Link: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-2/108952312087990.xml
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Roots music


Though "The Tipping Point" is the Roots' sixth studio album, it works well as an introduction to the group. It seems the Philadelphia-based hip-hop band, recognizing its potential to break out of the "rap" category, intended it that way. The Roots shared a Grammy for their 1999 collaboration with Erykah Badu ("You Got Me") and earned another nomination for their last album, 2002's "Phrenology." But their music has never been as widely heard as recent hits by Outkast or Black-Eyed Peas. The new album's title suggests it's only a matter of time.

"The Tipping Point" is broader in scope than "Things Fall Apart" (the 1999 breakthrough release that featured "You Got Me') and less forced than "Phrenology." A tireless touring act with a dedicated following, the Roots don't depend solely on record sales to pay their bills. The new album finds them finally balancing the freedom to thwart studio convention against an opportunity to exploit what they know about crowd-pleasing. "The Tipping Point" revels in the rock-steady fundamentals of the individual band members (led by drummer Amir "?uestlove" Thompson and MC Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter) even as it deploys them in team efforts toward timeless, universal pop.

To that end, there's a number of songs that follow the style of the "Phrenology" single "The Seed," with snappily soulful rock choruses ("I Don't Care," "Guns Are Drawn," "Stay Cool"). "Star" turns the hook from "Everybody Is a Star" into a protest against unskilled rappers hogging the limelight. The album's most likely hit is "Why," which echoes Black Eyed-Peas' "Where Is the Love?" with its plaintive concern for p.c. causes. Stripped-down "Web," on the other hand, aims to dazzle rap fans of all ages with a searing exhibition of pure rhyme prowess. The relatively compact album (12 tracks) closes with "The Mic," a barnburner featuring comedian Dave Chappelle and hip-hop superhero ODB.

A steady stream of smooth changes keeps the album interesting. Songs that could have lasted four minutes go on for seven or eight as the Roots jam, exercising effortless control over tone and mood. Such laid-back virtuosity documents a great band in its prime. But it also precludes the sort of moment likely to grab the attention of the entire world. Sharp as their "Point" may be, the Roots might never pop all the way aboveground.

-- Adam Heimlich

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"One morning I woke up and found my favorite pigeon, Julius, had died. I was devastated and was gonna use his crate as my stickball bat to honor him. I left the crate on my stoop and went in to get something and I returned to see the sanitation man put the crate into the crusher. I rushed him and caught him flush on the temple with a titanic right hand and he was out cold, convulsing on the floor like a infantile retard." -- Mike Tyson