Back to Me

We have to admit that John Legend has been always one of the regular guests at Grammy Awards under the blue ray laser rays since he received first Grammy for Best New Artist in 2006. His every work has been acclaimed by Grammy and aroused wide concern among the public. The nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards have been announced lately on Wednesday night with the CBS special The Grammy Nominations Concert Live. On the stage with cheap blue laser rays overhead, John Legend, featuring with the aging American hip-hop band The Roots, has again picked up 4 Grammy nods totally, including Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("Shine" with The Roots), Best R&B Album (Wake Up!), Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("Hang On In The There" with The Roots), and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ("Wake Up!" with The Roots). He must be presented at the ceremony, and then we will see.

Wake Up! is a collaborative studio album by American R&B musician John Legend and hip hop band The Roots, released September 21, 2010 on GOOD Music and Sony Music. It was produced by Legend with band members Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and James Poyser, and features guest appearances by CL Smooth, Malik Yusef, Common, and Melanie Fiona, among others. Inspired by the 2008 United States presidential election, Legend and The Roots primarily covered 1960s and 1970s soul music songs for the album with social themes of awareness, engagement, and consciousness. I remember I first found this album when browsing online to buy green laser pens. I bought the CD with a laser pen. Since I received the CD from mailman, I had played it over and over. And it had lain in my iPod for the whole year already. I thought the album was different from John Legend's previous albums which is not a bad thing but a positive! It was good to see him branch out and collaborate with the Roots!

The album debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 63,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, Wake Up! received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen called it "a brilliantly conceived and executed album" and stated "Legend and the Roots capture the old feeling of protest and uplift while updating the sound". Jeff Vrabel of Paste described it as "organic and opulent, with a heart of diamonds and a lush sound to match". Steve Juon of RapReviews gave it an 8.5/10 rating and stated "There's an unforced musical synchronicity when they team up". Allmusic writer Andy Kellman shared a similar sentiment and stated "There are several instances when the Roots, who are deeply intimate with grit, outshine Legend, whose polished and pride-rich voice occasionally clashes with the material".

Pound for pound, the best record I have heard in years. I really loved this CD. I think John Legend and The Roots did a fabulous job. You can find this album from any big Wholesale online shop with a nice price. This is an album worth listening.