Some Songs Considered - Posts Tagged 'the roots'

June 30, 2010

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Game Theory” – The Roots f/ Malik B.
(Words/music: Malik B., Khari Mateen, and The Roots, available on Game Theory, Def Jam 2006)

No one will ever question the Roots’ chops as musicians, nor should they. However, I wonder if their consistent prowess gets them taken for granted. They always put meticulous thought into the performance and sequence of their albums, and now as Jimmy Fallon’s late night house band, they are on TV five nights a week backing musicians ranging from Christopher Cross to Public Enemy. Even ?uestlove’s Twitter account reflects his immense understanding of music history and ear for tunes, as he constantly shares deep cuts many haven’t heard and offers off-the-cuff “lectures” ranging from production minutia to a thumbnail sketch of his band’s catalog. Continued brilliance defines genius, but it also makes it easy to accept brilliance as commonplace and let appreciation lapse into acceptance.

This thought ran through my head over the last week as I listened to the new Roots album How I Got Over at least a dozen times in a variety of settings. It’s the same thing I’m hearing this afternoon, granted in a harder tone, as Game Theory fills the air. Their recordings manage one of the trickiest balancing acts – minding the tiny details without sacrificing the song’s “big picture.” Every bit of the track, whether the snap out of half time when the rhyming begins or the timbre and level of the organ peppered throughout the verses, feels perfectly positioned and performed. Even with a band as good as the Roots, this isn’t a one-take track. Still, this degree of attention to drum sounds and integrating samples might get in the way of the track’s overall feel, yet the Roots always manage to retain the same intensity they exude as a live band. I can lose myself in the specific sounds in one of their tracks as easily as I can absorb the beat and bob my head along to it. This versatility may seem effortless, but it’s also elusive, and few ever reach that level once, let alone at the frequency the Roots find it.

More on The Roots: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

February 21, 2010

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“History (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)” – Mos Def & Talib Kweli featuring the Roots and Amber & Angel from the Dirty Projectors
(Words/music: Talib Kweli Greene, Dante Smith, James Yancey, Cecil Womack, Mary Wells-Womack, originally available on Mos Def’s The Ecstatic, Downtown 2009)

In the closing of his review of The Ecstatic for Pitchfork, Nate Patrin boils “History” down to its most crucial details: “It’s a Black Star reunion over a Dilla beat.” Not that either Talib Kweli’s presence on the track or production from the late J Dilla requires instant success (nor does Mos Def necessarily need the help), but it certainly turns a few more heads that way. Sure enough, neither the former Black Star MCs nor the departed Dilla disappoint. “History” coasts on a smooth soul sample that feels more looped than chopped, with Mos Def and Talib Kweli reflecting on their personal history. While Mos Def’s first verse deals primarily with personal history, Kweli evokes Black Star’s name, contrasting with the current era of rappers who “dumb it down considerably.” Even if “History” isn’t as essential as that Black Star LP, it is, like Mos Def says in the outro, “not a comeback in particular.” Instead, it’s an enjoyable track from a duo many would love to hear record an entire album.

As for the production, this version from Jimmy Fallon’s late night performance feels like a two and a half minute homage to Dilla’s production. With The Roots and the female vocalists from the Dirty Projectors providing the music, the musical talent on stage could rival Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s lyrical capabilities. However, rather than try to embellish on Dilla’s production, the musicians carefully replicate his soulful track. ?uestlove, perhaps Dilla’s most prominent supporter in the last few years, even commented via Twitter (forgive the missing link – that man tweets a lot!) how impressed he was that Amber and Angel could pick up the subtleties in the way the intonation of “History” changes throughout the track. Appropriately, the show’s mix probably had the MCs a little lower than necessary. As a (unintended) result, I find myself focusing less on the words and instead on the rhythm of the delivery mixed with the track itself. If nothing else, it makes me want to spend all my eMusic credits this month solely on Dilla produced beats.

More on Mos Def: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

March 17, 2009

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Bring the Noise” – Public Enemy
(Words/music: Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, available on It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Def Jam 1988)

It would be foolish of me to try to put It Takes a Nation… into the proper social context; other people have done it and did a much better job than I ever could. I only came to this record a couple years ago but it immediately struck me as sounding fresh and vital, especially for an album that just surpassed its twentieth birthday. Even though the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique gets credited as one of the first sample-heavy “masterpieces,” the production by the Bomb Squad loops together dozens of samples without it sounding like a jumbled sound collage. Even with such a rich backing track, Chuck D’s voice cuts through loud and clear, delivering his messages with both skill and conviction. Hell, even Flavor Flav sounds competent (especially when compared to the ridiculous self-parody that reality TV has turned him into) when he chimes in.

I was pleasantly surprised my first time through when I realized how different the album version of “Bring the Noise” was to the Chuck D / Anthrax thrash version of the song, one I knew from hours of playing the Tony Hawk 2 demo stage on the Sega Dreamcast in high school. I imagined that the original wouldn’t have the same edge without the relentless double kick drum action, but the album version keeps the intensity enough to prevent Chuck D from sounding like a raving maniac. In particular, the horn sample that weaves throughout the verse gives the track another sonic texture behind the siren sound and the prominently mixed scratching (the most dated part, at least to my ears). Where the Anthrax version blurred the lines between rap and rock (and look at the horrors that has wrought), the original makes the connection between soul, funk, and hip hop explicit.

Listening again, it makes perfect sense that Public Enemy would tap The Roots to be the backing band for a live performance of the album – their diverse musicianship and devotion to detail will help make this album breathe as a funk-fueled riot. Earlier tonight, I watched Public Enemy’s performance with The Roots (and the Antibalas Horns) on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night (embedded below, but go to Hulu and skip to about 37 minutes in to watch it in a higher resolution) and a few things jumped out at me. First, Chuck D still sounds great and Flavor Flav looks more ridiculous than ever in a jacket that looks like a NASCAR series car (by the way, happy 50th, Flav). Additionally, The Roots are an incredible asset to Jimmy Fallon’s show if for no other reason than serving as the potential to bring more live hip hop to television. I have to think that the opportunity to perform with the Roots on TV (see: Ludacris’ excellent performance during Fallon’s first week) will make more skilled MC likely to perform on a late night show. It goes without saying, but the Roots are flat-out excellent in this clip. The most telling part, aside from their faithful interpretation of the original’s semi-chaotic funk, was Black Thought’s verse in last night’s performance. The fact that he held his own with Chuck D says volumes about his abilities, and I’m looking forward to hearing him join plenty of other rappers in the coming months.

More on Public Enemy: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm

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