Ok... ha, I'm still not sure how I feel about "Rising Down". I know I know, the image isn't from "Rising Down" but when I think about the Roots, "Rising Down" is not the sound that comes to mind. And while I do encourage bands to evolve and change their sound, I have to question the direction in which the change is going. The electric and synthesized instrumentation that we were introduced to on "Tipping Point" is now at the forefront of their style, while songs like "Rising up" and "I will not apologize" fossilize the near extinct sound that the Roots once played. Aside from the aforementioned songs the album does have some bright moments. "Singing man", "The Show" feat. Common, and "Criminal" are melodic masterpieces with a message... hows that for alliteration? Also, like always, the interludes provide flashes of brilliance in the form of recorded phone conversations, clips of songs, and comedic relief (i.e "Oh shit, somebody just hit the fuckin rental car"). Overall, I'm not going to give the album a rating, or even say that its "good" or "bad". I'll just say this, I miss the "old" Roots and to me, "Rising Down" well, "It don't feel right".
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