2006, Def Jam Records
VINYL FORMAT. Game Theory is the Roots' equivalent of a Funkadelic playlist containing "Wars of Armageddon," "Cosmic Slop," "Maggot Brain," "March to the Witch's Castle," and "America Eats Its Young." It's a vivid reflector of the times, not an escape hatch. Spinning turbulence, paranoia, anger, and pain into some of the most exhilarating and startling music released in 2006, the group is audibly galvanized by the world's neverending tailspin and a sympathetic alignment with Def Jam. Batting around stray ideas and squeezing them into shape was clearly not part of the plan, and neither was getting on the radio. The songs flow into and out of one another to optimal effect, with an impossibly stern sense of peak-of-powers focus, as if the group and its collaborators instantly locked into place and simply knocked the thing out. ...Game Theory is a heavy album, the Roots' sharpest work. It's destined to become one of Def Jam's proudest, if not most popular, moments. -All Music Guide
Tracklisting
Disc 1
| 1 | Dilltastic Vol Won(derful) |
| 2 | False Media |
| 3 | Game Theory |
| 4 | Don't Feel Right |
| 5 | In the Music |
| 6 | Take It There |
| 7 | Baby |
| 8 | Here I Come |
| 9 | Long Time |
| 10 | Livin' in a New World |
| 11 | Clock with No Hands |
| 12 | Atonement |
| 13 | Can't Stop This |
Other The Roots Items
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CD $11.89
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CD $13.29
Customer Reviews
1 reviews
Chris JonesThe Roots have always been known as an amazing live hip hop band. Even though they have released quite a few classics, their albums lack the energy that they bring to the stage. This trend ends with the Roots newest album, Game Theory. "Here I Come" is driven by keyboards while ?uestlove lays down a solid drum track. "Take it There" starts off as a loose jam, but then surprises with delayed piano chords that make for an intense ending. The title track brings just as much energy through hard hitting drums and Black Thought's raw emotion as an emcee. Game Theory, simply put, brings the energy that the Roots' previous albums have lacked. Songs like "Clock With No Hands" and "Atonement" (which samples Radiohead's "You and Whose Army") are musically some of the most innovative sounding songs that the Roots have done. The album opens and closes (very fittingly I might add) with tribute to J Dilla, who was one of the best producers in hip hop. Game Theory's only flaws are that it could have been a few song longer (some of their previous albums are close to 20 tracks), and it lacked some of the classic songwriting featured on Illadelph Halflife and Things Fall Apart. That is not to say that the songwriting on Game Theory is anywhere near average (it indeed surpasses that), but the it does not quite reach the status of their previous undeniable classics. With this album, Roots fans will not be disappointed, and hopefully its release on Def Jam Records will attract a few more listeners to The Legendary Roots Crew.