Gift (Taproot album)

Gift is the third studio album and major label debut album by American alternative metal band Taproot. It was released on June 27, 2000. "I" and "Again & Again" were minor Mainstream Rock singles. The album has sold at least 250,000 copies.[12]

Gift
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 27, 2000
RecordedJanuary–March 2000
Studio
Genre
Length43:22
Label
ProducerUlrich 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
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[4]
Blabbermouth8/10[5]
Drowned in Sound10/10[6]
Kerrang![7][8]
Metal Hammer6/10[9]
PopMatters(average)[10]
Rolling Stone[11]

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.[12]

Music and lyrics

Described as a nu metal album,[12][13] the album's lyrical themes are primarily about topics such as depression and disliking life.[3][12] 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.[3][11][12] The album consists of vocal styles such as singing, rapping, growling and screaming.[3][6][12]

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 "Thrift Whore", "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.[14]

Credits

  • Stephen Richards - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
  • Mike DeWolf - Lead Guitar
  • Phil Lipscomb - Bass
  • Jared Montague - Drums


Charts

Album

Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[16] 160
US Heatseekers[16] 6

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
2000 "Again & Again" Mainstream Rock Tracks[17] 39
2001 "I" Mainstream Rock Tracks[17] 34

References

  1. "Taproot - Gift (Behind the Scenes)".
  2. "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
  3. Allmusic review
  4. Album reviews at CD Universe
  5. Borivoj Krgin. "CD Reviews - Gift Taproot". Blabbermouth.
  6. "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on 2012-11-25. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  7. Strong, M.C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate. p. 421. ISBN 9781841958606. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  8. Griffiths, Mark (August 5, 2000). "Albums". Kerrang!. EMAP (813): 46.
  9. Sadler, Darren (October 2000). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer. Future plc (79): 77. ISSN 0955-1190.
  10. PopMatters review
  11. Rolling Stone review
  12. "Artist Spotlight: Taproot". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 73, no. 6. CMJ Network, Inc. October 21, 2002. p. 23. ISSN 0890-0795.
  13. "Interview:Mike DeWolf of Taproot Cryptic Rock". Cryptic Rock.
  14. Wookubus (2018-10-26). "Taproot Detail Extensive 8 CD Rarities Set "Besides"". PRP. The PRP. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  15. Gift - Taproot - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
  16. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
  17. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.