Track Listings (12) - Disc #1| All Artists: Taproot Title: Our Long Road Home Members Wishing: 0 Total Copies: 0 Label: VELVET HAMMER MUSIC Original Release Date: 1/1/2008 Re-Release Date: 9/16/2008 Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, Rock, Metal Styles: Pop Rap, Alternative Metal Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPC: 812426010002 |
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Search - Taproot :: Our Long Road Home
 | Taproot Our Long Road Home Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, Rock, Metal
They've shared stages with the likes of Linkin Park and Queens of the Stone Age, blanketed the airwaves with hook-laden rock radio hits, and seen all three of their albums (2000's Gift, 2002's Welcome, 2005's Blue Sky Rese... more » |
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Product Description They've shared stages with the likes of Linkin Park and Queens of the Stone Age, blanketed the airwaves with hook-laden rock radio hits, and seen all three of their albums (2000's Gift, 2002's Welcome, 2005's Blue Sky Research) chart within the top 35 on Billboard's Top 200. We're talking of course about Ann Arbor, MI-based quartet Taproot, which has returned with its first album in three years, the highly anticipated Our Long Road Home. After recording three albums for a major label, Taproot returns as an indie band, and as vocalist/guitarist Stephen Richards tells it, that suits them just fine. "A few years ago, that might've been a scary thing, but it s a brand-new world out there now for bands like us," Richards says. "We no longer have to rely on a big record company to make things happen, and that's exciting." For this record, the band returned to its hometown of Ann Arbor, MI, where Taproot recorded in a converted barn just a few minutes down the road from Richards's home. "We made each of our previous albums in expensive studios and always had to keep one eye on the clock to finish on budget," he says. "This time we got to record an album the way we did our early demos: relaxed, at our own pace, and allowed to indulge in our own guilty pleasures. It proved that you can actually go home again." Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsHonest opinion from a longtime fan... Hostile Apostle | Midwestern Somewhere, USA | 09/18/2008 (3 out of 5 stars) "I have been a fan since Welcome. Then I backtracked to Gift, which by the way, is a great album. "Smile" and "Again and Again" are two of the best songs I've ever seen live. I saw these guys once on the Welcome tour and twice on the Blue Sky Research tour. I've seen over 50 bands live, ranging from Rage Against the Machine to the Beastie Boys(actually that was the same show and it was killer!!), but my favorite is Taproot. The energy simply can't be matched and Stephen has the least forced scream I've witnessed in person. I was a huge fan of Blue Sky Research. Easily their most diverse record, the tempo shifted from heavy to melodic and back seamlessly throughout the entire album. That brings us to Our Long Road Home. Recorded in a remodeled barn near Stephen's home in Michigan, the band created it's first independent album since pre-Gift, giving them the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Unfortunately on some tracks, it's easy to understand why. Don't get me wrong, there are some killer cuts here. Old school fans will still dig the hell out of "Path Less Taken" and "Take It." "Karmaway" may be the highlight of the whole album. With its lazy, soaring guitar riff, it has a very un-Taproot vibe to it, almost epic in a way. The single "Wherever I Stand" is pretty catchy, but not in the same realm as past singles like "Poem" or "Calling." "Be the 1" grows on you and "Stethoscope" is a beautiful instrumental that seems like it could've been better off as an intro to an actual song. With the good however, come the bad. "Run to" is the definition of cheesy nu-metal rock, even more so than "Promise" from BSR. The chorus just feels forced and would've been more appropriately sung by Chris Daughtry. It's just not very good. "It's Natural" features the first time use of female vocals by the band, with lackluster results. The remaining tracks here are just average. Our Long Road Home in a nutshell isn't a bad effort from Taproot, just not what I've come to expect from a band that has never ceased to amaze over the years. I guess it's basically what I expected: some really killer jams, and some effortless pop songs. While not as balanced as BSR, it's a decent effort and will surely find its niche within both diehard fans as well as new ones." Taproot matures J. Piper | Massachusetts | 09/17/2008 (5 out of 5 stars) "I was wondering how Taproot was going to follow up their best release, the amazingly varied "Blue-Sky Research," and I must say this new album is a pleasant surprise. The majority of the album is filled with mid-tempo songs that have more melody than they ever have used before. Sure there are still a few songs like the jaw dropping first song, "Path Less Taken" which shows that they can still be heavy if they want to, but songs like the amazing first single, "Wherever I Stand" set the tone for the album. Another highlight is "As One" which has one of the catchiest choruses you will ever hear from this band. Personally, I think that the band is much better now than they were when they first started out. They have risen above their nu-metal pasts and become an excellent melodic hard rock band. I think that "Blue-Sky Research" was their crowning jewel so far because it balanced out their heavy songs with their melodic songs almost perfectly, but this album is quickly winning me over. Just a refreshing listen overall." Buy it! Mazeroth | 09/20/2008 (5 out of 5 stars) "I became a huge fan of Taproot after seeing the Poem video and buying Welcome. Welcome is one of my favorite albums of all time, with Myself topping the list of my favorite songs of all time. Blue Sky Research shocked me at first but turned out to be a fantastic album once I gave it some time and really got a chance to digest it. I've listened to it almost as much as Welcome and would put it in my top 10 albums of all time.
I just picked up Our Long Road Home and was, again, shocked. However, the more I listen to it the more I like it, much in the same way that Blue Sky Research won me over. I am absolutely blown away by It's Natural, a track featuring a female vocalist with Stephen. The same blown away I was when I first heard Myself, a track so different from anything I'd heard before that it became something special. The style of Stephen's vocals and the way they're mixed in this track is first rate. To be honest with you, I had goosebumps listening to it this morning driving to work when they have a duet at the end. Yes, it's THAT good. (Listening to it right now on my headphones!) Now, don't get me wrong, the album isn't perfect but it's still a fantastic album. There are things I wish Taproot would do more of (a few heavier tracks and not sounding so commercial at times) but they've matured over the years and I think they're going to appeal to a much larger crowd with this release than they did with Blue Sky Research. Selling out, not at all. Making great music that a lot of people will love, yes. Keep making great music, guys. Looking forward to seeing you on tour soon!" |
