The Roots – undun

By
Keith Hession
– December 9, 2011
undun is soulful, clever, fun, powerful and most of all it's smooth

Rating: ★★★★★

According to the band’s Wikipedia page, The Roots is a hip hop/ neo soul band from Philadelphia, PA. Formed in 1989, The Roots have since stuck to their “roots” as a super-group, power house of hip hop backed by a live band.

My first exposure to the group was on the highways near Puerto Penasco, Mexico driving around ready for a day of partying and listening to Jay Z’s unplugged album (iTunes / Amazon). When we reached our destination I remember not wanting to venture inside until the album finished and I remember I wanted to hear it replayed again and again.

After returning home from spring break that year I remember coming home and burning a copy (shhh) of the CD which has become a staple in my musical listening habits even now all of these years later. One thing that really shined from the experience listening to that performance over and over was not Jay Zs clever and catchy rhymes but instead the backing band that was making the songs all the more smooth, soulful and more fun to listen to.

Years later I was ecstatic that seeing the band on a nightly basis would now be a possibility since they were hired as house band for Late night with Jimmy Fallon.

So it would be no surprise this Tuesday when their latest CD came out that I had to have a listen. With even less of a surprise to myself…..I absolutely loved it. Its soulful, clever, fun, powerful and most of all it’s smooth. A brand new album to be in heavy rotation on my stereo driving in my truck or in my ear-buds wherever else. My favorite track right now is the first single “Make my” featuring Big K.R.I.T.T. and Dice Raw.

This is the eleventh studio album (minus two EPs) by the band and is available now on iTunes, Amazon, and at your local record store. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen and catch The Roots live if you have the chance.

[Note: undun is a concept album that details the life of fictional character Redford Stephens]

Official Site / MySpace / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube (Vevo)

The Roots – undun

Track Listing:

  1. Dun
  2. Sleep
  3. Make My
  4. One Time
  5. Kool On
  6. The Other Side
  7. Stomp
  8. Lighthouse
  9. I Remember
  10. Tip The Scale
  11. Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou) Sufjan Stevens
  12. Possibility (2nd Movement)
  13. Will To Power (3rd Movement)
  14. Finality (4th Movement)

December 6, 2011 - Island/Def Jam

Get It Now: iTunes / Amazon (CD) / Amazon (MP3)

Official Site / MySpace / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube (Vevo)

[Note: As of this writing 'undun' is only $3.99 at Amazon]

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About Keith Hession

An Arizona Native, Keith is probably sweaty.