The Roots - Rising Down

“It’s a dark and stormy night on “Rising Down,” the Roots’ 10th disc. There’s a sense of sonic dirt, political sharpness and clenched-teeth purpose that may be the result of label woes (the disc opens with a ‘94 phone screaming match between band members), or it may be just thanks to an ongoing, if kind of unbelievable, need to prove itself. Temporarily put on hold is the Philly collective’s long-percolating propensity for slow-rolling, low-light grooves, and the first salvo of tracks come like a series of punches designed for a second-round knockout. Elsewhere, “Criminal” and “I Will Not Apologize” find the group making its most acute, nail-driven points in years. Also, drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson is, to use technical terms, absolutely nuts—check out his brain-melting work on the old-school jam “Rising Up” and, well, “Rising Down.” —Jeff Vrabel”