By Harry McCarthy ’13, Staff Writer

I’ve never been the type to make bold claims.  I say this to show how serious I am about this next statement:  “Undun” is the best album of 2011.  Period.  This album, The Roots’ 11^th LP centers on Redford Stevens. The album is his story told in reverse, beginning with the moment his tragic tale of urban crime ends back through the moments of his life where he realizes the futility of his struggle.  With “Undun,” QuestLove and BlackThought have penned an amazing existential tale about the trials and tribulations of a gangster everyman. He comes to realize the meaninglessness of his struggle to survive, yet still dies due to his life of crime, becoming the very statistic from which he strove to free himself. In addition to being an extraordinarily well-written concept album, “Undun” highlights the Roots’ musical talent which is at its best in years.  Although it is a rather short album (if you exclude the orchestral movements that open and close the album, it comes in at around 30 minutes), the Roots manage to fit in some of their best tracks, ever.  Songs like “Stomp” and “Kool On” are classic Roots, with their perfect kick snare patterns to the biting rhymes of BlackThought and Greg P.O.R.N (who makes numerous guest appearances on “Undun”).  It is worth noting that the name Redford Stevens is inspired by Sufjan Stevens song “Redford (For Yia-Yia and Pappou)”, and Sufjan’s indie influence shows on some of the album’s most haunting moments like “Make My” and  “Tip The Scale.”  It is the raw beauty of these two tracks that made “Undun” my favorite album of 2011.  “Make My” is built around a soft piano melody, accompanied with the soulful crooning of a Harlem choir.  Though the strong voices of Dice Raw and BlackThought aren’t the best at conveying the raw emotion of “Make My,” which comes at the beginning of “Undun” and therefore the end of Redford’s story, they do an amazing job conveying the ideas of futility and acceptance that lace the story of Redford Stevens.  This album may be short, it may not be “raw’ enough for some people, but it conveys an idea and tells a common story in such a unique way that it deserves praise and accolades that, unfortunately, it will likely not receive.

5 Out of 5 Stars

Key Tracks

“Make My”

“Kool On”

“Tip the Scale”

P.S. There is a great iPhone app that the band made which gives some more life to the characters and story of “Undun”.  It is free in the App Store and worth checking out.