The Roots getting better with age

I was worried about The Roots for a while. The move to become a late-night variety show’s band seemed dangerous, usually reserved for uninteresting musicians who just want to grab a steady paycheck (i.e., Kevin Eubanks). Somehow, The Roots proved me wrong — and even made what might be their most mature album yet.

“How I Got Over” owes a debt to Jimmy Fallon’s show, where The Roots have been exposed to some of the best artists in indie rock, many of whom pepper the album. The female vocalists from The Dirty Projectors contribute to the instrumental opener, and Jim James and Joanna Newsom provide choruses on later songs. The guests are used tastefully and sound completely appropriate.

From the beginning, it’s obvious that the band is going for something darker, peaking with “Dear God 2.0,” a song featuring Monsters of Folk. Not until the title track at the halfway point does the mood lighten and The Roots actually start to rock a bit.

The move from dark to light is uplifting but sure to scare away people who only listen to the first few songs of an album. Regardless, “How I Got Over” is a fascinating journey from night to day.