Janet Jackson, OutKast’s Big Boi, Moby, the Roots, Maroon 5 and the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am have recorded new music that has been combined with master tapes from Sly & the Family Stone to create the material on “Different Strokes by Different Folks.” The set is due Sept. 27 via Epic/Legacy and is said to have been approved by Sly Stone, who has rarely been seen in public since the group’s 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Maroon 5 updates “Everyday People,” while Will.I.Am tackles “Dance to the Music,” a version that also appears on Epic’s recent “Stealth” soundtrack. Janet Jackson intersperses her own “Rhythm Nation” into the immortal “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” while Joss Stone, Van Hunt and John Legend team up for “Family Affair.”
Other contributions are turned in by John Mayer with Buddy Guy, D’Angelo with Chuck D and Issac Hayes and Nappy Roots with Martin Luther.
Stone, now 61, has not released an album since 1982’s “Ain’t But the One Way” and was last heard from on the 1986 soundtrack to the film “Soul Man.” Over the years, he has battled drug addiction and been the subject of bizarre rumors about his personal life, but is understood to now be in better health and living in Beverly Hills, Calif.
In recent years, Sly & the Family Stone — minus Sly, but including several original members — logged studio time in Los Angeles, some of it with engineer Tom Flye, who had worked with the Family Stone many years ago. But the project fell into limbo last fall due to scheduling conflicts. The group Family Stone Experience, featuring original drummer Greg Errico and saxophonist Jerry Martini, is on tour this summer in North America.
Here is the track listing for “Different Strokes for Different Folks”:
“Dance to the Music” w/ Will.I.Am
“Everyday People” w/ Maroon 5
“Star” w/ the Roots
“[You Caught Me] Smilin'” w/ Scar
“Family Affair” w/ John Legend, Joss Stone, Van Hunt
“Runnin’ Away” w/ Big Boi featuring Sleepy Brown and Killer Mike
“If You Want Me To Stay” w/ Devin Lima
“I Get High On You” w/ the Wylde Bunch
“Love City” w/ Moby
“You Can Make It If You Try” w/ Buddy Guy and John Mayer
“Sing A Simple Song” w/ Chuck D, D’Angelo and Issac Hayes
“Don’t Call Me Nigger Whitey” w/ Nappy Roots and Martin Luther
“Thank You Nation 1814” w/ Janet Jackson
