It’s taken them a mere 21 years, but The Roots have finally earned “need no introduction” status. Their gimmick of being the “hip-hop band” is no longer their niche and their niche alone, so maybe it’s time to think of them as what they’ve been for the past decade: incredibly consistent.
Since 1999’s seminal Things Fall Apart, The Roots have delivered a solid effort every couple of years, recruiting an eclectic array of guests to help out along the way. 2006’s Game Theory was arguably their darkest release yet. Their latest offering, Rising Down, is both an energetic departure from Game Theory‘s bleak outlook and a return to its broader themes of political estrangement and social frustration.
The most iconic of The Roots is indisputably drummer ?uestlove, whose masterfully flavorful percussion has powered their musical approach since their initial rise to relevance. On Rising Down, The Roots make a noticeable effort to diversify their methods by incorporating an emphasis on electronic instruments and effects. There are still relentlessly raw drums on “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)” and a familiar hot-potato go-go on “Rising Up,” but a number of songs make use of a sound that’s overtly electro. “Rising Down” is wrapped in a dense, hostile fuzz, while “Get Busy” is a sputtering intruder alarm ringing with unchecked urgency. “I Can’t Help It” and “Singing Man” continue this same sort of general aesthetic with relative similarity, but songs like “I Will Not Apologize” break up any monotony by returning to a modified version of the classically organic Roots sound. For the most part, Rising Down is as sonically intriguing as it is catchy.
Like many of their other albums, The Roots employ a lengthy roster of featured guests on Rising Down to achieve a dynamic listening experience akin to their legendary live performances. However, while main MC Black Thought is as on-point as ever, the quality of the performances by the guests themselves is wildly inconsistent. Longtime Roots associate Dice Raw is, as expected, extremely complementary to the group and thus shines on his four tracks. (Plus, he makes a Guggenheim reference in “Get Busy.”) Former group member Malik B is equally effective on the confessional “Lost Desire,” where he shares the mic with Talib Kweli, who cuts an unremarkable 16 bars. Peedi Peedi — who, despite the unfortunate name change, is one of rap’s best MCs without an album — and Mos Def are the real third-party stars here. Each of them meshes well with The Roots on the standout songs “Get Busy” and “Rising Down.”
The Roots’ maximalist approach to making music yields towering pinnacles along with a scattering of “meh” moments. And Rising Down is no different. The direction of their sonic experimentation is logical and at times pretty exciting, but they could afford to trim the excessive guest list. Rising Down is an album current Roots fans will bump unapologetically, but it remains to be seen whether its abrasive charm will engross first-time listeners.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
