The Roots
Rising Down (Def Jam)
As
much as The Roots have undeniably revolutionized the genre, their records still
sometimes succumb to hip-hop clichés. Maintaining a track-to-track flow, for
example, remains an issue. However, unlike with other rap acts, the numerous
guest appearances often provide their albums with a vital spark.
On Rising Down, fans can expect to hear
several guest voices, mostly belonging to unfamiliar artists, an approach
that’s become somewhat of a Roots trademark as they continue to take
up-and-coming artists under their wing and provide them with a platform. On
recent releases, the band has delved into darker lyrical territory, and Rising Down continues that approach. In
drummer ?uestlove’s own words, their latest offering is “probably the most
bleak” material that The Roots have put out. “Between the greenhouse gasses and
Earth spinnin’ off its axis,” rhymes Black Thought,“it ain’t hard to tell that the conditions is drastic.”
The
Roots, bluntly honest as they take listeners on a tour of urban blight,
expertly capture a sense of mounting dread inside of skeletal synth
soundscapes. Whereas the group’s previous album, Game Theory, juxtaposed some of its social concern with bright
sonics, Rising Down grows more
claustrophobic as it progresses. At the end of the day, The Roots, hell-bent on
changing their sound with every album, have once again thrown listeners a
curveball—one that’s worth checking out for its creative daring alone.
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