The Roots - Rising Down (CD)

The Roots Keep Rising Up On 'Rising Down'

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Apr 30, 2008 | 0 out of 1 found this Rising Down review helpful

Pros: There is worthwhile social commentary on some of the songs, while others are just good songs to listen to.

Cons: This is one of those rare albums that, if it has any cons, they are very few and far between.

Ask anyone who knows anything about music what the biggest problem is in hip-hop and rap. Most will tell you that the biggest problem is that every artist and group sounds almost the same. Both fans and artists alike have made note of this problem pu...blicly and in albums. It is at the point that the rock industry reached years ago. Everything sounds so much the same that audiences almost can't tell one act from another. Enter The Roots. This is one group that has consistently managed to distance itself from the rest of the hip-hop and rap community from day one. And now, on the group's newest record, 'Rising Down', this group of Philly rappers have managed to distance itself from everyone else even more. 'Rising Down' sees The Roots take a different route from that of the group's previous effort, 'Game Theory.' It is more of an old school hip-hop feel overall. It sounds more similar to the likes of albums like 'Illadelph Halflife' and 'The Tipping Point' than the group's other work. Fans who want a good record to listen to while driving get that on this album. Those who want something with substance get that too, thanks to songs like, "Criminal", "I Will Not Apologize", and the album's title track. If the music itself isn't reason enough to at least give this album a chance, then the guest spots ought to help entice any listener. This album see the likes of Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, Malik B., Saigon, and a handful of others do their part to take this album to another level. Common's appearance on "The Show" helps to make it one of the best songs on the entire album. It was good to begin with, but adding him to it makes it that much better. And even those who don't check the track listing or liner notes will automatically know Mos Def's voice on the album's title track. Something else that fans will note on this album is the lack of mandatory "Thank You's" in the back of the linter notes. The group's head man ?uestlove, made note in the "Thank You's" of 'Game Theory' about how every time he did any name dropping, he lost friends, because of the people who thought they deserved a name drop, even if they didn't. No worries there this time as there's a complete lack of any "Thank You's." Perhaps this was intentional. Perhaps not. Either way, it's something interesting to note. Whether you're a long-time fan of the Roots, or a first time listener, 'Rising Down' has combined some of the best elements of rap and hip-hop to keep this group one of the elite in the hip-hop and rap. Thanks to the combination of guest spots, and overall quality of the recording, 'Rising Down' has eaily set itself in the running for the best hip-hop/rap album of 2008. Read more Less