I appreciate what this album is doing, but this was REALLY not the week for this to be my first album review. I'm also ultimately deciding right now, for the sake of this project, that I'm not going to flatter myself and pretend to be a music reviewer. I can just admit there are some genres I mostly don't like.
Nu-metal is one of them. My favorite nu-metal album of all time (Slipknot's "Iowa") is still something I put on maybe (MAYBE) once a year, and usually don't even want to listen start-to-finish.
Having said all that, I'm thrilled at the idea of incorporating tribal Brazilian music into such an unlikely genre, and I can absolutely get down with raging against the destruction of indigenous cultures and the Amazon rainforest. The vocals ripple with righteous fury and the snare has that delicious thunderclapping crackle, iconic to turn-of-the-millennium metal.
But ultimately, even accepting that this isn't gonna be my thing to begin with, my frustration with the album is that the metal elements remained stubbornly conventional for an album famous for its genre fusion. If you just walked up to the mixer and pressed "mute" on the Xavante tribal instruments, Roots would sound like a pretty conventional late 90s metal record. I love the concept, I just wish the riffs followed through on the promise.
Maybe I'm spoiled off Acabou Chorare (10/10 pure-gold classic album), but I have good reason to believe distorted guitars and Brazilian rhythms can dance together way better than they do on Roots.
Album starts soooo strong. Moody, mysterious, spiritual. The insanely cool album cover is an afrocentric reimagining of the Virgin Mary's Holy Annunciation. "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts" saunters its way through the witching hour before kicking off the indelible classic "Black Magic Woman." "Oye Como Va" lightens the mood just a touch with an infectious gang vocal and that same sizzling lead guitar. I'm in, this album rocks.
But then "Mother's Daughter" fucks it all up and spoils the magic. It's the exact kind of early 70s blues buttrock that has aged as poorly as Eric Clapton's jawline, a song about leaving your girlfriend for her mother. Nice, dude. "Hope You're Feeling Better" is more of the same. I can't stand to hear Gregg Rolie's voice lay the groundwork for Nickelback. Look up Gregg Rolie. He's the exact guy you're already picturing.
I'd like to write off these two tracks as exceptions, except for the fact that this is effectively an eight song album. That's 1/4 ass. A stark reminder that for all the spiritual voodoo these '70s festival legends feign to conjure, at least 25% of the time they were actually just stoned dumbasses watching a lava lamp. As are most musicians, myself included.
Morrison Hotel reaffirms my opinion that the only good Doors songs are the hits. "Roadhouse Blues" (the hit) is incredible, a bar fight classic. Pretty much every other song is fine at best.
Also, I've always thought Jim Morrison's poeticism was self-satisfied hack shit and that his fifty year legacy is mostly thanks to his alcoholic baritone, his face card, and his (un)timely death at 27. The lyric sheet for this record does not prove otherwise.
Aside from a couple duds this record is pure gasoline. A good reminder of how insanely influential Public Enemy is. Proud to say I was briefly mentored by Hank Shocklee, one of the founding producers of the Bomb Squad and a contributor on this album.
Favorite tracks:
Lost at Birth
By the Time I Get to Arizona
Get the F.. Outta Dodge
Seeing the album title is Pump... looking at the cover... looking at track one... titled "Young Lust"... looking up Steven Tyler's age in 1989... 41 years old... yeah I'm not gonna subject my ears to this.
OutKast's White Album.
Some of the most interesting, visionary hip hop ever made is on this album. Evenly split between Andre and Big Boi's side.
Two of the best songs of all time (any genre, any era, just straight up generational pantheon classics) are on this album. Both on Andre's side.
Some of the most grating, cringey bullshit I've ever sat through is on this album. Pretty much exclusively on Andre's side.
I'm so glad it exists, I will cherish about seven or eight songs on here for the rest of my life, and will likely never endure a full listen again.
