Rising Down [CD]

The roots have never put out a bad album. The 2 singles "Get Busy" and "75 Bars" are 2 of the best tracks of the year. Black Thought is on fire! Good production, top guests and the usual unique Roots sound.
Definitly worth having, along with all their other albums!

Hhhhmmmm!!!!!

Truth be told, when I first heard this I was a little disappointed to say the least. I hadn't expected this act of hip hop rebellious anarchism at all, I expected the roots to drop a hip-hop album that sounded, well like pure hip hop - straight forward heavy beats, serious scratches, mellowed out beats etc but as I said before, I hadn't expected this madness. It did take me a while to get with the new style of beats and when I opened up my mind and broadened my horizons a bit, I thought oh ok, this is not bad and slowly, bit by bit, I began to appreciate what the roots had done. I mean the only song I initially liked was `rising down' with mos def and that `birthday girl' song was interesting in that it was different. A few more listens in my car and I was like, hold on this song is not bad, that track with Peedi Peedi and Dise Raw `get busy' is a serious head banger and everyone comes correct on this, I am not a fan of Peedi Peedi but he smacks this track...then I heard `criminal' again and this sounded hot, then I heard the `I will not apologise' and that track with common and I was like damn, this is kind'a heavy.

I mean the album does sound quite rocky and that's what put me off first, I remember listening to Mos Def's New Danger and thinking the same thing so when I first heard this, I was like oh no...but this is actually quite good in that its different and it blends hip-hop and rock in a way only the roots would do it, ?uestlove is serious with his drumming especially on `get busy'...Its one to soak it, let it permeate through and challenge what you think and expect hip-hop to sound like and you will like the album, well at least enjoy half of it. I still skip quite a few tracks on it coz they just too rocky but overall, the album was worth my £9.99 for sure.

As usual the Roots keep doing what they do best and that is bring out music for the time and I big them up for that especially when we are living in a time where everyone expects to have Chris Brown or Neyo or lil Wayne to sing the hook or whatever, with the roots, its pure good music that does not want to blend into the mainstream the way everyone else does. Just listen to `birthday girl', that's a sure fire hit, not considered a proper hip-hop track but how do you define a proper hip-hop track?

I give this album 4 stars simply coz my hip-hop inclined mind cannot really get with all the rocky stuff regardless of how much i like some of the songs on this album.

Aaaah.

The Roots.

Seems odd now, to me, that a mere 15 years on since their debut, this amazing band seems to still have to justify its artistic originality and be judged by other hip hop acts' standards, as they are more and more unique and without fearing serious contenders in their category. Category ? Well, that could even sound weird or irrelevant in the case of The Roots, who've been through proto-Acid Jazz meanderings ("Do You Want More ?"), hip-hop live fusion of the highest order ("Illadelph Life", "Things Fall Apart"), experimentations whose limit could only be the sky ("Phrenology"), classic club cuts redefining dancefloor ("The Tipping Point") and wry, darker, commentary on the sour moods of our times in the shape of their last record, 2006's "Game Theory".

That last album, oddly enough once again, was their Def Jam debut, and A&R man Jay Z seemed to have allowed them maximum freedom, as they both never sounded so relaxed AND unafraid to push further the boundaries of their extraordinary musicianship and inventiveness. Now comes "Rising Down", their 8th studio release proper, and the title itself sums perfectly the whole spirit of that follow-up; after having sampled Radiohead and took a much darker direction both lyrically and sonically, The Roots have at last found a niche where they are both at home and rewardingly creative like they've never been before.

Its starts off with an explosive intro consisting in a one-minute angry argument over a phone conference followed by 2 of their harder grooves to date; the desolated title track, featuring the great underrated Mos Def, and "Get Busy", all saturated drums and pulsating bass. One could have thought that signing to Def Jam would have The Roots slightly more preoccupied by chart success, but for the second time, they're challenging the trust put upon them by squeezing all cliches expected from a hip hop act in their situation. Hell, "Criminal" even sounds like the artful american trio Blonde Redhead (albeit with a funky spice...).

Guest featurings have always been the cherries on their cake, and this time around there are plenty of them, and stars at that (aforementioned Mos Def, but also Talib Kweli or Common). But, as on "Game Theory", its the new generation that takes the mic to devastating effect; when Porn delivers the line "My mother's had an abortion with the wrong child" on the martial "I Can't Help It", you can feel the anger roaring out of your speakers (although I strongly advise anyone to hear this CD on headphones, to fully appreciate its abrasive sonic scape).

Main men Black Thought and drummer Ahmir ?love Thomson are in high gear, too; the first grabbing the mike like he's been deprived from it for years, and the latter pushes even further his incredible talent in rhythm and style over drumbeats that could fulfill some of The Roots' peers for entire careers.

Anyhow, "Rising Down", at least in the music, ends on a lighter note in its last two tracks; the aptly-titled "Rising Up", featuring the promising Chrisette Michele sounds like a twisted "You Got Me" (still their biggest hit to date) and the pop slab "Birthday Girl", featuring a great chorus courtesy of Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, could well be provide the chart success they so largely deserve without even faintly attempting.

Such a creative bunch of people should at least get the credit for appearing so unaware of the ambivalent state their playground genre's creativity's been through for the last decade (even Vampire Queen Madonna's worked with confirmed hip hop craftmen on her last effort. No offense, but that just showcases where the genre's at, at the forefront of the mainstream). On "Rising Down", they both recall us what hip hop was all about in the first place, while painting once again a fascinating musical puzzle to illustrate their own personnality.

The late and great Jacques Yves Cousteau once said "When you've got an extraordinary life, you've got to share it". The same can be said to describe how this band's legacy should be appreciated by the buying public.

'Nuff said, now enjoy.