Rising Down is pretty boring
[begin rant]
Who told the Roots that anger is a virtue? As a staunch defender of the band from the land of the unseen hand that holds trouble, I’m disappointed in this absurd foray in sensationalism.
To be fair, much of the problem with Rising Down lies in the production (damn, I miss Kamal’s Fender Rhodes). Riq, Malik B, Dice Raw and the supporting cast came lyrically correct from start to finish, a few menial missteps notwithstanding (”Birthday Girl,” anyone?). Production-wise, it lacks the bite of Things Fall Apart, or even the eccentricity of Phrenology. The music here is mostly claustrophobic, which only enhances the acerbic tone of the album. Black Thought’s angry phone calls serve to remind us of how hard they worked to get here. OK, we get it. You dudes are angry; The road to rap stardom is littered with broken bottles and shrapnel. Well, so is the road to blog stardom, but you don’t hear me griping. Funny thing is, that’s what made Game Theory my favorite album of 06 — that cautiously confrontational approach. Rising Down, on the other hand, is everything Game Theory isn’t — inexorably extrusive and all over the place. And what’s up with Kweli only turning in a chorus on “I Will Not Apologize”? It seems to me that they failed to take advantage of Kwe’s current streak of rewind-worhy execution only to turn around and miscast him as a contributor on the maudlin “Lost Desire.”
[/end rant]
For all its confrontational posturing, though, Rising Down is not devoid of magical moments. I can’t stop playing the aforementioned Fela tribute “I Will Not Apologize,” for instance. Surprisingly, the title track ended up being my favorite cut on the whole album. That song should be required listening for all aspiring MCs … folks need to actually memorize all three verses. Thought’s wordplay, Def’s delivery, and P’s scathing commentary all yield a delectable plate of hip-hop gumbo rare in rap collabos these days. With the exception of a couple other joints, the only songs getting the best of my repeat button so far have been the four that leaked prior to official release: “Rising Down,” “Rising Up,” “75 Bars,” and “Get Busy.” This may be the first time the leaked songs ended up eclipsing even the freshest cuts on a heavily-anticipated album. As a collection of songs, Rising Down is a solid mix. As an album, it’s pretty boring.
Oh well, there’s always Game Theory.
