Questlove has curated a soundtrack for his acclaimed documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
The Roots drummer selected 17 live performances from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which is chronicled in his film, to create the album. Questlove and Sony’s Legacy Recordings will release the soundtrack on January 28, 2022.
“It goes beyond saying that you can’t have a monster music journey on film without an equally awesome soundtrack,” Questlove said in a press release. “The people demanded ‘more!’ So for the people, we bring you musical manna that hopefully won’t be the last serving. These performances are lightning in a bottle. Pure artistry! Enjoy.”
Questlove’s Summer of Soul soundtrack features music legends such as David Ruffin, Gladys Knight, B.B. King and Nina Simone. Ahead of the project’s release, Legacy dropped Sly & The Family Stone’s live rendition of “Sing a Simple Song.”
View the Summer of Soul tracklist below and pre-order the album here.
- The Chambers Brothers – “Uptown”
- B.B. King – “Why I Sing The Blues”
- The 5th Dimension – “Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ To Ya”
- The 5th Dimension – “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)”
- David Ruffin – “My Girl”
- The Edwin Hawkins Singers – “Oh Happy Day”
- The Staple Singers – “It’s Been A Change”
- The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir Featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples – “Precious Lord Take My Hand”
- Gladys Knight & The Pips – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
- Mongo Santamaria – “Watermelon Man”
- Ray Barretto – “Together”
- Herbie Mann- “Hold On, I’m Comin’”
- Sly & The Family Stone – “Sing A Simple Song”
- Sly & The Family Stone – “Everyday People”
- Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach – “Africa”
- Nina Simone – “Backlash Blues”
- Nina Simone – “Are You Ready”