The Roots: making a masterpiece out of an experiment

In order to create a successful experiment in music, an artist must possess many traits. Talent is certainly necessary, but experience also plays a very important role. If a band decides to get out of their comfort zone and still manage to deliver a good material, its members must own -and deliver- a high level of proficiency to make art under the conditions that any experiment establishes. Undun (2011), the latest record by The Roots, is a great example of how an act excels at going over unexplored territories. This album is a conceptual work that follows a certain narrative, and it stands out as a brilliant accomplishment. This outstanding suite of songs supports itself on a steady groove: it just never wanders outside the magnificent path it set out from the beginning. The otherside (featuring the great nu-soul singer Bilal), just to give an example, is one of the finest songs The Roots has ever written. Undun can be read –and listened to- as another peak of that amazing journey The Roots has embarked on: becoming one of the best bands, not only in current hip-hop, but in music in general. Have I just implied that this is The Legendary’s best record yet? Well, I’m afraid I have indeed.

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