The Roots
... And Then You Shoot Your Cousin
(Def Jam)
Three stars
The Roots haven't slowed down since 2009, when they signed up as Jimmy Fallon's house band for his late-night talk show. Their latest and most challenging effort is no laughing matter: a conceptual album on American urban violence told through multiple characters – heady stuff that aims to keep the listener off guard. Clocking at about half an hour, only eight of the 11 tracks pass as whole works; the other three are either short vocal snippets or moody instrumentals. This theme of imbalance is also represented lyrically: the band's lead MC, Black Thought, presents characters oscillating between hope and desperation. Over the piano laments of When the People Cheer, Thought speaks of seeking petty relief from the daily grind, while in the desolately sparse The Dark (Trinity), he seems resigned to the world that he lives in: "The law of gravity meets the law of averages / Ain't no sense in attempting to civilise savages." The album may initially seem disjointed or undercooked, but dig deeper and those sluggish grooves begin to sink in. You'll revel at some of Thought's turns of phrase.
[ sasaeed@thenational.ae ]
