The 'Summer of Soul' Soundtrack is Finally Getting an Official Release
Summer of Soul took home both the Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival last year.
Approaching six months after its release, a soundtrack for Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)is officially on the horizon.
Announced via press release this morning, the documentary's accompanying album is set for release on January 28th, 2022. The soundtrack will feature standout selections from the award-winning film, which revived footage and restored audio from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The bill included sets from Nina Simone, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, B.B. King, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples, David Ruffin, The 5th Dimension, Edwin Hawkins, Herbie Mann, Ray Barretto, and more, all of which will be included on the film's original motion picture soundtrack.
Released in summer 2021, Summer of Soul marked the directorial debut of Questlove, drummer and co-founder of The Roots. Even before it landed on big and small screens, the film was amongst the most hyped music documentaries in recent memory after premiering at Sundance Film Festival and taking home both the Jury Prize and Audience Award, which sparked a heated bidding war that ended with a record-setting sale (the highest for a documentary in the festival's history.)
Hear the first offering from the Summer of Soul soundtrack below and scroll on for the album's full tracklist.
Summer of Soul OST Tracklist:
1. The Chambers Brothers - “Uptown”
2. B.B. King - “Why I Sing The Blues”
3. The 5th Dimension - “Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ To Ya”
4. The 5th Dimension - “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)”
5. David Ruffin - “My Girl”
6. The Edwin Hawkins Singers - “Oh Happy Day”
7. The Staple Singers - “It’s Been A Change”
8. The Operation Breadbasket Orchestra & Choir Featuring Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples - “Precious Lord Take My Hand”
9. Gladys Knight & The Pips - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
10. Mongo Santamaria - “Watermelon Man”
11. Ray Barretto - “Together”
12. Herbie Mann- “Hold On, I’m Comin’”
13. Sly & The Family Stone - “Sing A Simple Song”
14. Sly & The Family Stone - “Everyday People”
15. Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach - “Africa”
16. Nina Simone - “Backlash Blues”
17. Nina Simone - “Are You Ready”