undun (2011) Despite their buoyant presence as Jimmy Fallon's late-night house band, the Roots have always been at their best expressing quiet desperation and spinning old-school tales… The Roots Hip-Hop/Rap Island Def Jam
Music Review

undun (2011)

The Roots
Reviewed by Kyle Anderson | Dec 02, 2011
The Roots | DEEP ROOTS Jimmy Fallon's house band riffs on familiar themes of life and struggle
DEEP ROOTS Jimmy Fallon's house band riffs on familiar themes of life and struggle
EW's GRADE
A-

Details Release Date: Dec 06, 2011; Lead Performance: The Roots; Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap; Production: Island Def Jam

Despite their buoyant presence as Jimmy Fallon's late-night house band, the Roots have always been at their best expressing quiet desperation and spinning old-school tales of struggling upward. Their 12th album crackles, undun, with knowing lines like ''I live life trying to tip the scales my way'' (via guest MC Dice Raw). That perfectly distills the band's shark-like worldview, in which there's no room for pregnant pauses or musical atrophy — just hunger. A-

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Originally posted Nov 30, 2011 Published in issue #1184 Dec 09, 2011 Order article reprints