@Airbreed and all the "indie", "dreary" complaints

This album is much too exceptional to the two prior. I haven't so enjoyed and consistently played a Roots album this much since "The Tipping Point" upon its release.

After "Rising Down" I was kind of in agreement about the dreary thing. "Game Theory" came during a hard time in my life so I appreciated it but will always associate that album with dark times. With "Rising Down", in a more specific form than just dreary: beginning and ending the album with beefs on the phone was just awkward. I could never play this album for potential converts. It felt kind of like a 'uncensored bio of the roots' album that only diehards could appreciate yet the establishment reviews didn't reflect that which was relieving. Still...I kept that one to myself.

But "How I Got Over"...good god, what another brilliant album for the catalog. I love its three segments: a) tough introspection, vivid societal descriptions b) how to overcome all of that and pick up the pieces c) party tracks. "Hustla" is hilarious. Funniest use of auto-tune and a wink acknowledgment to its overplayed use.

Now, to the "indie" thing:

The Roots have always reflected trends of era for each album's release and ?uest has described this pretty in depth. You know the story: Organix and DYWM are the jazz influences and homage to Native Tongues, Illadelph (speaking of dreary) is their response to The Chronic craze, TFA is the Soulquarian beginning and neo-soul notch, Phrenology is their most ambitious in regards to trends yet the production is probably their most upfront which was kind of a trend back in 99-03 -- the loudness era, The Tipping Point was admitted by ?uest as their biggest attempt to make a mainstream record.

And indie was always there running parallel with the Roots. They were on Geffen during the Nirvana wave, ?uest considered "OK Computer" influential on the production of TFA, "The Seed" was their rock crossover, etc. So when they started sampling Radiohead on "Atonement", the conversion, if you even want to call it that, made sense.

Now heads are getting snobby about the perceived indie focus. OK, so maybe it could have been the Jazzyfatnastees instead of Dirty Projectors to intro. But Monsters of Folk and Joanna Newsom serve a purpose and it's not just $$. They're so well-utilized as samples on the record that the indie presence doesn't mean anything or deter from the record. Unless you want it to. Hell, the crisp attack of Blackthought sounds even better coming in after Jim James warbly voice. Could have been worse. Could have sampled a Phil Collins song. (Lol: "That's All 2.0") And Joanna's voice is inimitable. The echo effect ?uest subtly adds from the transition into "Shine On" and throughout for Newsom's voice is remarkable.

But ultimately, if you can't hear how uplifting and brilliant this record is, I don't understand you.