"America seems to always be at war," John Legend muses as he casually plinks the keys of his piano at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg. "While politicians go home safe to their families, we've got a government willing to sacrifice people's lives every day."

Backed by four members of the hardest-working band in hip-hop, the Roots, Legend then launches into a kinetic, 12-minute cover of Bill Withers' "I Can't Write Left Handed," about a young soldier shot during the Vietnam War. The song was originally recorded in 1973, but its message still resonates in 2010, which is precisely the point. "I Can't Write" is one of 11 socially conscious '60s and '70s soul songs covered on Legend and the Roots' collaborative album, "Wake Up!," due Sept. 21 on Columbia. (Common and Melanie Fiona make guest appearances on the set's lead single, "Wake Up Everybody.")


Listen To A Full Stream of "Wake Up!":


The Sept. 7 concert in Brooklyn marked the second time in eight days that Legend and the Roots played gratis in New York thanks to American Airlines, which sponsored the gigs as part of an initiative to promote BlackAtlas.com, a new social networking site geared toward African Americans. "Nothin' like a free show," Legend cracked. "Don't get used to it."

Video Below: Exclusive video Q&A with John Legend and ?uestlove

Archived Live ?uestlove Video Q&A

Earlier, Billboard sat down with Legend and Roots and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson to talk about "Wake Up!," President Barack Obama, Twitter, where they buy music and more.

How did "Wake Up!" come to fruition?

John Legend: I reached out to the Roots in 2008, when I was just finishing my album "Evolver." I was in the middle of campaigning for Barack Obama and feeling inspired by the atmosphere in the country at the time, so I wanted to do something musically that reflected that moment. The original idea was to do some sort of covers EP, but the more I got into it with the Roots, it felt like something that should be heard and marketed on its own. So I put out "Evolver" and toured for it, and then we came back to "Wake Up!" in 2010 and finished it up.

Next Page: Legend Remembers His First Roots Show