Customer Reviews

Do You Want More

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is without a doubt my favorite Rap album of all time. It's not the best album I have nor is it the best I've ever heard. But, I can claim that since I bought it in 1994 it's the cd I listen to the most. Even on a yearly basis, looking back at what I've listened to the most this album comes out on top. That should say something to you about the quality of "Do You Want More"

Do You Want More, more than any of The Roots other albums, makes it obvious that they are playing their instruments ALL the way through. They strayed away from this later in there careers, not necessarily a bad thing, but this album is the only one were they could legitimately play every song, front to back, all elements on stage. Every drum beat, bass strum, sax riff, has that distinct authentic sound. While "Things Fall Apart" musically constructed is their best, this album is defiantly more on the Jazzy tip.
Black Thought has only gotten better as time has gone by, but true Roots purists desperately miss Malik and Dice Raw's insane cameo's. The last time the group was intact like that was "Things Fall Apart". Sure having Talib and others on the newer albums is great... but no one complements Black Thought like Malik consistently and know one can put on as many show stoppers as Dice. ?Luv even gets on the mic in this album. The lyrical complexity is not as dense, but that brash improve is defiantly here. I dare you to find a wack rhyme.
Do You Want More has everything. A lot of laid back jams, live, improv, intense tracks with lyrics to match, experimental, funny stories, poetry, somber retrospectives... and it somehow all flows together perfectly. And as usual all the intricacies of the album are told through the hilarious and informative liner notes, defiantly worth your time to read. Here's how the album breaks down.

From the start "You are all about to witness some organic hip-hop jazz". Is there a better self description of this album??.
There's Something Going On: the "theme" of the album... it's repeated musically all the way up until the conclusion of the album. Ties in everything even more.
Proceed: the single for the album, nice laid back, sets the pace for the album.
Distortion to Static: Multiple track layers on this one (all the way to a laugh track). Nice simple drum beat and background just allows Black and Malik to show off:
"Very relevant, plus intelligently managin' matter/ that's makin' tracks fatter, revolve around Satur-in like rings and brings swings, when I sings with bass/ Then distort up in your face like mace/ Bustin your dreams like gats with loaded magazines/ I'm on the rap scene, repellin fellas like a vaccine."
"Mellow My Man": Smooth jazzy beat... even breaks down at times into a complete Jazz ensemble. More of the same lyricism from BT and Malik with some back & forth play.
"I Remain Calm": Gets intense musically and lyrically (chorus consists of a woman in the background saying "WHAT the HELL is THIS!").
"Datskat": Is basically Black Thought imitating a sort of Jazz/Skat style of singing and applying it to rap. Along with the beat it works really well.
"Lazy Afternoon": It's almost toooo laid back of a song. Black Thought even plays the part of lazy rapping the same verse three times in slightly different ways.
"? Vs. Scratch" Drums vs. the beat-box for about 3 minuets.
"Do You Want More": Bagpipes?? Are you kidding me? This has an insane beat... my only complaint is that Black Thought should have come back on for another verse, or rapped longer... or something, how often do you get to rip the mic over the Bagpipes? Seriously.
"What Goes On, Pt. 7" Thought the Neptunes used the tongue-click thing first? Great track with some great rhymes. ELO the Cosmic Eye drops a nice distorted voice verse.
"Essaywhuman?!!!??!" is a great freestyle improv live track. Black Thought and his band imitate each other through instruments and the audience responds as well. This song has been flipped a couple of different times on their albums and this is the best version.
"Swept Away": excellent track musically and the way Malik & Black Thought flow along with the music is awesome.
"You Ain't Fly" is a funny take on the group's bad luck with women. (?uest Luv on the mic!)
"Silent Treatment": a slow reflective track. Musically once again the Roots really put together an intricate song about lost love (light-years better & not corny like today's typical Thug Luvin' song). To be followed later by tracks of similar breed ("You Got Me", "Break You Off") this is defiantly superior and defiantly more genuine. Black Thoughts lyrics get pretty complex and deep at times. It's a treat to see this performed live as well (that is if BT hasn't lost his voice by that time in the tour).
The Lesson, Pt. I: The Roots break it down to the essence for the last music track. Rahzel doing some incredible beat box, one-take! Black Thought starts off just ripping the track and if he would of kept going it would have been an excellent track. But, Dice Raw makes is debut with a one-take 2:10 min hip-hop quotable. Apparently he was a mere 15 at the time, one of my all time favorite Roots tracks (as well as one of ?Love's).
The Unlocking closes the album with Poetry read by Ursula Rucker and scored by the band. It's a pretty graphic tale, but once you can get past that you realize the story is pretty deep and thought provoking, not just a simple X rated tale.

