Yes We Can Compilation Marks the Historical Moment

By Andrew William Smith, Editor

October 30, 2008

From protesting war to hanging out with world leaders, pop stars pursue an often problematic relationship with politics and politicians. Still, it’s not news to anyone that many of today’s celebrities have lent public support to the historic presidential campaign of the Democratic Senator from Illinois who, according to current polls, is poised to be the first African-American executive of the United States.

In this context, the recent CD compilation supporting Barack Obama and Joe Biden transcends mere partisanship and traverses every genre to provide the mixtape of the historical moment. Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement features re-released tracks from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, Sheryl Crow, and Jackson Browne and some new tracks, including John Legend’s interpretation of the U2 classic “Pride in the Name of Love” and “Promised Land,” a Malik Yusef song featuring Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

To situate itself in the shape-shifting trajectory of Obama’s charge for “Change,” the 18 songs on the disc are stitched together by epic snippets from Obama’s mountain-top rhetorical magic. At times, this combination comes off as a little cheesy, but for the most part, it provides the same kind of chills and tears that have hit us in our collective heart of hearts over the last several months.

Anchored by the poignancy of piano and ratcheted away from rock, Legend’s version of “Pride” is particularly haunting, hymnlike, and includes the historically accurate lyric change in the closing section. (Bono originally described Martin Luther King’s death as occurring in the early morning and later changed the line when performing the song live.) As the piece closes, we hear Obama’s brilliant commentary on King’s remarks about the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice. The candidate inspires those listening to get involved in the future of the moral universe through all varieties of participation.

To some extent, this musical collage is just another CD for a cause, a genre of album with a long and mixed history. People unmoved by Obama’s oratory or undecided about his candidacy won’t likely rush to order or download a record only available via a donation to the campaign. But for those who see Barack Obama in the tradition of JFK and MLK will hear here the hope inside the hype, a hope that for many has arrived just in time to respond to the many crises facing our country and our world.

Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement was released in September and is available exclusively at http://barackobama.com/music