Tipping Point
 | By Roots Geffen Records, 2004, Audio CD Customer Rating: Recommend |
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UK pressing of the alternative rap act's 2004 album includes one bonus track 'Melting Pot'. Universal.
On their sixth album, the Roots backslide a bit on the creative promise they showed with 2002's Phrenology. Instead of expanding into more ambitious and experimental areas — the way Outkast has, for example — the Roots tend to fall back to basics with vigorous, but ultimately conventional, lyricism. There are definitely some truly great moments here: the album opens with near-magic on "Star," a mesmerizing song that is one of the finest of the group's career, and Black Thought is a one-man tour de force on "Boom!" where he mimics Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap down to their velour sweats. But The Tipping Point also has some of their blandest production ever, and, at 10 tracks (plus two hidden cuts), the compactness of the album makes the problem spots stand out more than usual. "I Don't Care" and "Duck Down!" in particular seem derivative and commercially tailored. The main thing missing here is an overall guiding concept, something the Roots have never lacked before. — Oliver Wang
- Star/Pointro
- I Don't Care
- Don't Say Nuthin'
- Guns Are Drawn
- Stay Cool
- Web
- Boom!
- Somebody's Gotta Do It
- Duck Down!
- Why (What's Goin On?)
Title: Tipping Point
Sales Rank: 23585 in Music
Artist: Roots
Label: Geffen Records, 2004-07-13, Audio CD, 1 Disc
Item Dimensions: 0.24 pounds
Package Dimensions: 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches, 0.18 pounds
