I had intended to write a similar piece after hearing the latest cd. I think it all comes down to the fact that as you said they do not need record sales. They are paid by NBC, so they can make self indulgent records that appeal to a small niche.

I liked all Roots records up to Game Theory. After that they crossed over to the dark side. The cd running time got shorter and the songs darker. I have nothing against dark songs but do it in a way that makes you want to hear the song again.

I'll never forget them performing HIGO on Fallon. It was magic. Then when I heard the track on the cd there was no James Brown sample and the song just seemed average.

Like U2 who transformed into another band on Zooropa and POP but came back to form on All You Can Leave Behind I had hoped that The Roots would do a similar return to form with every cd but they are now 4 deep into cd's that are dark and little running time (despite having their own studio) and I realize that this is not going to happen. This sis what they want to do God bless them but I no longer consider myself a fan.