Well-respected and a tad overrated, The Roots have gone from album to album trying to convince the world that this is the one where they live up to their hype. And even though Phrenology is hardly perfect, it’s the closest they’ve gotten to backing up their rep as “The Best Black Rock Group Ever”…or whatever. The secret isn’t confidence or experience or maturity although they all play a part in their development. From the sounds of things, the answer is much more simple: Top to bottom, this is the best batch of songs they’ve recorded.

Whether they’re improving on low-fi rhymespitter Cody Chesnutt’s “The Seed” or strutting and stomping through “Rock You.” there’s a cohesiveness and electricity that’s eluded them in the studio before. Add to that a wealth of styles and moods, and Phrenology becomes…not a great mix tape …more like a decathlon of musical interests. “Sacrifice” and “Break You Off” seduce you; “Something in the Way of Things (in Town)” risks being preachy but pulls it off with panache. And, hey, even when they stumble -- as on the would-be thrash indulgence of “!!!!!!!” -- they know it. And that’s why the only dud on a really long, impressive record is a mere 28-seconds long.

www.theroots.com