I can see this album being too smooth and laid back for some people. That's the overall tone of the album with a couple of exceptions. But, I can't imagine no one needing some down time music that's still of superior quality. This is overlooked and probably will continue to be so for another 10 years. Fact is it's my favorite album ever, and I've never had anyone tell me that they didn't enjoy it either... I guarantee it'll end up being a favorite in your collection. I'd recommend `Do You Want More' to anyone and everyone I know, good music is simply good music no matter what genre it is.

this is without a doubt one of the finest hip hop/jazz records i have had the pleasure of listening to. i enjoy mainly old school hip hop because the attitude of newer acts is swayed so heavily towards commercialism and image[see tupac,puffy etc.] however then i discovered the effortless flows of the roots. i'd put them in the same league as a tribe called quest which is not an easy task to achieve. if you've also lost faith in the new school then buy this record aswell as their new offering -as things fall apart, which is also tight. also check out jurassic 5, x-ecutioners, peanutbutter wolf, the invizible skratch piklz, & the beat junkies.

I bought this album back in 95. I havent stopped listening to it since. I remember people at my school had no idea who The Roots were. I told them "You will soon enough". Unfortunately it took about 4 more years until the rest of the world found out who these guys were. I have every Roots album (Including the somewhat hard to find "Organix CD) and I must admit this is there best. The beats are hypnotizing. The rhymes are just pure improvinizational masterpieces!! Everything on this album works. In a time when a lot of hip hop is just glamorizing and showboating...its refreshing to hear music like this. Ok I'll stop boring everyone just go out and buy this album you wont be dissapointed!!!!!!!!!

Flashback to the Hip Hop scene of 1993-1994. To parallel the jazz split between East Coast Hard Bop and West coast cool of the late 50s, is the emergence of the G-funk movement in the west as East coast rappers grew progressively hardcore and millitant. Musically, this would be a low point for afficionados of this genre who refused to be polarized into either extreme. Enter the Roots.

While previous forays into merging hip hop and jazz (see A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets) relied heavily on sampling, the Roots must surely be unique with a sound crafted with acoustic instruments from very competent musicians. With a name like "Black Thought", resident lyricist with the Roots, one would expect his message to be peppered with heavy political overtones. Not quite. With a flow that relies heavily on scatting, he confesses to being "raised in the cellar with a rhythm like Ella", no doubt, a significant influence in his style.

Drummer Ahmir Thompson is the instrumental musician holding down the mix. That much is evident to the casual listener. He plays with a jazz sensitivity but his pounding backbeats lets the listener know that this is primarily a HipHop record. No simple task as most of todays acid jazz records feature a drummer wandering around aimlessly torn between the two genres. Thompson's work is even more impressive on D'Angelo's "Voodoo".

These days, the tracks on the album read like acid jazz classics. "Proceed", "I remain calm", "Mellow my man", and the live "Essaywhuman?!!!?" with a refreshing take on gospel influenced call and response. The self-described organic feel of the album contrasts directly with just about all else in Hip Hop. You know that you're hearing real musicians play real instruments. These guys cut their teeth in jazz clubs and not the studio.

As technically proficient as this group is, music, after all, must be felt. Give these guys a listen, especially if you're into A Tribe Called Quest, Guru, Mc Solaar and Digable Planets.

Highly recommended.

The Roots put the HIP in hip-hop. This album is ridiculously cool. I first saw The Roots, 2 years ago, on Chappelle's Show and I thought, "Yes, this is IT, this IS HIP-hop music" and I went out and bought "Phrenology" and enjoyed it thoroughly. And today, I finally picked up another album by this band. "Do You Want More?!!??!!" YES I DO!!! I've been in the dark about any of the other albums by the Roots, but now that I have this one, I will eventually own the entire catalog. I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! I mostly listen to jazz/blues/funk, anything with that groovin' element. When I was listening to samples of this album in the store, I couldn't believe how funkin grooven it was, then I heard the verse on "Mellow My Man" where ?uestlove drops in the swingin' jazz beat under Black Thought's rhyme, I had to purchase this. I can't wait to get more of The Roots. I could go on and on about this band. After hearing this, YOU WILL WANT MORE!!!!

Rhymes - 100% free of bling, bling BS, thoughtful and cool

Drums - Jam packed into the pocket, tight as can be, I mean, it's ?uestlove, whatta ya expect?

The Music - Mellow, tasteful, totally groovin

When visiting the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a friend of mine came across this CD laying on the street. He picked it up, put it in his CD player, and proceded to have one of the best listening experiences of his life.

This album is off the hook. Fly, rad, chill, whatever the kids are saying these days... or should it be dayz? The lyrics are insteresing and thought provoking, and the style is smooth, and relaxing. Real instruments, not synthesizers, provide the mellow background beats that accompany the beautiful vocals. Do You Want More?!!!?! features musicians and rappers whose stylings complement one another and have incredible chemistry. It is rare to find an album that flows so well from track to track.

My favorite song by the Roots is Distortion to Static, but every other song on this CD is excellent. Although Phrenology and Come Alive are more popular, this is my favorite Roots Album. (Not to say that the others aren't good.)

Ideally you should listen to this album driving down the highway with your windows down in a warm, sunny day. Pick this one up, its "essential."

