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"Phrenology": The Roots' study of the skull
By Shaun Booth
A&E Editor
FILE PHOTO
Six boys from Philly throw it down in their latest album, Phrenology.
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Over one hundred years ago the English poet W.B. Yeats wrote the words, “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.” Chinua Achebe borrowed these words for the title of his most popular novel “Things Fall Apart.” And in 1999 The Roots used these words once again as the title of their fourth studio album. They expressed the fact that they love wordplay, and that the same three words used on three continents in two different centuries can hold the same meaning.
For the title of their latest studio album The Roots reached even further back into history to pull out the ancient science of Phrenology (the study of the shape of the human skull and how it dictates our actions.) It is an ironic title because the Roots acknowledge the absurdity of the science, and spend the entirety of the album exploring the true origins of some of the human emotions that this ancient science attempts to explain.
In 1995 the Roots established themselves as the rap band that was outside of the mainstream rap genre with their first studio album, “Do You Want More”, yet they were still able to relate to the everyday hip-hop enthusiast.
And ever since this first album the Roots, who met as a group of teenagers at Philadelphia’s High School of Creative and Performing Arts, have set up an exclusive castle in the middle of hip-hop’s mainstream.
They invited a select few into the castle for the recording of their latest studio album, “Phrenology.” There are guest appearances by rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli, vocalists Alicia Keys and Nelly Furtado, and there is even a poem on the album read by the poet laureate of New Jersey. These guest appearances show that the group is not made up of music elitists but rather men who care about music. They care enough to make the album diverse and intriguing to everyone.
They have presented listeners with a higher quality form of rap music. This is because they actually played their own instruments, rather than sampling with drum machines or using previously recorded music as the groundwork for their albums. They are a rap band not a rap group.
The band is made up of a rhythm guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, lyrists, drums, and human beatboxs. At times during the album, your ears will guarantee you that you are hearing a drummer or a synthesizer effect, when in fact it is just the human mouth of Scratch or Razhel. Both of whom are able to sample any sound with their mouths.
Gone are the days when two turntables and a microphone were all you needed in the world of hip-hop. It is looking as though that approach has been exhausted in the music industry. By playing their own instruments The Roots give themselves more control over the musical sound they produce as a group and it also allows them to be more experimental than the average rap group. Rather than relying on the formula of using previously recorded material and putting all of the pressure on the lyricist to make the song original or interesting, the Roots have decided to make each individual song all their own through instrumental experimentation.
The most glaring difference that sets the Roots apart in the hip-hop world is the ability to take their studio produced albums and have the songs translate well onto the stage in front of an audience.
Unfortunately the closest the Roots will come to Grand Rapids is Detroit on February 2nd. I suppose that it would be fairly reasonable to attend this show if you are willing to be dragging yourself around campus the first day of the spring semester having been in Detroit only hours before.
The album at first listen does not reach the overall level of quality that the proceeding album, the 1999 release “Things Fall Apart”, this is because of the broad range of music that the album covers.
It is impossible to take in the neo-soul of “The Seed 2.0”, then the gritty thumping rap of “Pussy Galore”(a song condemning the American sex-crazed culture), then soak in the 10 minute hip-hop soundscape flowing under the rhymes of Black Thought in the song “Water.”
These are the handful of songs that take long strides outside of the box of mainstream rap. And each track successfully stands on its own as a solid block of music.
The centerpiece of the album is the song “The Seed 2.0.” It features the soulful vocals of the singer/songwriter Cody ChesnuTT. The hypnotizing rhythm guitar pulls you in, the solid snare smacks you, and then the vocals of Cody ChesnuTT and rhymes of Black Thought soothe you. It seems to be the rock and roll follow up to the collaboration with Erica Baydu on the song “You Got Me” that appeared on “Things Fall Apart.”
The song “Sacrifice” pairs the Roots with Nelly Furtado, who plays a surprisingly small background role in this song. It is the most playful, danceable beat on the album and it is one of the easier songs on the album to digest.
The Roots explore rock and roll more than on any previous album with songs such as “Rock You”, "!!!!!”, and parts of the song “Water.” The ten minute “Water” even fuses the worlds of psychedelic rock with rap as the guitarist Blood Ulmer gives us a taste of basshead jazz on this song that tackles the drug problem of a former Root’s band member.
The CD is a great collection of songs that shows that collaboration and experimentation are the two things that continue to keep The Roots' sound original and fresh.
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