One of the very few albums I cared about in 2010 (above) is comprised of lesser known and obscure political soul songs from the 1960's/70's that includes equally lesser known singers and songwriters, with the exception of a few like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers. John Legend gives extraordinary raw vocal renditions of these songs, backed by a hip-hop band of incredible musicians known as "The Roots" - who do much more than simply reproduce the appropriate chords and notes. In fact, they seem to absorb the time and era, emotionally, pushing it forward so that we might be able to grasp it's depth and meaning...that it might be relevant today. ?uestlove (Roots drummer) is one of the most genuine music absorbers/lovers I know, with a collection of vinyl somewhere in the several thousand count. He cannot be categorized. I discovered this at Bonnaroo when I witnessed ?uestlove, Ben Harper, and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin Bassist) play a 90 minute set of Led Zeppelin songs (see photo below). That same Bonnaroo, I laid in the grassy field during the day listening to "The Roots" cover Dylan's "Master's of War" for almost ten minutes. Needless to say, the band genuinely transcends genre because of their love for music and it's role in recent history.
All that to introduce this high definition experience of The Roots and John Legend covering Bill Withers' "I can't write left handed". It is a song of true empathy, without sentimental bullshit, but with subtle political undertones, that expressively explodes in the form of song that is at once folk and soul, and undoubtedly rock n' roll. ;)
