Recording information: Abbey Road Studios; Jungle Studios, NYC; Oven Studios; Remote Control Studios; The Art House, Nashville, TN.
The John Legend-curated soundtrack for director Steve McQueen's big screen rendering of Solomon Northup's autobiography 12 Years a Slave features 16 tracks, including two selections ("Washington" and "Solomon") from composer Hans Zimmer's evocative score. Operating under the "music from and inspired by" adage, the 14 remaining cuts explore themes of suffering, redemption, and freedom through contributions from a diverse group of artists including Alicia Keys ("Queen of the Field [Patsey's Song]"), Alabama Shakes ("Driva Man"), Chris Cornell feat. Joy Williams ("Misery Chain"), Gary Clark, Jr. ("[In the Evening] When the Sun Goes Down"), Laura Mvula ("Little Girl Blue"), and Legend himself ("Roll Jordan Roll"). ~ James Christopher Monger
