Released - 6/22/10
Label - Island Def Jam
BLURB - It's cool living in the same building as Owen Biddle. I think I've said hi to him twice, but still. The day we moved into our new apartment in April he told the three of us that The Roots had been working with John Legend in various capacities for a couple of albums, one of which being "How I Got Over." Legend shows up twice on the album (one as a sample), but I think working with him definitely rubbed off on The Roots. "How I Got Over" is incredibly smooth and filled with soulful beats that wind up getting stuck in your head for days at a time. There's still that raw hip-hop edge that The Roots have been known for, but it is much more reserved and polished. The songs themselves seem to have been more carefully constructed with perhaps more of an emphasis on the actual songwriting. Whatever they did, it works, and "How I Got Over" may be the most mature and credible release of their career.
Rating - 9 out of 10
FULL STORY - The Roots really started gaining credibility and acclaim in the early 2000's with the releases of "Phrenology" and "The Tipping Point." But they've actually been around and putting out records for nearly twenty years. Something like that just doesn't happen by chance. Obviously, The Roots are, and always have been talented, but they've been something of an enigma in the music industry. Is this rap? Is this R&B? Should we be playing this on the radio? Why doesn't MTV cover them as much as Jay-Z? Wait, it's a band? They've been somewhat hard to label and categorize - and in a world that revolves around labels, that can be somewhat frustrating.
Over the past year they've been able to gain a larger audience and crowd as they've stepped in as the permanent house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Now they're being seen as this collective band performing all varieties of music...every night...on TV. Last year's "Rising Down" sort of broke down this barrier that, for whatever reason, was holding the band back. "Rising Down" was filled with fiery lyrics, and aggressive beats that were a slight departure from their previous albums. Needless to say, it turned some heads and had a real "Fuck You" feeling to it. It's almost as if up until 2009, The Roots literally had to convince people that they were this great hip-hop band. In just two short years it seems that this has all changed and it seems more and more people are realizing that The Roots aren't this gimmicky band that features a drummer named ?uestlove.
Contrary to "Rising Down," "How I Got Over" doesn't have that fiery, "Fuck You" tone. Rather it's filled with spacious grooves and jams that conjure up pop and jazz colors, but with an underlying, modern urban flavor to it. The Roots have also been working on a collaborative album with John Legend, featuring covers of older pop and soul tracks, which is due out in September. Like I said before, I think this may have factored into the style and feel of "How I Got Over." It's very much laid back and relaxed, but the lyrical output is just as strong and forceful as albums past.
"Walk Alone" readies the listener with just a few piano chords and a drum beat as Black Thought jumps right into his verse. With just the piano and drums, there are less obstacles for the lyrics to jump over - giving them an added sense of importance. The song itself seems like it could serve as a metaphor for The Roots career as they really stood alone in a crowded music scene over the past two decades:
"I walk alone, I walk alone, you know I walk alone. I've always been on my own ever since the day I was born...so I don't mind walking alone."
"Dear God 2.0" has another slower introduction with just a few sustained piano chords as they rework 'Dear God' by Monsters of Folk. The original Monsters of Folk song is a perfect match for this laid-back track and provides a great platform for both groups to cross genres. The lyrics are delivered with passion and emotion, but aren't forceful or overwhelming - as they revolve around Black Thought's interpretations of the current state of America. The lyrical presentation is all in typical Roots fashion, filled with clever metaphors and a great sense of rhythm and flow.
I've been listening to "Right On" about twenty times a day the past two weeks. Featuring Joanna Newsom and a great beat, it has to be considered as one of the best tracks on the album. Yet again, the song itself is a simple laid back groove, with a great drum beat, but Black Thought and guests really deliver on the verses. The vocals have a great pace and are much more uptempo, and Newsom delivers a killer hook on the chorus.
And on to the John Legend tracks. 'Doin' it Again' features a sample of Legend's "Again" and is brilliantly re-worked. For those that are familiar with the song, "Again" is one of Legend's slower songs and features just piano, but is filled with alot of power and emotion. The Roots were able to extract this energy and apply their own style and interpretation, resulting in a brilliant collaboration. 'Doin' it Again' features a much faster pace and a full instrumentation, almost breathing new life into a song that not many people had heard of in the first place. The results speak for themselves as the song is a standout on the album and has already been released as a single.
'The Fire' once again features John Legend on the chorus, but with completely new material, no samples here. There's something about the music that is jointly created by The Roots and John Legend...it's perfect. They both compliment each other so well with Legend offering up some old school soul and The Roots always creating that perfect new school hip-hop groove. They should start a band called The John Legendary Roots Crew...oh wait...they did. 'The Fire' is packed with energy and is one of those songs that can just suck you in. The pounding piano chords mixed with ?uestlove's flawless beats, Black Thought's flow and John Legend's voice is purely a match made in musical heaven.
I like the fact that this album flows unlike any other Roots' album. In years past there have always too many weird interludes, or fillers, or unnecessary freestyles that would just take up space and detract from the overall album. I also like the fact that at any given time, any song on this album could be my favorite. With past albums, there have always one or two good songs ('The Seed 2.0' on "Phrenology", 'I Don't Care' and 'Don't Say Nothin' on "The Tipping Point" and 'I Will Not Apologize' on "Rising Down") but the rest would generally consist of forgettable beats and throw away tracks. Don't get me wrong, the albums would have more than one good song on them, but they would always seem to get lost in the shuffle. But with "How I Got Over," there is a great sense of stylistic theme and continuity in both the music and lyrics that really has The Roots pushing towards their potential and perhaps even reaching it.
Tracks
1.) A Peace of Light
2.) Walk Alone
3.) Dear God 2.0
4.) Radio Daze
5.) Now or Never
6.) How I Got Over
7.) DillaTUDE: The Flight of Titus
8.) The Day
9.) Right On
10.) Doin' It Again
11.) The Fire
12.) Tunnell Vision
13.) Web 20/20
14.) Hustla
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