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Forum nameOkay Artist Archives
Topic subjectDaily Yomiuri (Japan)
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=19&topic_id=2822&mesg_id=2839
2839, Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
Posted by TurkeylegJenkins, Tue Jul-20-04 02:14 PM
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040715woa3.htm

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When Philadelphia hip-hop outfit the Roots dropped Phrenology two winters ago, it was a major revelation. For the first time in its illustrious career, the group had managed to create a studio album that perfectly reflected the roaring energy and musical creativity of its live shows.

From the intensive beats of "Rock You" to the antidrug epic "Water" and the smoothly infectious "Break You Off," the band jumped from one musical style to another--sometimes in the middle of the same song--while retaining melody, slick hooks and, most importantly, an organic sound that made it feel like you were attending a jam session in your own living room.

All this makes the Roots' latest effort, The Tipping Point, a little disappointing, because it comes off sounding a bit too professional. All the tracks are solidly produced, and Black Thought's rapping is on par with that of the last album. But the release feels too safe, despite the group's drummer and philosophical guru, ?uestlove, having said in interviews that this album was going to represent "the sum of our six records and our 12 years as a band."

There's less of an organic sound than on Phrenology--more drum machines, more voice tweaking--and more of a tendency to create cool grooves than incendiary musical ideas. At worst, the Roots are caught borrowing from other artists, like the Southern beat on "Duck Down," which Timbaland could have produced in his sleep. The band also show signs of sloppiness as on the leadoff single "Don't Say Nuthin," which initially seems like a bling-culture parody--especially with a mumbled hook where the only clear lines are "Cut the check/Give it here/And don't say nuthin'"--except closer inspection shows Thought reveling in that very culture in some of the lines.

Fortunately, there are moments of greatness on this album. The opener "Star" is a magnificent feat of production, giving the appearance that Thought is giving a heartfelt lament of the sacrifices people make for fame with the actual Sly and the Family Stone as back-up singers. "Why (What's Going On?)" and "Guns Are Drawn" are imbued with haunting lyrics and reggae-inspired hooks, while Thought goes all out on an impressive two-track rap-a-thon on "Web" and "Boom!"

Still, there's always a nagging sense that the Roots didn't work hard enough on this album, which is a shame considering their shows prove them to be one of the hardest-working live acts on the planet.

-- Zal Sethna

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The age of the ignorant rapper is done: http://www.regeneratedheadpiece.com

"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