REVIEWS:
Post your comments about The Roots
(reviewed by Rollo)
HIGH POINTS: Water, Sacrifice, The Seed (2.0), Something in the Way of Things (In Town), Thought @ Work, Break You Off, !!!!!!. LOW POINTS: Looking away from the skits, Complexity.
Whoa! Now this is what I won't call "ordinary hip-hop". More like "experimental acid rap" or something like that. The Roots pull their sonic experiments to the extreme, most notably on "Water" that has an freakin' funky first part while the other two parts probably are abysmal, abysmal, abysmal! I mean, these two parts have never been seen equalled in hip-hop before! It's a hell of a chaos that's going on in the last six minutes of that song. Not to forget mentioning that the song is about Malik B., one of the former members of the band that probably went druggy and all that. I guess you pretty much know the story anyway.
As I said, this hip-hop album ain't normal at all. The first track, "Phrentrow", probably states that in the beginning there was nothing but a rhythm that obviously is female (what a hell of a concept we have here). After that we actually a rockin' but still ordinary hip-hop song named "Rock You". I don't really care that much for that song at all, but the chorus friggin' kicks. And then is what is probably the most controversial hip-hop track ever, cleverly entitled "!!!!!!". IT'S PUNK! REAL PUNK, FOR GOD'S SAKE! But it still manages to sound like you-know in its 24-second lasting time. Fansplenditastic! And it leads right into "Sacrifice" starring Nelly Furtado ("I'm Like A Bird", you know). It's a lovely song, combining the touching elements of hip-hop with standard R'n'B balladry, and the chorus is probably some of the most delightful you-know-what-it-is put on record. And then is "Rolling With Heat" that sounds like a clone of "Rock You", except for the fact that it's much smoother, but still rougher in a way. Don't ask which, though. And then another skit, "Waok (Ay) Roadcall" that manages to mention the most important blah-blah bands or artists ever in one minute; not particularly amazing, though.
We're going fast, aren't we? Well, let's keep at this speed! "Thought @ Work" is a mix of "Rolling" and "Rock You" and it's even better than those two! It's very complex in an uncomplex way, and the organ loop running in behind the drums is soooo tight. Great shit. And then comes the first single off the album, "The Seed (2.0)", that I didn't really like at first, but now love as nothing before. The extra vocals by Cody ChesnuTT really do the trick and since it's guitar-heavy and a tribute to rock 'n' roll, you know what you're up for if you wanna go listen. And so we climb into the some more balladry entitled "Break You Off"; while the first three-and-a-half minutes are pretty forgettable, the last stuff is heavenly. We have lots of electric piano (that keyboard player is goood), touching string arrangements and a drum 'n' bass rhythm to keep it all going. One of the best hip-hop song outros ever, in my opinion. After "Water" that I mentioned in the beginning of this quick review, we have "Quills", "Pussy Galore" and "Complexity". The first one has a fantastic chorus, nothing else. The next one is standard hip-hop with an average arrangement (courtesy of the Roots). And the last one is freakin' repetitious and boring. The album's last track, "Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)" is just a man blabbering about something nobody will ever know what is. But the arrangement is still wonderful, and the atmosphere produced is some of the best ever heard in hip-hop. The real drums vanish shortly, though, giving space for some drum 'n' bass arrangements that really kick. And now I notice that lyrics are actually goood, stupid me.
Did I say last track? Sorry! I forgot the hidden track "Rhymes and Ammo" starring Talib Kweli in person and "Thirsty" that is a techno noise-fest. While none of them are really good, they still have some good old-fashioned ip-op value. This record is kickin', brotha. Get it!
If it went too fast, please contact me and I'll explain. But this review was written in a rush, and you must forgive me that thing. I hope the review helped you anyway. And forgive my street accent, while you're at it.
BROTHA!
Post your comments / reviews for this album
Index | Main band/artist reviews page