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Phrenology
Roots, The Roots
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 2002-11-26
Manufacturer: Mca
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) Way too eclectic for me.   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
I fully enjoyed Break You Off, The Seed (2.0), Complexity (Their best song EVER), P.U.S.S.Y. Galore and Something In The Way Of Things which is quirky and scary. VERY scary sounding.For that it gets a 3 star rating.The production is on point for these songs. I like their lyrics for the most part too. Black Thought seems to be very intelligent. But I can't get past the fact that this CD is just too weird for me to listen to it regularly. Things Fall Apart was the same way, except it wasn't *this* weird!3.4 stars.

2) I love this album   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Had it, lost it, bought it again, still love it just as much as I did originally.

3) Caught up in a....mix up of....Phrenology.   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
This album by The Roots is mix bag of songs. I totally like it when artists do different stuff and keep tight. Tracks like Quills and Break You Off (Musiq) keep it real and have tha groove. But sadly this album goes in a mix of....uhm $#%@. Why would they do something like Sacrifice(Nelly Furtado= weak artist) and a crappy track take it back.Plus the Rock You over and over and over again Yuck!! Overall not a good/bad album just a little odd.

4) Excellence ... AGAIN!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
These guys prove that rap acts can remain true to themselves and still score big. With guest appearances from the Who's Who of many music genres. In attendance this time around is Jill Scott, newcomer Cody Chestnutt, EPMD's DJ Scratch (responsible for bangers like Busta's 'Gimme Some More') produced 'Rock You', Nelly Furtado joins the crew on 'Sacrifice', even uber-urban pop Musiq Soulchild joins in on 'Break You Off'. This time out they have found a way to expand their sound and move beyond making great rap. They make great music. Period. GET IT!

5) The Roots are pretty good   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
The Roots are one of the most innovative bands in hip hop. They actually have people playing instruments instead of using machines, and Black Thought is one of the most unrecognized mc's in the game. The Roots have been making good hip hop music for the last 15 years and it doesn't stop on Phernology. The best songs on the album are "Sacrafice" a really mellow song that you can just chill to. "Quills" excellent beat and Thought absolutely kicks some of the best rhymes I have heard on this track. "Rolling with Heat" another upbeat song with Talib Kweli. There are plenty others but I cannot think of their names right now. My only negative thing to say about the album is the spoken word song is totally uneccassary, it does not provide any thought provoking insights its just a waste of a track. I think they should have replaced with "Rhymes and Ammo" a hidden track at the end of the cd, instead of having that spoken word track.