protest songs....The concept of political awareness reigns supreme..."
Additional information
Featuring spirited covers of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody," Baby Huey & the Baby Sitters' "Hard Times," and Donny Hathaway's "Little Ghetto Boy" -- socially conscious soul cult classics and hits of the `60s and `70s -- Wake Up! is John Legend's fourth proper studio album. Backed throughout by the Roots, Wake Up! also features a Legend original, the uplifting "Shine."
