A Lucky Thirteen

The legendary group The Roots released their thirteenth album,undun, in mid-December. For a group that has been recording music as long as or longer than this semester's freshman have been alive, the question isn't whether or not undun will be good, but rather, how good, exactly, is undun.

The album follows the fictional character, Redford Stephens, from his death through some of the decisions he made to get to that fatal point. The character of Stephens is taken from "Redford," a track on Sufjan Stephens' concept album, Michigan. Stephens is born into a demographic and economic situation he can't control. The album spends a lot of time contemplating Stephens' role in a society where his path seems fated.

 In the track titled "Sleep," rapper Black Thought puts it like this: "Illegal activity controls my black symphony, orchestrated like it happened incidentally." The decisions he makes, regardless of intentions, only serve to further his destiny.

The deep lyrics include biblical references as well as pop-culture references from the present and past. These keep the listener fully involved while digesting the dark lyrics and down-beat instrumentals.

The refreshingly-complicated wordplay offered up by the host of rappers featured on the album lends to its depth as a cohesive story. The tale of Redford Stephens and his struggles about decisions made growing up in an unprivileged world is creatively woven and professionally crafted. He understands that while he made his own choices, there were only ever two paths that he could taken and he chose a life of crime.

The Roots have impressed, yet again. Taking number 17 on the U.S. charts, undun is definitely one of the best albums released in 2011. Whereas many hip-hop groups produce beats digitally, undun offers live instrumentation evoking a range of emotions during the story of Stephens. For anyone looking for a break from the monotony of other hip-hop acts, The Roots offer an unexpected oasis.