Gift (Taproot album)

Gift
Studio album by
Taproot
ReleasedJune 27, 2000
RecordedJanuary–March 2000
Studios
GenreNu metal
Length43:22
Labels
ProducersUlrich Wild
David Benveniste
Taproot chronology
Upon Us
(1999)		 Gift
(2000)		 Welcome
(2002)
Singles from Gift
  1. "Again & Again"
    Released: April 28, 2000
  2. "I"
    Released: January 20, 2001

Gift is the debut studio album by American alternative metal band Taproot. It was released on June 27, 2000. The singles "Again & Again" and "I" reached No. 39 and No. 34 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album has sold over 250,000 copies.[2]

Background, writing and recording

Taproot singer Stephen Richards told CMJ New Music Report that the songs on Gift were written in 1997, playing the songs for a few years. He claimed that "Dragged Down" and "Now" were the only songs written specifically for Gift. Taproot spent six weeks working on Gift.[2]

Music and lyrics

Described as a nu metal album,[2][3][4] the album's lyrical themes are primarily about topics such as depression and disliking life.[5][2] Taproot's vocalist Stephen Richards' vocals on the album Gift have been compared to vocalists such as Chino Moreno, Trent Reznor, Jonathan Davis and Mike Patton.[5][6][2] The album consists of vocal styles such as singing, rapping, growling and screaming.[5][7][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star[5]
Alternative PressStarStarStar[8]
Blabbermouth8/10[9]
Drowned in Sound10/10[7]
Kerrang!StarStarStarStarStar[10][11]
Metal Hammer6/10[12]
PopMatters(average)[13]
Rolling StoneStarStarStar[6]

AllMusic's Brian Musich stated "dropping in a time when rap-rock is all the rage, as it sells albums like mad, garners instant publicity from MTV, and packs stadiums in a new generation of concert festivals, Taproot is guaranteed media exposure and a large built-in fan base." He added, "If they had dropped Gift two years earlier, Taproot would be pioneers. Instead, they are adequate followers."[5] In June 2000, CMJ New Music Monthly called the music "blistering melodic metal" and compared the vocals to Incubus and Faith No More.[14] In her July 2000 review, CMJ New Music Report's Amy Sciarretto wrote that it "sounds like Faith No More engorged with programming or Incubus spiked with more guitar grit."[15] In October 2000, Ben Raynor of Drowned in Sound gave the album a positive review, and praised the vocals of Stephen Richards, writing that, "Taproot are the perfect antidote to rap metal at a time when music needs them."[7]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Smile"3:34
2."Again & Again"3:55
3."Emotional Times"3:03
4."Now"3:21
5."1 Nite Stand"3:39
6."Believed"4:02
7."Mentobe"3:39
8."I"4:15
9."Mirror's Reflection"3:10
10."Dragged Down"3:30
11."Comeback"4:25
12."Impact"2:49
Total length:43:22
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Day By Day"3:21
Total length:46:43

Notes

  • Tracks 2, 6, 7, 9 and 11 are re-recordings of early songs the appeared on the demos, "...Something More Than Nothing" and "Upon Us". Both were released in 1998 and 1999.
  • A b-side, "Day By Day", can be found on the Dracula 2000 soundtrack, CD single for "Again & Again" and the Japanese release of "Gift". It would later be released as a digital single in 2020 as part of the Warner Bros. Archive series.
  • Other b-sides entitled "Thriftwhore", "Strive", and "Get Me" can be found through file-sharing networks. These recordings, along with "Day By Day", would later be officially released on the 2018 boxset Besides.[16]

Personnel

Taproot[17]

  • Stephen Richards – vocals, programming
  • Mike DeWolf – guitar
  • Phil Lipscomb – bass
  • Jared Montague – drums

Production[17]

  • Tom Baker – digital editing, mastering
  • Frank Gryner – assistant mix engineer (1-5, 9, 12)
  • Erin Haley – production management
  • Scott Humphrey – mixing (1-5, 9, 12)
  • Matt Quave – assistant engineer
  • Ted Reiger – assistant mix engineer (6-8, 10, 11)
  • Edward Smith – photography
  • Ulrich Wild – producer, engineer, mixing (6-8, 10, 11)
  • Brad Winslow – assistant engineer

Charts

Album

Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[18] 160
US Heatseekers[18] 6

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
2000 "Again & Again" Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] 39
2001 "I" Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] 34

References

  1. ↑ "Taproot - Gift (Behind the Scenes)". YouTube. April 11, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Artist Spotlight: Taproot". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 73, no. 6. CMJ Network, Inc. October 21, 2002. p. 23. ISSN 0890-0795.
  3. ↑ "Interview:Mike DeWolf of Taproot Cryptic Rock". Cryptic Rock. July 3, 2013.
  4. ↑ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Allmusic review
  6. 1 2 Rolling Stone review
  7. 1 2 3 "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  8. ↑ Album reviews at CD Universe
  9. ↑ Borivoj Krgin. "CD Reviews - Gift Taproot". Blabbermouth.
  10. ↑ Strong, M.C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate. p. 421. ISBN 9781841958606. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  11. ↑ Griffiths, Mark (August 5, 2000). "Albums". Kerrang! (813). EMAP: 46.
  12. ↑ Sadler, Darren (October 2000). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer (79). Future plc: 77. ISSN 0955-1190.
  13. ↑ PopMatters review
  14. ↑ CMJ New Music Report (PDF). June 19, 2000. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ "CMJNew Music Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ Wookubus (2018-10-26) (October 16, 2018). "Taproot Detail Extensive 8 CD Rarities Set "Besides"". PRP. The PRP. Retrieved August 16, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. 1 2 Gift - Taproot - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
  18. 1 2 Gift - Taproot - Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
  19. 1 2 Gift - Taproot - Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
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