The danger in hyping up an artist so much is that people tend to expect perfection right off the bat. This is a good way to ensure disappointment. Take Asher Roth, for instance. He’s gathered reams upon reams of hype ever since he dropped “Roth Boys” and The Greenhouse Effect. Rap mags dubbed him the “next big thing.” Internetz crowned him the “white Lupe Fiasco.” That none of this is true doesn’t mean Roth is not worth his weight. I gave his debut album a spin last night and tweeted my thoughts in real time. In case you missed it, here’s my track-by-track synopsis of Asleep on the Bread Aisle.
The album kicks off with a bang but never quite sustains that intensity. Still, there are some magical moments here.
- “Lark on My Go Cart” – He smashed this piñata right on the nose. And we’re the lucky recipients of the candy-coated, bite-sized metaphors. Three minutes of trunk-rattling goodness.
- “Blunt Cruise”
– Beautifully textured. Terribly sequenced.- “I Love College”
– Old news. Blends nerdiness with pop bliss. Lyrics bore me to tears.- “La Di Da”
– Basks in the austere grandeur of warm meditations.- “Be By Myself (Ft. Cee-Lo)”
– Makes me want to jump up and dance … by myself.- “She Don’t Want A Man (Ft. Estelle)”
– A tall, skinny glass of synth-pop topped with cornelian cherry. Surefire single. Waste of Estelle’s talent.- “Sour Patch Kids”
– Frozen, thawed, dipped in a bucket of electronic sounds, then poured down the speakers with a vengeance. Intense - “As I Em” – Myth: The similarities = complexion & vocal inflection. Fact: The similarities extend beyond complexion & vocal inflection.
- “Lions Roar” (Ft. Busta Rhymes)
– A rush of electricity sprawled across the soundscape. 2 million bpm. Busta feels right at home.- “Bad Day” (Ft. Jazze Pha)
– Mildly amusing tales we can all relate to on some level.- “His Dream”
– Mellow, ambient rap. Unravels slowly. A good narrative.- “Fallin’”
– This is a nod to Jay-Z, who Asher Roth claims as his primary influence (if you believe that nonsense), in more ways than one. His playful delivery stacks against blasts of staccato rhythm. Get past the nursery rhymes and you’ll find it irresistible.
Overall, Asleep on the Bread Aisle is an average, uneven hodgepodge of tales drawn from Asher Roth’s unique experience. Get past Roth’s blatant attempt to appeal to everyone at the same time and the songs work together like a sonic Jenga.
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