The Grass Roots - All Time Greatest Hits
The Grass Roots$15.99(USD)
This low-priced disc is far & away the best single-CD compilation ever issued of the Grass Roots' work, 16 chart singles covering every phase of their history, from 1966's 'Where Were You When I Needed You' (in its actual hit version) thru 'Let's Live for Today' & 'Midnight Confessions' to their last hit, 1972's 'The Runway.' Originally released in 1996. MCA.
Rising Down
The Roots$13.98(USD)
Grammy award winning hip-hop trailblazers The Roots are set to release Rising Down on April 29th via Def Jam Recordings. Known for their prolific lyrics and live instrumentation, the Legendary Philadelphia crew is composed of Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (vocals), Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), Kamal Gray (keyboards), Frank Knuckles (percussion), Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas (guitar) and Owen Biddle (bass). Garnering critical praise throughout their career, The Roots have firmly established themselves as a band with uncompromised artistic control and integrity. With Rising Down, the band's 10th album release, The Roots continue to take bolder steps adding new depths and range to their repertoire. The Roots co-founder ?uestlove states, "This is probably our most political album to date dealing with addiction, nihilism, hypocritical double standards in the prison system and overall life in Philadelphia. I'd say it's more mature and intense than all of our efforts but not a `downer' as most people expect us to do."
The political nature of Rising Down is not only heard within the music. The title comes from William T. Vollmann's treatise on violence entitled Rising Up and Rising Down, and the release date falls on the 16th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.
Standout tracks include: "Criminal" a reflection of life on the streets and unjust persecution, "I Will Not Apologize" a tribute to Fela Kuti that discusses keeping dignity in the music biz and "I Can't Help It" a look at addictions and urges that compel us all. Additional guests on the album include Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, Dice Raw, Wale, Chrisette Michele and more.
Roots - The Next Generations
Georg Stanford Brown$59.98(USD)
Could there be a worthy follow-up to the most-watched miniseries ever? "We felt the other did so well," Alex Haley said, "that we should just let it hang there." But Haley began carrying around a tape recorder, dictating more of his family's tales as they came to his memory. Those remembrances filled a 1,000-page transcript: raw material for Roots: The Next Generations. Winner of the Emmy for Best Limited Series, this landmark continuation of a landmark event - with 53 stars and 235 speaking parts - "is in many respects a superior achievement," Newsweek said in comparing this to Roots. Twenty-five years later, it has lost none of its dramatic and emotional power to make us confront history and examine ourselves. One man's family remains everyone's!
Phrenology
Roots$13.98(USD)
If you were wondering what the heck
phrenology means, the Roots wouldn't have it any other way. Hip-hop's hardest-working live band continues where they left off with
Things Fall Apart, forcing listeners to think outside of the Hot 97 FM box--or just plain think. On "Thought at Work," lead emcee Black Thought--the most criminally underrated wordsmith of his time--weaves captivating flows over a neck-snapping break beat, while on "Water" he boldly addresses the controversy surrounding his partner-in-rhyme Malik B's alleged substance abuse. While collaborations with Nelly Furtado ("Sacrifice") and Talib Kweli ("Rhymes and Ammo") read much better on paper than they sound, the catchy, up-tempo call-and-response routine utilized by the crew on the latter song will amp up Roots nonbelievers. As a bonus, Jill Scott's dreamy falsetto refrain hammers home some finer points about love on "Complexity."
--Dalton Higgins
Lewis Black's Root of All Evil
Keith Truesdell$26.98(USD)
Las Vegas. YouTube. Paris Hilton. What do they have in common? They all make Lewis Black want to strangle himself with a television cord. Join the abrasive comedian as he and his brethren take on pop culture, politics and all the things that most stupefy and pervert our society. With the help of comics like Patton Oswalt, Greg Giraldo and Andrew Daly, Lewis Black will help you find the Root of All Evil.
