The Roots - How I Got Over

Show

Morning Magazine,

Author

Paul Lindsay

Published

Tuesday 20th July

Def Jam

When The Roots release an album it seems that no matter the genre every other release pales in comparison. The seven-piece from the city of Brotherly Love have come a long way since their independently released debut Organix on DGC records. Since 1987 they have become one of music’s biggest influences – they have released eleven albums to wide critical acclaim, a Grammy award for the song ‘You Got Me’ (featuring Eve and Erykah Badu), and since March of 2009 they are as their MC Black Thought puts it, “late night like here’s Johnny”, as they have taken the mantle as house band for Late Nights with Jimmy Fallon.

Perhaps playing live every night on Jimmy Fallon has reinvigorated them to go back to the organic sound that they departed from on their last album Rising Down. It was this organic and live instrumentation that garnered them their initial notoriety. For those who do not know much about The Roots, unlike the majority hip-hop acts they use purely live instrumentation in their compositions and arrangements. On a Roots album you will find no drum machines, sampling or effects unless it is at all necessary. The level to which they do this makes them a standout not just in the by-and large cookie-cutter produced world of Hip Hop, but in music in general.

Like all the albums preceding it, How I Got Over is driven by The Roots backbone – highly respected drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (who also produces the album) and fronted by their other founding member MC Black Thought. The rest of the band that now form the core of The Roots possess a diverse range of talents as multi instrumentalists which again takes this band to another level and the talent that is on display a joy to behold. The Roots’ passion for music also make them extremely open minded when it comes to sharing their vision and scope when they make a record. Past collaborations have seen them work members of Fall Out Boy, Jean Grae, the aforementioned Eve and Erykah Badu, and on this album Joanna Newsom (sans harp unfortunately).

To begin with ‘Getting Over’ is perhaps a paradox in many ways, upbeat in a lot of ways musically, with lyrical content that is both introspective and inspirational. The Roots along with regular collaborators Peedi Peedi, P.O.R.N., Phonte, and Dice Raw embark on their smart stream of consciousness lyrics, providing raw and uncompromised insights into their lives and souls. For Black Thought and his friends life is tough – the god they were brought up with has abandoned them, and the simple fact is we are all alone. With these realisations they then set about not lamenting, but moving forward and in every sense getting over, which is what makes this album so powerful.

Soulful Swiss precision is the best way to describe the music that soundtracks these realities, and pontificating and glorifying couldn’t be further from their minds. The Roots succeed in bringing an album that will see empathy and an inner belief flow from the biggest of cynics.