Phrenology (album)

Phrenology
Studio album by The Roots
Released November 26, 2002
Recorded June 2000–September 2002
Genre Hip hop, neo soul
Length 60:47
Label MCA, Geffen
Producer DJ Scratch, The Grand Wizzards, Kamal Gray, Tahir Jamal, Omar the Scholar, Questlove, Karreem Riggins, Scott Storch, Zoukhan Bey
The Roots chronology
Things Fall Apart
(1999)		 Phrenology
(2002)		 The Tipping Point
(2004)
Singles from Phrenology
  1. "Break You Off"
    Released: 2002
  2. "The Seed (2.0)"
    Released: March 31, 2003

Phrenology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released November 26, 2002, on Geffen Records and MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2000 to September 2002.[1] It was primarily produced by members of the band and features contributions from hip hop and neo soul artists such as Cody ChesnuTT, Musiq Soulchild, Talib Kweli, and Jill Scott.

Although it did not parallel the commercial success of the band's previous album, Things Fall Apart, the album reached number 28 on the US Billboard 200 chart and sold steadily, remaining on the chart for 38 weeks.[2] On June 3, 2003, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States.[3] Upon its release, Phrenology received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its musical direction and lyrical themes, and it was included in numerous publications' year-end lists of the year's best albums.[4]

Background

Following the breakthrough success of Things Fall Apart (1999), its release was highly anticipated and delayed, as recording took two years.[1][5] The album is named after the discredited pseudoscience of phrenology, the study of head shapes to determine intelligence and character, which was used to rationalize racism during the 19th century in the United States.[6] Its cover art was created by artist/printmaker Tom Huck.[7]

Music and lyrics

Primarily a hip hop album, Phrenology features themes of hip hop culture and its commodification, with musical elements of rock, jazz, and soul music.[5][8][9][10][11] According to music critic Greg Kot, the Roots forge a connection between hip hop and neo soul on the album.[12] A production of the Soulquarians collective,[13] the album features contributions by Cody ChesnuTT, Musiq Soulchild, Talib Kweli, and Jill Scott.[1]

On "Something in the Way of Things (In Town)", Amiri Baraka performs a poem about how the spirit of death and decay permeates African-American urban experiences. Set to a fusion of several African-American music influences, his poem observes "something in the way of our selves" and uses unusual imagery such as death "riding on top of the car peering through the windshield" and a "Negro squinting at us through the cage" with a smile "that ain't a smile but teeth flying against our necks".[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[16]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[17]
The Guardian[8]
Los Angeles Times[11]
Pitchfork8.1/10[9]
Q[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Spin8/10[20]
The Village VoiceA−[21]

Phrenology received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on 23 reviews.[15] Mojo magazine hailed it as a "masterpiece",[22] while Rolling Stone writer Pat Blashill said it has "a startling array of hip-hop reinventions".[19] Dave Heaton from PopMatters called Phrenology "an impressive, ambitious work" that shows the Roots "filling their sound out and pushing it in a variety of directions", with a form of "tight soul/funk" that "sounds even more exact, funkier and edgier" than on Things Fall Apart.[23] In the Chicago Sun-Times, critic Jim DeRogatis gave the record four out of four stars and called it "a near-classic right out of the gate, an urgent, raucous and thought-provoking 70 minutes that mine the musical territory between hard hip-hop and smoother Philly soul".[24] Blender's RJ Smith called it "a celebration of self-determination, a nonstop joyride through some very complicated brains".[16] Jeremy Gladstone from Kludge felt the Roots had combined "complicated beats" with "complex lyrics" to produce a "shockingly honest sound".[25] In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis found the group "exclusively capable of absorbing other genres", while the "more straightforward hip-hop" is "idiosyncratic and hugely enjoyable".[8] Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani called the album "subtly progressive" and felt the lyrics "challenge the commodification and subsequent destruction of hip-hop culture".[10]

In a less enthusiastic review, Uncut magazine said Phrenology shows the Roots' "willingness to push the envelope of their organic jazz-rap" that is unparalleled but sometimes musically pretentious or indulgent, particularly on "Something in the Way of Things" and the coda to "Water".[26] AllMusic editor Steve Huey felt it is "a challenging, hugely ambitious opus that's by turns brilliant and bewildering, as it strains to push the very sound of hip-hop into the future." He also called it the band's "hardest-hitting" album because they successfully "re-create their concert punch in the studio."[1] In his column for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau believed the Roots have finally discovered how to write tuneful and structured music on Phrenology,[21] as they "humanize their formal commitment with injections of singing and guitar".[27]

