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Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle
- The only similarities between Asher Roth and Eminem are skin color and catchy lyrics. While Eminem grew up struggling with his personal demons in a rather poor neighborhood in Detroit, Roth lived in a middle class suburban town 30 miles Northeast of Philadelphia and studied at West Chester University. Whereas Eminem raps about his troubled upbringing and occasional humorous celebrity bashing, Roth raps about the pleasures of life—sleeping with chicks, drinking, partying, and smoking.
Of course, whenever we turn on the radio to hear Roth’s catchy and successful hit single “I Love College,” it’s easy to deem him an Eminem wannabe. But with Roth’s new album hitting shelves this week, “Asleep in the Bread Aisle” couldn’t be further away from any of Marshall Mather’s discs or style.
However, like Eminem who came into the game rapping about familiar situations such as his deadbeat mother and troubled life, Asher markets himself the same way by rapping about growing up in peaceful suburbia. From hooking up with an abundance of girls in college to “Blunt Cruisin” with his friends, he’s made sure to act as the middle class’s rapping voice. A kid in his early 20s, Roth’s approach to the hip-hop game is giving kids who, like him, grew up listening to gangster rap a chance to relate.
Although I went into listening to this CD with low expectations, Roth thoroughly surprised me with his relatable and catchy lyrics all while maintaining a sense of humor. Roth delivers in his first major debut and does it well.
So let’s get this Eminem comparison out of the way since one of my favorite tracks on the album is about the leading rapper. “As I Em” is a witty and insightful look into Roth’s mind as he clears the differences between him and the famed shocker lyricist. Backed by a cool reggae, guitar driven beat with up and coming band Chester French on the chorus, Roth talks about his respect for Mathers while separating the two identities.
His first single, “I Love College,” is an ode to loving life in college and gives fathers across the country a look into who they don’t want their teenage daughters hanging out with. Although depending on which college you decided to go to, Roth’s lyrics make this an anthem for college kids, new and old. I can’t tell you how many times "time isn't wasted when you're getting wasted" has been quoted on my 18-year-old brother’s FaceBook wall.
“Be By Myself” shows the single side of Roth as he raps about a girl who wants him to settle down and he simply won’t. With a catchy hook by Cee-Lo, the song is my personal favorite on the album. Another close favorite is “Blunt Cruisin.” With lyrics such as “We hoppin’ out like the Mystery Machine” and “My eyes be the size of Mr. Miyagi’s,” Asher’s pop-culture references make it interesting and catchy.
“Bad Day” is a song anyone can relate to when Roth’s day includes disaster after disaster. From him sitting on a painful flight next to a ”morbidly obese beast” to running into an old annoying high school peer, the song has a funny edge and proves his talent as a humorous lyricist.
Though Roth gains some help with artists such as Keri Hilson and Busta Rhymes, at times he’s stuck with good lyrics and badly produced tracks. It seems as though producer, Orel Yoel, gave the new rapper average sounding beats for the first half of the album.
Roth has his faults too. His energy lacks on songs such as “Lark on My Go-Kart” where he sounds very monotone and robot-esque with blatant statements such as "If you're trying to have sex / I'm the best at it." If it weren’t for Keri Hilson bringing the energy with the catchy and silly chorus on “She Don’t Wanna Man,” the song would be a snoozer. And even with the help of Busta Rhymes, “Lion’s Roar.” Roth’s creativity suffers when he tries to compare his own sexual desire to that of a lion’s. I’m not even sure where he was trying to go with that one.
Towards the end of the album, Roth cuts deep into his emotional side with the uplifting song “His Dream” about a father who sets aside his own dream about becoming an author as he helps protect his son’s aspiration of becoming a writer. Despite the genre differences, they both realize they share the same passion for writing. Asher closes out the album with an autobiographical track called “Fallin.” From his dreams of becoming a rapper to rapping in his high school days, the middle class man takes you along his journey to success.
All in all, the CD provides a decent mixture of songs while showcasing Roth’s talent as a lyricist. For his first album, Asher runs into minor mishaps but proves as a whole that he may have something in common with Eminem after all. Depending on where he takes his next album, the kid’s got staying power.
Reviewer: Chantal Waldholz
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 7.50
Reader's Votes: 2
Added: 23-Apr-2009
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