Gift (Taproot album)
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- Master Control Recording in Burbank, Los Angeles, California
Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California[1]
| Gift | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 27, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 2000 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Nu metal | |||
| Length | 43:22 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Ulrich Wild David Benveniste | |||
| Taproot chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Gift | ||||
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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]
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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Alternative Press | [8] |
| Blabbermouth | 8/10[9] |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10[7] |
| Kerrang! | [10][11] |
| Metal Hammer | 6/10[12] |
| PopMatters | (average)[13] |
| Rolling Stone | [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. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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]
