Album Review: The Roots How I Got Over

Although they have spent much of their time as the house band on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Philadelphia natives and hip-hop jam band The Roots have released their ninth studio album How I Got Over on Def Jam Recordings.  The Roots had previously said that their 2008 release Rising Down would be their last collaborative record, but they recorded How I Got Over in New York while working on the Late Show. 

Heavily pushed by members ?uestlove and Black Thought, How I Got Over sold over 50,000 copies in its debut week and landed at an impressive No. six on the Billboard Hot 200 chart that week.  With appearances from John Legend, Peedi Peedi, Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, Haley Dekle, Truck North, P.O.R.N. Monsters of Folk, Blue, Phonte, Patty Crash, and the most seen collaborator on the album, Dice Raw, the success of the album is no shocker.

The album has been received well by critics due to its unique jazz-mixed-with-indie sounds.  While they incorporate a more eclectic feel to this album than some of their older albums, it does not sound forced or like they are deviating too far off the path. A bit lighter than the old stuff, the album opens with several slow haunting ballads including “Walk Alone,” “Dear God 2.0” and “Radio Daze” that infuse rap cameos into the indie rock-based tracks, but all staying true to the jambase style of The Roots.  More up-tempo songs like the title track “How I Got Over” sound more uplifting but contain dark, contrasting lyrics. The album contains carefully implemented themes including a response to the presidencies of Barack Obama and George W. Bush.  Although the album is a bit different, it is a successful compilation for its smooth, compact sounds but also accessible content. 

The root of this album is simple.  There is no other group like The Roots that have carried out a style that is trademarked to them as they have done consistently over the course of 20+ years.  There just isn’t any kind of music like this these days, which is why this album is graded top-notch.

Image courtesy of Def Jam Recordings

Katherine Epstein for Citadel Digital © 2010