Possibly the greatest Hip Hop album of all time, from the greatest crew of all time. Do you want more by The Roots is awesome stuff - and still sounds as fresh and relevant today as when it first arrived on the scene.
Mix cool raps, with conscious thought, add a little jazz - okay make that a lot of jazz influenced playing - season with funky beats and you get this masterpiece.
This album and the crew - or rather band- sound at their best on this album, at least in my opinion. It's my favourite album of theirs by far. On it, the live keys are rich and lush, the double basses deep, the drums crisp, clean, sharp and clear. Add some interesting, playful filters, delays and other fx to some of the backing vocals and you have a great and engaging album. There's also a lot of beat boxing used to good effect in the production of some tracks on this, too.
Also, the band don't stick to one song formula. In tracks like essaywuman, they play with the whole idea of call and response. Black Thought (on the mic) throwing down some beat box for a little Q & A with first the drums, then the Keys. The whole album, and this track in particular, has a real live, playful, feel to it -as if it's being played on the spot right in front of you, and perhaps it's that that makes this album still as enjoyable to listen to as the first time I heard it. The roots are a great band and this album in particular is something very special. Do you want more? I know I do. That's why it's one of my most played albums ever.