****
The very title of The Roots' new album has a double meaning. The study of phrenology holds that the lumps and bumps on a person's head determine behavior and intelligence. The Roots are known as the thinking man's hip-hop act of choice, so that means all six members must have bumpy skulls.
Maybe that's what drummer ?uestlove is hiding within his gigantic fro. One way in which Jay-Z tried to establish artistic credibility last year with Hova-haters was by using The Roots as his back-up band on "MTV Unplugged."
But the duplicitous side of phrenology is its discredited science. For The Roots to entitle their album "Phrenology," an intellectual term based on dubious, anti-intellectual grounds, indicates the group is straying from its cerebral reputation. This sounds pretty silly, considering The Roots always made great hip-hop to groove with, regardless of their lyrical content and organic sound - but none if this implies that the new album is fluff.
However, it is a lot more accessible, and therefore, fun. Poetic rants are minimized, so you won't hear Ursula Rucker talking about selling "alleyway thigh splits for two bits." While there are more guest appearances, including Nelly Furtado and Jill Scott, this is The Roots we're talking about, not Jay-Z, so cameos compliment and highlight the group's vocal and musical prowess instead of upstaging them.
The strongest track on the album, "Sacrifice," features Furtado's vocals, but they are sweet, refraining from her usually quirky, nasal twang. Her accompaniment makes for an upbeat chorus when she sings, "Tell you one lesson I've learned/If you want to reach something in life/You ain't gonna get it unless/You give a little bit of sacrifice."
The album, by the way, is worth the purchase simply for the humorous comments in the liner notes. Regarding the production of "Sacrifice," The Roots state "some dumb mofo stole a slice of Nelly's birthday cake before we got to present it to her" and the "number of people who confused our collabo with Furtado with St. Lunatic Nelly: 2,333,478."
Main emcee Black Thought's verbal flow is particularly aggressive and powerful, especially on "Rock You": "We've come to give a kick and get the movement moving/For Tracy and Tamika and for Shelley and Susan/Styles - make you wonder what the hell he was using/Remember your development, we're letting the music/Spit too many spears it's becoming a nuisance."
In terms of content, The Roots touch on some typical issues, such as the exploitive excesses of mainstream hip-hop on the appropriately titled "Pussy Galore." Others are a little more personal, such as allusions to former Roots member Malik B's drug problems on "Water."
For those unfamiliar with the group, The Roots actually play instruments, rather than relying solely on samples and synthesized beats. The group's traditionally organic sound comes alive on the funk-inspired "The Seed." But The Roots purposefully experimented with more mainstream hip-hop production elements on this album; so several samples and sped-up tracks dominate, such as the songs "Thought @ Work" and "Quills."
Elitists should keep in mind that this is a good thing. Only The Roots are versatile enough to handle the blend of originality and pop infusion. The only exception is "Break You Off," a typical, sex-me-up number more suited for WBLK's late-night porno music broadcast, what with lyrics like: "C'mon and work with me/ You won't get hurt with me/Just keep it real and you'll get broken off certainly."
But "Sacrifice" is emblematic of the striking quality of the album's smooth, melodic production, and interesting lyrics like, "If I go to heaven/Would y'all know my name/Or would it be the same for you like I was Eric Clapton?"
One thing is for sure, heaven will have some chill music when The Roots pass the pearly gates.
