Most Important Album of the Year Drops June 24th!

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Monday, June 2, 2008

Billboard Top Ten for my Birthday Week: Number 3

The Roots' Rising Down


This is definitely a darker Roots album. It’s almost irrelevant to even talk about the beats in a Roots album, since you already know they’re different from every other beat out there by virtue that a lot of it is directed by ?uestlove and friends and not an 808, (I need to mention the beat to “I Can’t Help It” and say it’s basically the shit). The album, as always, has a unique fusion sound to it with Black Thought and friends coming intelligently. There’s not really much to say about this album but it deserves to be on the Billboard, and it got there.

Short-ass review. Grab the album.

Best Tracks: “Rising Down,” “Criminal,” “I Will Not Apologize,” “I Can’t Help It,” “Singing Man,” “Rising Up”

Pros:
- Everybody featured on the album was amazing. And, let me just say that I’m sick of Saigon on the mixtape circuit. I can’t wait for him to drop an album.
- The beats are incredible. I didn’t stop nodding my head, even during verses I wasn’t really feeling.
- It’s basically an hour of good beats, even if you think all the lyricists suck. There are a few gaps here and there, but those fall where there aren’t beats (like “@ 15”).


Cons:
- I have a personal qualm with not being the first emcee on your own album, but since that emcee was Mos Def, it’s less of a problem.
- Some of the flows or off, even when the lyrics are spot on.
- The song “Unwritten” was pretty weak.

Overall Score: 90%

1 comment:

JJ said...

great album

my only qualm on this album was the lyrics were not the best he has ever done.

that said, they are way better then most of the other stuff out there