Customer Reviews
Flawless victory! - By: Josh Riddick, 28 May 2006 
Where shalll I start? Proceed is a good start to the album (the intro does not count), maintaining an uplifting beat through-out the song. Distortion To Static creates a calm sapce in your head, with The Roots shwoing who's boss. Mellow My Man, follows Distortion To Static's style, but is slightly better. I Remain Calm is a remarkable song, with a happy, upbeat Rythm. Datskat is slightly disappointing, but still good. Lazy Afternoon is a good example of The Roots' laidback style, with smooth repetitive verses. ? vs Rahzel is a rather interesting track, with ?uestlove on the drums & Rahzel beatboxing/singing/being god nothing more, nothing less. Do You Want More?!!!??! is a stand-out song, which shows that Bagpipes & Hip/hop can reallly go together well. What Goes On Pt. 7 is another smooth song, with nothing over-the-top. Essaywhuman?!!!??! is a live set The Roots did, proving that they can rock live. Swept Away is another relaxed song, with a very catchy beat. You Ain't Fly is a great track incorporating more, up tempo flair, with a humerous slant. Silent Treatment is probably the most chilled song on the album, with a decent chorus. The Lesson Part 1 shows Rahzel's unhuman skills with his vocal acrobatics. Very good song, & will stick in your head for a long time afterwards. The last song, The Unlocking is a strange morbid-but-good song, with perfect vocals from Ursula Rocker. If you stay onto 7:51, you will hear a short skit of Rahzel beatboxing, as the proverbial cherry on top.
Must have album
I know you dig it when I kick it baby - By: , 23 Dec 2003 This is the Roots first major label release. Organix was produced so they had something to sell at their concerts whilst touring Europe (they were shunned by the gangsta gangsta early 90s hip-hop community but positively embraced by the left-field european scene). Do You want More?!!??! is a fanstastic album, from start to finish it provides the listener with a well thought-out, musicallly accomplished album which served to alert the American public to something 'a bit different' coming out of Philly.
There are so many notable songs on this album it is hard to pick one or two to talk about. The stand-out track on the album, in my humble opinion, is probably the title song, with it's rolling bagpipe soundscape (yes bagpipes being used in a hip-hop context), it's head-nodding hook reminiscent of old-school classics, the a-capella vocal scratching & great Thought verse. Another fantastic track is the remade Essaywhuman?!!!??! which first appeared on Organix, with Black Thought 'duelling' with live instruments.
The album maintains a flow throughout, probably due to the laid back drum beats, & sparsely produced melodies. Getting softer towards the end, with a fore-runner of 'You Got Me'-style track 'Silent Treatment'.
If you have listened to any of the later Roots catalogue, & enjoyed it, or in fact like fellow Okayplayer artists Common, Reflection Eternal, etc then you should buy this album. It is jazzier than Things Falll Apart, similar-yet-better than Illadelph Halflife, & a great notice of the evolution of the Roots' sound when compared to Phrenology (or other ?uestlove produced albums eg Like Water For Chocolate).
People use the word improvement when describing the Roots' releases, but as they have alll been of a high standard, it should be seen as a progression of sound.
Get Blackstar, Train of Thought, Can I Borrow A Dollar?, Resurrection, All ATCQ, A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, J5 LP & Exit as soon as possible.
The future sound of jazz-hiphop - By: , 18 Nov 2000 Live organic Illadelpia hip hop jazz, drawing off a wide range of influences both old & new, the musical geniuses of ?estlove, Hub & Scott Storch combine with the raw, conscious vocal streams of Black Thought, Malik B & Dice Raw to provide the ideal introduction to the phenomena that has become the sound of Philadelphia. If you find most commercial hip-hop a turn-off with its synthesized breaks & melodies, or even if you think you don't like hip-hop you might like to take a listen to this. Essential.
Awesome, 100% live and 200% groovy hip hop. - By: , 06 Jan 2000 What can I say? If you haven't heard this yet, you are missing out on some seriously good tunes. Combines the retro sound of the Fender Rhodes with some real funky bass playing, the expected awesomely solid drums from BROTHER ? & complex, muti layered rap. This is the future of hip hop, right here, right now.
