The Roots – How I Got Over

To put it fairly simply, The Roots are as incredibly diverse and disgustingly talented a live act as you're ever likely to see. Thankfully, this shows on record. Their ninth – How I Got Over – is another dextrous run though myriad influences from soul to jazz and the last 30 plus years of hip-hop, incorporating a number of tasty samples and collaborators along the way. It’s a fluid body of work, slipping in and out of each track with ease but still allowing each one to stand out.

The Monsters Of Folk add their touch to the melancholy Dear God 2.0, while I Walk Alone, Radio Daze and Doing It Again are funky, deep and soulful – brimming with intelligent verse. But the real jewel here, stylistically, musically and verbally, is the Joanna Newsom-sampling, Right On. Paying attention and respect to the source material, The Roots have created a most unusual hit.