Because
the Roots
were pioneering a new style during the early '90s, the band was forced to draw its own blueprints for its major-label debut album. It's not surprising then, that
Do You Want More?!!!??!
sounds more like a document of old-school hip-hop than contemporary rap. The album is based on loose grooves and laid-back improvisation, and where most hip-hoppers use samples to draw songs together and provide a chorus,
just keep on jamming. The problem is that
' jams begin to take the place of true songs, leaving most tracks with only that groove to speak for them. The notable exceptions --
"Mellow My Man"
and
"Datskat,"
among others -- use different strategies to command attention: the sounds of a human beatbox , the great keyboard work of
Scott Storch
, and contributions from several jazz players (trombonist
Joshua Roseman
, saxophonist
Steve Coleman
and vocalist
Cassandra Wilson
). By the close of the album, those tracks are what the listener remembers, not the lightweight grooves. ~ John Bush