Flo Rida scored a big hit in 2008 with the hypnotic \u201cLow,\u201d following a trend in mainstream hip-hop spearheaded by Soulja Boy and favoring bass-heavy, minimalistic arrangements and computer-made beats. Likewise, Flo Rida\u2019s sophomore album, R.O.O.T.S. <\/i>(Route Of Overcoming The Struggle<\/i>, a theme that emerges only sporadically), dabbles in light electronica, atomic-bomb-sized synthesizers, and ringtone rap \u2013 beats that evoke the feeling of being trapped inside a chronic texter\u2019s cellphone. Unlike most rappers, Flo Rida turns the lucrative genre into a valid form of art, mostly due to his ear for a good melody. Nearly every tune on R.O.O.T.S.<\/i> has a chorus that could\u2019ve been pilfered from Akon\u2019s candy shop of hooks. Flo even partners with him in one, the seductive and disco-y \u201cAvailable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flo shows his two sides: the girl-obsessed Casanova, hopelessly addicted to girls, strip clubs and hooking up, and the \u201cmeaningful\u201d side, acknowledging his past and the obstacles he overcame to reach platinum status. The former is more prevalent, but both prove decent songsmiths. He scatters three songs \u2013 four if you count \u201cMind On My Money\u201d \u2013 that specifically deal with his past throughout the album, the most memorable being \u201cRewind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lascivious, upbeat songs keep R.O.O.T.S.<\/i> from fizzing out, however. \u201cRight Round,\u201d which wears its \u201cYou Spin Me Round (Like A Record)\u201d sample almost like a parody of the goofy Dead Or Alive original, is tastefully obscene pop-rap at its very finest. Nelly Furtado is perfectly cast in the booming \u201cJump,\u201d letting her fluttery vocals evoke the song\u2019s title.<\/p>\n
Though the production is definitely commercially formulated, it is done so in a high-caliber and masterful way. Flo makes the choppy synthesizers and skittering beats sound fresh by way of his syrupy and multi-tracked vocals and a galvanizing disco influence. Nothing on R.O.O.T.S.<\/i> is as instantly memorable as the inflated bass and ear-nesting electro-beat of \u201cLow.\u201d But with hooks this revved-up and well-crafted, Flo Rida doesn\u2019t need to worry about \u201cLow\u201d being the only