Breaking Up is Hard to Do

The Roots

Jackson Free Press

July 14, 2010

It’s incredibly difficult to be objective about The Roots. It has been one of my favorite groups since I first heard “You Got Me” back in 1999. The song was the first live instrumentation hip-hop I had ever heard and is one of those songs that make you remember exactly where you were when you first heard it. I quickly went and bought every album The Roots had released and continue to do so. Throughout The Roots past few albums, though, a disturbing trend has emerged. Black Thought, the MC, has become a weight on the group.

“Things Fall Apart,” the group’s 1999 classic, struck a perfect balance between band and MC. The beats, while coming from instruments, were nonetheless fairly traditional, matching Black Thought’s brilliant battle and backpack-style rhymes. His became a prominent name in the “greatest living MC” discussion following the release.

The much more musically ambitious “Phrenology” exposed a rift. The band was becoming more experimental and avant-garde, while Black Thought’s lyrics and voice were not making a similar progression. This disparity between band and rapper has only grown since. Over the past decade, the band has surpassed the MC—a fact made even more apparent on their new album, “How I Got Over.”

The beats on the album are some of the best the band has ever done. The early part of the record recalls early 1970s Marvin Gaye. The aptly titled “Walk Alone” is a near perfect atmospheric song, while “Radio Daze” has a distinct 4-o’clock-in-the-morning sound. Essentially, The Roots are back in touch with the brooding mood it delved into on 2008’s brilliant “Game Theory.”

The title track picks up the beat a bit in the middle of the album but still offers a gloomy urban portrait. Subsequent songs offer more head-nodding opportunities, particularly in album highlight “Right On” and the John Legend vehicle “The Fire,” but the overall mood remains dark.

Black Thought’s aforementioned lack of lyrical and vocal variation is noticeable from the get-go. This is not to say he is bad lyrically, but rather that his words don’t mesh with the music as well as they once did. The Roots have forayed into other sounds, pushing the genre’s envelope more than any hip-hop group outside of Outkast. Black Thought’s rhymes, on the other hand, while remaining inarguably impressive, seem stuck in the ’90s.

This is where the problem of Thought’s vocal range comes into play, too. The MC’s voice stays in a one-note range and doesn’t convey much expression beyond stoicism, toughness and anger. He needs a greater variation to keep up with the band’s genre hopping. It’s sad that lesser MCs such as Dice Raw and Blu sound more at home over Roots beats, often just because they are blessed with the virtue of restraint.

“How I Got Over” is another terrific offering from one of the most consistent acts in hip-hop. The band continues to push itself musically and thematically, consistently rewarding the listener. Unfortunately, it does little to quell the notion that band and MC may be better served taking some time apart.

Jazzy and Be-Boppin: Jazzfest 2008 Preview

Bettye Lavette

Jackson Free Press

March 26, 2008

With Jazzfest less than a month away, it is time to clear your schedule and figure out which days to attend. Each day has some high points and some equally expendable ones. Here is your guide:

Friday, April 25: I don’t readily admit it, but I have always been a closet fan of Sheryl Crow. I am the guy over age 11 who continues to happily allow “Soak up the Sun” to infect my being. Her and the tag team Alison Krauss and Robert Plant promise to be two highlights of the first day.

Saturday, April 26: This is the best day to skip. The lineup is mediocre, and the audience will be no doubt be one of the most crowded because of Billy Joel’s presence. One of the only reasons I can think of to succumb to such a large crowd is, ironically, to get away from seeing Billy Joel.

Sunday, April 27: This day more than makes up for Saturday. Irma Thomas is a knock-out headliner and will share the day with Al Green, and Elvis Costello with Allen Toussaint. There’s going to be a “Sophie’s Choice” dilemma here, as at least two of these artists will be performing at the same time on different stages. It makes you wish they had thrown at least one of these acts up on a stage against Billy Joel.

Ponderosa Stomp Festival: This annual festival is held April 29 and 30 and features a more interesting lineup than any of the individual Jazzfest days. Slated to perform are Ronnie Spector, Roky Erickson (from the forgotten acid-rock band The 13th Floor Elevators), ? and The Mysterians, Dr. John and a host of other forgotten though equally influential names.

Thursday, May 1: The other relatively weak lineup, this day at least features one of the most overlooked soul singers from Muscle Shoals in Bettye LaVette. Her story deserves an article unto itself, but she released one of 2007’s best albums in “Scene of the Crime.” She promises to be a great show and worth the price of admission herself.

Friday, May 2: The other reason I would stand in a crowd the size of Billy Joel’s is to see Stevie Wonder who, coincidentally, is playing today. This is the one day not to miss (and worth taking a vacation day for) solely because of Stevie. His tours are more expensive than they are rare.

Saturday, May 3: For anyone who has never seen The Roots in concert, this day is worth checking out. They are a band of trained and talented musicians (not just stiffs who picked up guitars and wandered into the studio because they wanted to do something against the mainstream, a la Lauryn Hill). Furthermore, they keep the good-time party aesthetic of old-school hip-hop alive, worrying less about proving their realness than having a good time and projecting that onto the crowd.

Sunday, May 4: Early in the day, a tribute to gospel great Mahalia Jackson featuring Irma Thomas, Marva Wright and Raychell Richard promises to be strong. The festival closes with another loaded lineup, with The Neville Brothers headlining with The Raconteurs and one of New Orleans’ premier brass bands, Rebirth Brass Band.

Every year Jazzfest does a great job at drawing acts from the ’60s through the present along with at least one icon that has stayed relevant throughout that entire span. The festival succeeds once again this year with interesting, supporting and headlining artists along with one of the most iconic in American music in Stevie Wonder.

Original Article