Album Review: "How I Got Over" by The Roots

Despite their success in nighttime television, The Roots haven't lost their edge. They're still sharp, delivering a mature album that deals with despair and how it. If you felt, like me, that the first half of the album was hard to get through, it's because the album is divided into halves. The first half is steeped in melancholy and introspection whereas the second half is all about self-improvement and empowerment.

The album starts off slow with A Peace of Light, an instrumental featuring a capella vocals by members of The Dirty Projectors. Walk Alone follows next, saddled by a heavy, uninspired piano part and a chorus that sounds's like The River of Dreams by Billy Joel. Finally, the album gets a pulse with Dear God 2.0, which couples harps with tender vocals provided by the Monsters of Folk.

We don't get the familiar smooth Roots sound until Now or Never and How I Got Over, which together serve as the emotional tipping point on the album. Now or Never illustrates the decision to stand up and make a change in order to get your shit together. How I Got Over is easily the catchiest track on the album. Black Thought and Dice Raw both give strong singing performances as Black Thought raps about life in the streets and importance of lending a helping hand.

The rest of the album continues the upbeat trend set by the last two tracks. The Day is a sunny call to action and Right On combines a catchy drum break with Joanna Newsom's quirky vocal stylings. Black Thought proceeds to lay his cards out on the table with the help of John Legend on, Doin' It Again and The Fire, returning to his hard-hitting form, confidence restored.

Overall, How I Got Over is a streamlined, focus work. This album has a solid concept, taking a journey from the depths of despair to the heights of empowerment. While it may be hard to get into at first, multiple playthroughs should prove rewarding.

Check it out.

Getting Down to the Roots

The Roots are my favorite rap group. This became apparent to me after I listened to their song "Atonement" of their 2006 release Game Theory (currently my favorite Roots album). What originally drew me to the track was the interesting instrumentation, which included an accordion, an instrument not usually found in The Root's sound pallet. On a second listen, I noticed that the chord progression of the song sounded familiar. I instantly thought of "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, but I dismissed the similarity as coincidence. With another listen I realized that the guitar line was in fact a sample of the Radiohead song, accompanied by a sample of Thom Yorke's vocals. While I was originally surprised by this because I never really noticed The Root's sampling, I nonetheless had to give them props on music taste. Radiohead samples aside, what makes this track great is the classic Roots sound. The bass keeps a solid groove and the drum holds down the beat while keeping it interesting. The track features Jack Davey of J*Davey, laying down a sultry chorus.

The power of The Roots lies in the band. The problem with a lot of rap music these days is that it sounds too produced. The sounds are synthetic and everything is wrapped all too tightly in a box. A live band will always sound better than electronic instruments. There's more energy, more power, and more substance. It's raw, edgy, and real. Also important to consider is how multiple musicians can affect the song writing process. Instead of having one producer and one vocalist working on a song, there is more creative input with the inclusion of different musical voices.

The Roots have inspired many imitators, however none can compare. A principal reason for this is that The Roots are always changing things up. The formula for their albums is never the same. The Roots always keep it fresh, changing their style and featuring different collaborators every time.