Undun Def Jam****

Few back in the day envisaged hip-hop careers stretching to 13 albums, but that's the tally reached by Philadelphia's Roots' crew. Undunis an ambitious undertaking by the band best known as the house band on Jimmy Fallon's late-night telly talk show; a concept album partly inspired by a Sufjan Stevens' track ( Redfordfrom Greetings from Michigan) about the death and demise of a young man called Redford Stevens. Exploring and expanding that narrative gives Undun a purpose and direction lacking in recent Roots' releases, as the band respond with relish to the challenge. Musically, bandleader ?uestlove finds new heights with the symphonic sweep of soulful jams and exquisite orchestral lushness (nods, perhaps, to his recent Philly Paris Lockdown project). The rhymes, though, are just as compelling, Black Thoughtlaying down the sorry story for all to see on I Rememberand The Other Side. See theroots.com

Download tracks: I Remember, The Other Side