But let's look at output:

Since 1995, Beck released:

Odelay
Mutations
Midnite Vultures
Sea Change
Guero
The Information
Modern Guilt

I'm not counting that Guero remix album either (which in my opinion would fall into the same category as, say, the Roots Come Alive in this type of discussion).

Those are all releases that are pretty different from one another, almost all of them have gotten critical acclaim, and have maintained relevance amongst pop culture critics/etc.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying an album like "Modern Guilt" or "The Information" should be counted as Beck's best material...but I don't think that "Rising Down," "The Tipping Point," "How I Got Over," or "Phrenology" count as the Roots' best, either.