Of all the albums I've ever heard, this one is probably the one that has been the most important to developing my musical understanding.
The album is what rhythm n' blues, soul and funk sound like when married perfectly. The use of multi-tracked vocals, a strange falsetto that I didn't understand until recently and a hip-hop sensibility combine to form a groove that is limber enough to flex back and forth between love and jealousy, coolasapimp-swagger and vulnerable.
It's not just the horns, or the bass guitar or the vinyl scratches in places that seem to only need a quick sample to pull it together. It's not just the consistently drummed song of Questlove in the background pulling it all together like a musical quarterback. It's not just the peaks and valleys the songs have as you're brought up to the top of the church and then down to its exhausted floor.
Musically, I can't be where I am today without this album. I can't listen to it out of order. It's my #1 favorite of all time. It's the reason I do what I do.
Contributors to the album include: Pino Palladino, Questlove, Roy Hargrove, DJ Premier, Method Man, Redman, Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq, James Poyser, Charlie Hunter and J-Dilla.
