Asher Roth – Asleep In The Bread Aisle (Island)

This is probably one of the most unexciting albums that I have heard lately. I tend to keep an open mind, especially in relation to hip-hop/rap and its derivations, but Asher Roth reminds me of all the reasons these sounds do not do anything for me.

The rather mediocre Asleep In The Bread Aisle is Roth’s second album and lacks any originality. The sounds seem to be repeated in every track and they do not add anything to the mix of beats from those artists we are already familiar with.

Only half way through the album things get slightly more interesting, with the track ‘As I Em’. This song talks about the comparisons with Eminem, something he has been target of since the start of his career. He is apparently “sick of it” – but if you ask me, the analogy is quite legitimate.

The album includes collaborations with a few artists such as Busta Rhymes, Chester French, New Kingdom and Jazze Paz. In fact, the tracks in which these ‘guests’ contribute are the best ones from the album. (This should be telling us something!)

The lyrics lack depth, the sounds lack variety, and, by the end, one feels tired of listening to the same thing for the thirteenth time.

To fall asleep in the bread aisle does not seem much of a bad idea now…