Asher Roth: Asleep In The Bread Aisle

Whether it was being helmed as one of the Top 10 Freshmen for 2009 by XXL or The Greenhouse Effect mixtape, Asher was having a tough time fighting off the “Wannabe Eminem” label. I mean, sure, he’s white, and he’s a rapper, so why not right? Well, like Eminem, he’s very skillful and he’s got a bit of an edge on most emcees: he’s dope. With his first release on Universal Motown, Asher Roth‘s Asleep in the Bread Aisle may have a title that defines the album a little too accurately: a rapper with a grocery store of selection, yet, settles with the most convenient lane. Even with that said, the potential of this emcee couldn’t be clearer, but there are plenty of elements in AITBA that will frustrate, bore, and impress the listener all at once.

The first single, “I Love College,” couldn’t be more distant from the rest of this album. Despite it being a song to ménage college kids everywhere, it evidently sticks out as the “single song.” The second single, “Lark on my Go-Kart,” packs a bigger and better punch as it jams hard hitting drums with so-what lyrics loaded with Saved by the Bell references and clever pop culture wordplay like “Get a Wii Fit to practice your frees with” and “Razor Ramon flow, oh so sharp,” amongst others.

“Blunt Crusin’” shows how appropriate the date of 4-20 is for the album’s release and is sure to appeal to fans of that nature. Unfortunately, “She Don’t Wanna Man” (featuring Keri Hilson) is another out-of-place joint and is horribly force-fed. “Bad Day,” which features the always annoying Jazzy Pha, has potential but never really sets off. This is how a majority of the album works; it’s always almost there.

“Fallin’” and “His Dream” are more than capable of fulfilling even the most hateful critic. When Asher is this sincere, retrospective, and in depth, is when he gets the most out of his skill. Then again, he doesn’t need to mellow out to be tremendous; he shows on “La Di Da” that he can set off emotionally charged emotions on an equally emotion beat by Don Cannon. On “As I Em,” Asher addresses the “elephant in the room,” and he does it so pleasantly, so convincingly, and so profoundly that one cannot help but feel his pain of this burden he’ll most likely carry for the rest of his career. These four joints alone show why Asher Roth is not your average rapper.

He hits a healthy medium with “Sour Patch Kids” and “Be By Myself,” combining elements of his obvious commercial appeal and his undeniable unique talent as an emcee that true hip hop fans understand. Newcomer Orel Yoel satisfies this album’s production needs and never really falls short, but stays content with the situation and plays everything safe, which is fine. Nevertheless, it’s this juggle of sell-ability and skill display throughout the LP that sets this 12 track project back a few steps for Asher, when he clearly could’ve soared beyond expectations with more of a particular focus.

The onus really lies on Asher’s shoulders, but he never really hits a consistency or stride in terms of his ultimate talent. Because his voice is heavily un-engaging and monotone, he has to depend on his subject matter and his passionate emotion to carry him. He has plenty of emotion and evidently has great material to discuss, but AITBA never attempts to exploit his brilliance, but more or less exploits his commercial commodity.

73/100

Standout Tracks:

“La Di Da”

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“Fallin’”

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“His Dream”

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