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100Phrenology is a celebration of self-determination, a nonstop joyride through some very complicated brains. [#12, p.149]
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100The Roots have created another masterpiece. [Jan 2003, p.100]
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Mainstream and casual fans will remember them best for Things Fall Apart, but probably only hardcore fans will be able to see the value and dedication that much of Phrenology holds.
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They've found it in their talent to put black music's long tradition of tune and structure into practice.
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91With Phrenology, the cool Philly troupe remain head and shoulders above the rest by sticking to their well-defined course of smoky live beats, serious lyrics, stunning guests... and not one ounce of production from the Neptunes.
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Phrenology is the hardest-hitting Roots album to date, partly because it's their most successful attempt to re-create their concert punch in the studio.
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90By taking a new path with their music the Roots succeed in both staying relevant and momentous.
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90Phenology is stunning, ranking right up there with the best hip-hop music of today.
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The album combines a deep reverence for rap's visceral power with a desire to move the genre beyond its primordial synthesis of beats and rhymes.
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Phrenology reveals pulsating growth--a surprising bump on our skulls that some didn't feel before, while others banged their grapes wishing for it.
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Not all of the experiments work, but drummer ?uestlove's Clyde Stubblefield-cum-Chemical Brothers grooves and rapper Black Thought's mighty flow never waver. [29 Nov 2002, p.106]
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81Phrenology completely realizes The Roots' talents and potential, maintaining its cohesiveness despite its many disparate elements.
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80Undoubtedly the toughest music yet from the six-member crew, Phrenology may also be their best work, characterized by a powerful, head-nodding groove that carries through the entire album. [Nov 2002, p.78]
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80It is their way with a collaborator, though, that sets them apart. [Feb 2003, p.97]
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With their fifth studio record, Phrenology, they finally become what we've always hoped they would be: a hip-hop band that strikes a very funky balance between righteousness and humor, between headbanging grooves and truth-telling.
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80What is different about the overall feel of this messy and ambitious album is that it marks The Roots' liberation from genre, the neo-soul meanderings of 'Things Fall Apart' only appear when they're wanted and never outstay their welcome.
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80The band's most challenging--and rewarding--album.
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80The Roots have never sounded this raw on record, this much like an actual band playing in an actual room. [Jan 2003, p.95]
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75All the experimenting produces inevitable indulgences (take Amiri Baraka--please!), but even throughout them, each backbeat from drummer ?uestlove hammers an exciting new sound into place.
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70With Phrenology, The Roots have finally made an album that lives up to their potential.
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This is the best hip-hop album I will never love.
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60Thankfully, Phrenology is more therapy than quack science. [Feb 2003, p.86]
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50In their quest for paper, The Roots have lost their way.
User score distribution:
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10Just a great Hip/Hop record. From start to finish, it's an intoxicating, exhilarating album that gives you hope in Hip/Hops future.
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Mike10This could be my favorite hip-hop album ever.