The Roots - Dilla Joints/Jawns [Mixtape]

So we all know about my love of J Dilla and my obvious respect for The Roots from my Okayplayer link/love on the right (OK, the latter may not have been that obvious but c'mon now - Black Thought, ?uestlove, Things Fall Apart, Jimmy Fallon? How can you NOT respect The Roots?) So the combination of the two should be like a dream come true for me right?...The greatest album of all time?...OK, maybe not, but it's at least a free, solid mixtape release that I didn't hear about until now.

The Roots have been longtime friends/collaborators with the late, great Jay Dee so this album of J Dilla covers by The Roots seems long overdue. It came out February of this year to coincide with all the other J Dilla Tributes being released for the anniversary of his passing. The album has more of a mellow feel to it and seems surprisingly sparse. I personally prefer the hard hitting drums of Dilla's programming so it'd be hard for any live drummer to "replace" the percussion that was so inherent to the identity of his sound, but this tribute still retains the spirit of Dilla while giving it The Roots' patented interpretation. Downloads and links below:

Download the Mixtape here: The Roots - Dilla Joints

The Roots Website: http://www.theroots.com/

Spread the Love: http://www.jdillafoundation.org/

Watch The Roots every weeknight on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon