Game Theory
Despite their signing to Def Jam, onGame Theorythe Roots head in a direction opposite from all the trendy, commercial formulas that the label has pioneered. This is as intensely a "Roots album" as anything they've put out, the rightful sequel to their brilliant, creativePhrenology(unlike their last album, the off-balanceTipping Point.Game Theoryis a dark and brooding affair, not just in Black Thought's foreboding lyricism but also in its musical textures. There's a layer of melancholia running beneath nearly every song, whether in the heavy thump of  "In the Music" or the frenetic verve of "Here I Come." Track-for-track, this isn't The Roots' most scintillating collection of songs, but listened to from end-to-end, it's actually a remarkable achievement in album-making. Every song builds into the next one, and those willing to experienceGame Theoryas a 47-minute suite of 13 songs will be richly rewarded by how precisely the whole puzzle fits together.--Oliver Wang