I'll admit before I bought this CD I was a big heavy metal fan -until I went to see Rage Against the Machine live in concert. The opening act for them was a rap group called The Roots. I was skeptical at first, but when they hit the stage my mind changed completely. I never heard hip hop jazz before but I then knew it sure was groovin'. Soon after I bought DYWM! and have loved it ever since. Every track is a masterpiece of urban grooves and jazzy fatness. Tracks like 'Datskat', 'Distortion To Static' and 'Silent Treatment' are hip hop classics. Check out Rahzel's vocals on '? vs. Rahzel'. I am definitely won over to hip hop. Thanx Roots!

For musical snobs such as myself an album is considered a success if even three out of ten tracks stand out. In my opinion DYWM is not only The Roots' best album (with the exception of Organix, which I have not yet had the honour of obtaining), but is also one of the greatest works to have come out of the Jazz-Hop era.

As many of you would have heard, DYWM was recorded with 100% live instrumentation, and this works to perfection. In fact, this is the only hip-hop album with which I have found myself singing along to the instrumental lines, taking no heed of the lyrics. The instrumental lines are sharp, but never intrusive upon Black Thought's and Malik B's flow; jazzy enough to give the songs a unique texture, but not over-intricate to distract the listener from the vocals.

Black Thought and Malik B are perhaps one of the most made-for-each-other duos in hip-hop, bouncing off one another effortlessly on each track. Their lyrical presentation is crisp and fresh and provides a delicious counterpoint to the smooth, flowing instrumental lines. Both rappers have mastered the art of tonal variation (something not seen these days in commercial rap) and use it with wonderful effect on tracks such as Mellow My Man and Essaywhuman.

One of the great strengths of Do You Want More is that it has a near-perfect balance of quality music and accessibility, making it a great gateway album for those interested in The Roots or hip-hop in general. I would recommend this album to anyone - even those that are not yet into hip-hop. DYWM provides a great sample of The Roots' musical ability and will certainly leave you wanting more.

This is my favorite Roots album, despite the fact that seemingly everyone in the universe worships Things Fall Apart, which is also a very good album. But on Do You Want More, The Roots create a chill out jazzy vibe that I have never been able to find again on any other hip-hop album. This album is a great listen, either on your headphones or as background music in your living room. I just wish The Roots would drop the guitars and go back to the jazzy beats full time. Of course, they probably wouldn't have as many MTV videos if they did that, so hey, do your thing.

This was the second album that I picked up from The Roots (the first was The Tipping Point) and it has to be a real nice album to enjoy from beginning to end. It sounds like that they are at a live secession when recording this, with the instruments and the vocals. The second song gets the album going with the lead single "Proceed I" (There are about 5 different versions of this song on a bunch of 12" singles somewhere) as lead member Black Thought spits two verses, then Malik B finishes up the song. "Distortion To Static" is a song that features a bunch of laughter as the background vocals as the chorus. A standout track would be the song "Mellow My Man" as Black Thought passes the mic to Malik B on both verses. "I Remain Calm" is a loud track with drums. I couldn't decipher what the woman was saying in the back until a previous reviewer said she was saying "What the hell is this?", but Malik B and Black Thought come correct on this one. "Lazy Afternoon" as many people should have realized Black Though spits the same verse 3 times, each with a little more attitude than the previous. Rahzel would do his thing on the interlude "? vs. Rahzel". Another hot track is the title song "Do You Want More?!!!??!" as Black Thought rhymes over some bagpipes and drums that are played throughout the song. My only knock on this song is that Black Thought spits one solid verse and the track closes out with the title repeated with a few ad-libs. I was hoping he or Malik B would add another verse to the song. "What Goes On Part 7" is another laid back Roots style track with some tounge clicking curteosy of Rahzel. "Essaywhumam?!!!??!" gives me a somewhat of a confirmation that this was a live secession being recorded as instruments play and Black Thought handles the vocals, eventhough he doesn't rap. "Swept Away" is a song with a with a snare being played with a soft horn being played through the song, making it another standout. "You Ain't Fly" is a song about dissing some girl that rejected them, and yes ?uestion (now ?uestlove) raps on this song too, so its something worth hearing. "Silent Treatment" is a long song by Black Thought about a female that he liked (The group City High would sample this for that hit song "Carmel" about 4 years ago), as the music gives a relaxing feel. The listener should get out of that relaxed mode as the next track "The Lesson Part 1" as Black Thought and Dice Raw freestyle the entire track (Dice goes on for a good minute). Ursela Rucker would come by and drop a spoken word poem, that you have to listen real hard to understand what shes [really] saying other than the graphic words. I like it, because its somethig different that I've never heard on a hip hop album (whats funny is that Yvette's cell rings interrupting the poem somewhere in the middle). A great way to close the album off with something like this (I don't know and won't get into what the heck Rahzel does after the long silence following the spoken word.)

Overall this is a nice album, and a great experience to listeners to those who like hip hop with the help of live instruments. My only knock is that some songs they can give me a headache such as "Daskat" because of its loudness, but it doesn't take away from the album. I recommend this to all fans of Hip Hop, fans of live music and fans of the Roots, you can't go wrong.

Lyrics: A-
Production: A+ (live instruments)
Musical Vibes: A
Overall: A

Standout tracks: Proceed I, Mellow My Man, Swept Away, Do You Want More?!!!??!, and The Lesson Pt. 1