Pitchfork

You probably already own the Barack Obama commemorative plate that gets advertised on MSNBC every 15 seconds, but if you're still looking for ways to celebrate the inauguration of our 44th president, Hidden Beach Recordings has something for you. Produced in conjunction with the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise is a compilation CD featuring songs that could plausibly be about Barack Obama, some of which feature excerpts from actual Obama speeches. It includes previously released tracks from Wilco, Stevie Wonder, Death Cab for Cutie, and Common. And if you were predicting that will.i.am would be on this thing, you owe yourself a cookie. will.i.am is indeed on it. What is that guy going to do when the inauguration is over?

However, the real reason to throw down money for Change Is Now might be the accompanying DVD, which features nine iconic Obama speeches, starting with the campaign announcement in Springfield and ending with the election night victory speech in Chicago. I can't imagine a future in which this thing wouldn't have roughly ten thousand times the replay value of the Maroon 5 and Melissa Etheridge joints on the CD.

You can buy the whole thing for a kinda-steep $30 online here.

Change Is Now: Renewing America's Promise:

01 will.i.am: "It's a New Day" *
02 The Tony Rich Project: "The Dream is Real"
03 Stevie Wonder: "All About the Love Again"
04 Ozomatli: "Can't Stop"
05 Sheryl Crow: "Peace Be Upon Us"
06 India.Arie: "There's Hope"
07 Melissa Etheridge: "God Is in the People" *
08 Lenny Kravitz: "Change"
09 Robin Thicke: "Dreamworld"
10 Maroon 5: "Pure Imagination (2009 Version)" *
11 Usher: "Hush" *
12 BeBe Winans: "Born for This"
13 Wilco: "What Light"
14 James Taylor: "Shed a Little Light"
15 Jennifer Hudson: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Bonus tracks:

16 Lionel Richie: "Eternity (David Foster Live Strings Mix)" *
17 Death Cab for Cutie: "Grapevine Fires"
18 Common: "Changes"

* includes excerpts from Barack Obama speeches