Asher Roth – Asleep In The Bread Aisle

Asher Roth has gathered reams upon reams of hype ever since he dropped “Roth Boys” and The Greenhouse Effect. Rap magazines dubbed him the “next big thing.” The Internet crowned him the “white Lupe Fiasco.” That none of this is true doesn’t mean Roth is not worth his weight. FINDtheSHIT gave his debut album a spin. In case you missed it, here’s FINDtheSHIT‘s track-by-track synopsis of Asleep in the Bread Aisle.

The album kicks off with a bang but never quite sustains that intensity. Still, there are some magical moments here.

1. “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.
2. “Blunt Cruise” – Beautifully textured. Terribly sequenced.
3. “I Love College” – Old news. Blends nerdiness with pop bliss. Lyrics bored us to tears.
4. “La Di Da” – Basks in the austere grandeur of warm meditations.
5. “Be By Myself (Ft. Cee-Lo)” – Makes Crow want to jump up and dance … by himself.
6. “She Don’t Want A Man (Ft. Keri Hilson)” – A tall, skinny glass of synth-pop topped with cornelian cherry. Surefire single. Waste of Estelle’s talent.
7. “Sour Patch Kids” – Frozen, thawed, dipped in a bucket of electronic sounds, then poured down the speakers with a vengeance. Intense.
8. “As I Em” – Myth: The similarities = complexion & vocal inflection. Fact: The similarities extend beyond complexion & vocal inflection.
9. “Lions Roar” (Ft. Busta Rhymes) – A rush of electricity sprawled across the soundscape. 2 million bpm. Busta feels right at home.
10. “Bad Day” (Ft. Jazze Pha) – Mildly amusing tales we can all relate to on some level.
11. “His Dream” – Mellow, ambient rap. Unravels slowly. A good narrative.
12. “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 in the Bread Aisle is a compelling, though uneven, hodgepodge of tales drawn from his unique experience. Despite Roth’s blatant attempt to appeal to everyone at the same time, the songs work together like a sonic Jenga. For good or bad.