At the end of 2002, Phrenology was named one of the year's best albums; according to Acclaimed Music, it was the 18th most ranked record on critics' year-end lists.[28] It was voted the seventh best album of 2002 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics.[29] The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) later gave it four-and-a-half stars and cited "Water" as a highlight, "that begins with the age-old Bo Diddley beat and ends as an extended musique concrète-style instrumental fantasia".[5] Phrenology was included in the 2010 reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[30]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Phrentrow" (featuring Ursula Rucker)Ahmir Thompson, Ursula Rucker, Omar EdwardsQuestlove, Omar the Scholar 0:18
2. "Rock You"  Tariq Trotter, George SpiveyDJ Scratch, The Grand Wizzards (co.) 3:12
3. "!!!!!!!"  Thompson, Benjamin Kenney, Leonard HubbardThe Grand Wizzards 0:24
4. "Sacrifice" (featuring Nelly Furtado)Trotter, Thompson, James Gray, HubbardKamiah Gray, Kamal Gray (co.) 4:44
5. "Rolling with Heat" (featuring Talib Kweli)Trotter, Thompson, Gray, Kyle Jones, Talib Greene, Karl JenkinsThe Grand Wizzards 3:42
6. "WAOK (Ay) Rollcall" (featuring Ursula Rucker)Thompson, Gray, HubbardThe Grand Wizzards 1:00
7. "Thought @ Work"  Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, KenneyQuestlove 4:58
8. "The Seed (2.0)" (featuring Cody ChesnuTT)Trotter, Antonious Bernard ThomasQuestlove, Cody ChesnuTT (co.) 4:27
9. "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq)Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Jones, Kenney, Jenkins, Taalib Johnson, Jill ScottKamal Gray 7:27
10. "Water"  Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Kenney, Tahir WilliamsTahir Jamal, Kelo Saunders (co.), The Grand Wizzards (co.) 10:24
11. "Quills"  Trotter, Karriem RigginsKarreem Riggins, The Grand Wizzards (co.) 4:22
12. "Pussy Galore"  Trotter, Scott StorchScott Storch, Zoukhan Bey 4:29
13. "Complexity" (featuring Jill Scott)Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Scott, EdwardsThe Grand Wizzards, Questlove (co.), Omar the Scholar (co.) 4:47
14. "Something in the Way of Things (In Town)" (featuring Amiri Baraka)Thompson, Kenney, Amiri BarakaThe Grand Wizzards 7:16
Unlisted tracks
No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
15. Untitled     0:20
16. Untitled     0:20
17. "Rhymes and Ammo / Thirsty!" (featuring Talib Kweli)Trotter, Thompson, GreeneThe Grand Wizzards 8:00
18. Untitled     0:07

 • (co) Co-producer

Sample credits and notes

Personnel

Credits for Phrenology adapted from Allmusic.[33]

Musician

  • Black Thought – vocals
  • Sarah Chun – cello
  • Omar Edwards – arp synthesizer
  • Nelly Furtado – background vocals
  • Michelle Golder – cello
  • Kamiah "Little Klang" Gray – keyboards, theremin, production
  • Jef Lee Johnson – guitar
  • Alicia Keys – featured artist
  • Talib Kweli – vocals
  • Malik B. – featured artist
  • Tracey Moore – background music
  • Mos Def – featured artist
  • James Poyser – moog synthesizer, strings
  • Questlove – assistant engineer, drums, mixing, production, sequencing
  • Rahzel – beatboxing
  • Ursula Rucker – featured artist
  • Jill Scott – vocals
  • James Blood Ulmer – guitar
  • Nuah Vi – cello
  • Hope Wilson – screams

Production

  • Jon Adler – assistant
  • Pablo Arraya – assistant
  • Jim Bottari – engineer
  • Adam Brooks – assistant
  • Cody ChesnuTT – producer
  • Jeff Chestek – engineer, mixing
  • Tom Coyne – assistant, mastering, mixing
  • Kareem Da Bawl – producer
  • Andre Dandridge – assistant
  • DJ Scratch – producer
  • Robert "LB" Dorsey – assistant, engineer
  • Caliph Gamble – assistant
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Gordon Glass – assistant
  • Jason Goldstein – mixing
  • Kenny J. Gravillis – design
  • Tom "Evil Prints" Huck – illustrations
  • Ben Kenney – mixing
  • Steve Mandel – assistant, engineer
  • Carlos "Storm" Martinez – engineer
  • James McKrone – assistant
  • Shinobu Mitsuoka – assistant
  • Kurt Nepogoda – assistant
  • Richard Nichols – executive producer, mixing
  • Omar the Scholar – producer
  • Bob Power – mixing
  • Kareem Riggins – producer
  • Kelo Saunders – producer
  • Jesse Shatkin – assistant
  • Jon Smeltz – engineer
  • Scott Storch – producer
  • Tahir – producer
  • Shawn Taylor – assistant
  • Steef Van De Gevel – assistant
  • Vince Vilorenzo – assistant
  • Scott Whiting – assistant
  • Ray Wilson - engineer

