The Roots "Rising Down" 2008

The Roots – Rising Down- 2008…

Category: Hip-Hop

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Umm… Well… I hate to have another hip-hop post sound so negative…but this new album is wack. I can’t recommend many of the tracks besides the title track, number two, which features Mos Def and Styles P (although I’d rather Styles P wasn’t on it). And even that track is just the ‘best’ of what is pretty bad, in my opinion. I realize that, according to The Roots themselves, they were trying to mix up the sound and that meant experimenting with different instruments, but I don’t think that most of the end result worked out too well. This album has a very dark feel to it and most of the tracks are on the ‘aggressive’ side, which sucks because that smooth jazzy sound is what made past albums (besides Phrenology) so great. My initial reaction to this album is to hit fast forward way too many times. That’s not a good sign.
One other track that stands apart from the rest is called ‘Criminal’ featuring Truck North and Saigon (again, I’d prefer less of the featured artists by removing Saigon). This track is more along the lines of what The Roots is known for (soundwise).
Anyway, I’m done talking bout this one.
If you dare, purchase this one and decide for yourself. Or better yet, download it first to see if you even like it.