Rating: NNNN
When you hear the words “concept album,” you often worry that what follows will be a pretentious mess covering up a lack of decent songs. Thankfully, the Roots’ 13th album finds the soulful hip-hop band aiming high and hitting their target. Undun tells the story of the short, tragic life of the fictional Redford Stevens, who’s named for indie folk hero Sufjan Stevens’s song Redford. Stevens makes an appearance here in a cover of the song. If any rap group could pull off a project this unwieldy, it’s the Roots, and they make it seem effortless.
As you’ve probably guessed from the theme, this is not a party record. Sure, you can nod your head to much of it, but often the vibe is closer to classical music or jazz than to anything you’d hear in a club. They avoid the temptation of turning the story of a life cut short by poor choices into a holier-than-thou exercise in preaching to the choir, and instead make it more about understanding that predicament. And they pull off this narrative without resorting to obtrusive skits and interludes, something more artists making concept albums should consider.
Top track: Sleep