Charts

Charts (2002) Peak
position
Danish Albums Chart[34] 29
Dutch Albums Chart[35] 54
Finnish Albums Chart[36] 14
French Albums Chart[37] 117
Swiss Albums Chart[38] 57
UK Albums Chart[39] 112
US Billboard 200[2] 28
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[40] 11

Singles

Song Chart (2002) Peak
position
"Break You Off" UK Singles Chart[39] 59
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 99
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[42] 55
Song Chart (2003) Peak
position
"The Seed (2.0)" Danish Singles Chart[34] 2
Dutch Singles Chart[35] 35
Finnish Singles Chart[36] 5
German Singles Chart[43] 67
Swiss Singles Chart[38] 22
UK Singles Chart[39] 33

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Huey, Steve. "Phrenology – The Roots". AllMusic. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  2. 1 2 The Roots Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Gold & Platinum: The Roots". RIAA. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  4. ↑ Acclaimed Music - Phrenology. AcclaimedMusic. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  5. 1 2 3 Hoard, Christian. "Review: Phrenology". Rolling Stone: 702–703. November 2, 2004.
  6. ↑ Venable, Malcolm (October 2002). "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems". Vibe. New York. 10 (10): 124–128. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Phrenology (Media notes). The Roots. MCA Records. 2002.
  8. 1 2 3 Petridis, Alexis (December 6, 2002). "The Roots: Phrenology". The Guardian. London. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Chennault, Sam (January 28, 2003). "The Roots: Phrenology". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (November 26, 2002). "The Roots: Phrenology". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Sterling, Scott T. (November 24, 2002). "The Roots, 'Phrenology' (MCA)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  12. ↑ Kot, Greg (November 24, 2002). "The Roots: Phrenology (MCA)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  13. ↑ Kot, Greg (March 19, 2000). "A Fresh Collective Soul?". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  14. ↑ Muyumba, Walton M. (2009). The Shadow and the Act:Black Intellectual Practice, Jazz Improvisation, and Philosophical Pragmatism. University of Chicago Press. p. 158. ISBN 0226554252.
  15. 1 2 "Reviews for Phrenology by The Roots". Metacritic. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  16. 1 2 Smith, RJ (December 2002). "The Roots: Phrenology". Blender. New York (12): 149. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ Hiatt, Brian (November 29, 2002). "Phrenology". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  18. ↑ "The Roots: Phrenology". Q. London (199): 97. February 2003.
  19. 1 2 Blashill, Pat (December 12, 2002). "The Roots: Phrenology". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on January 30, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  20. ↑ Pappademas, Alex (January 2003). "The Roots: Phrenology". Spin. New York. 19 (1): 95. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  21. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (January 14, 2003). "Escape Claus". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  22. ↑ "The Roots: Phrenology". Mojo. London (110): 100. January 2003.
  23. ↑ Heaton, Dave (January 8, 2003). "The Roots: Phrenology". PopMatters. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  24. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (December 1, 2002). "The Roots, 'Phrenology' (MCA)". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 4. Retrieved December 5, 2009. (subscription required (help)).
  25. ↑ Gladstone, Jeremy. "The Roots: Phrenology". Kludge. Archived from the original on February 6, 2003. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Roots – Phrenology". Uncut. London (69): 86. February 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  27. ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 18, 2003). "Party in Hard Times". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  28. ↑ "The Roots". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  29. ↑ "The 2002 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. February 18, 2003. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  30. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  31. ↑ Juon, Steve (February 23, 2011). RapReviews.com Feature for December 3, 2002 - The Roots' "Phrenology". RapReviews. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  32. ↑ Phrenology (Explicit) by The Roots. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  33. ↑ Credits: Phrenology. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  34. 1 2 "Discography The Roots". Danishcharts.nl (in Danish). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  35. 1 2 "Discografie The Roots". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  36. 1 2 "Discography The Roots". Finnishcharts.com (in Finnish). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Discographie The Roots". Lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  38. 1 2 "Discographie The Roots". Hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  39. 1 2 3 "The Roots". Chart Stats. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  40. ↑ The Roots Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  41. ↑ The Roots Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  42. ↑ The Roots Album & Song Chart History – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-02-23.
  43. ↑ "Chartverfolgung/Roots,The/Single". Musicline.de (in German). Retrieved June 16, 2010.

Bibliography

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