In August of 2006 The Roots released
their debut album on Def Jam to the usual critical acclaim, and while Game
Theory didn’t break any sales records it hasn’t discouraged the crew from
getting back in the studio. Roots drummer and spokesman ?uestlove tells
Billboard the album will drop in October of 07 or in February of 08.
It also sounds like we can expect a different feel from the new album. “We
are using a lot of synthesizer, but I don’t know if I could call this the
electronic album or not,” ?uest told Billboard. “Pretty much five or six
songs are done, and four of them are synth-heavy.” The Roots have also
recorded an original song, “I Will Not Apologize,” based on an old
track from Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. “I know somehow I’m going to find
the common thread of all this stuff,” Thompson offers. “I don’t know
what to call it, but it’s something.“
The Game Theory, which has sold a little under 200,000 copies to date, hasn’t fazed the drummer one bit, its just the climate of music today.
“Even my
president, with a $20 million campaign, has a victory at 1.3 million
copies,” he said referring to Kingdome Come. “We knew this
album was going to have as much to do with the marketplace as Barbra Streisand
on the soul charts. But the way I look at it, this is definitely a return to
form for us. Critics say we got our mojo back and our fan base agreed. That’s
really all we were concerned about.“
