Live albums are a curious phenomenom. On the one hand, you get a chance to relisten to a bunch of tracks from one of your favourite groups, usually with more emotion than the album versions. Then again, you're paying for a bunch of tracks that you already own, except with some anonymous people occasionally shouting. Now we have The Roots, who have been occasionally criticised for not bringing the energy of their live shows into their recorded material.

I'll get the formalities out of the way first. This is a dope album. Buy it. The Roots don't make wack records, and this release lives up to their standards. Firstly, the flaws. You have to pay for tracks that you already own. This is about it. I don't want to make myself look like a dickrider, but this album is uncannily good. Obviously, it doesn't match up to a full length album of new material from the crew, but you've already had 'Things Fall Apart,' 'The Legendary' and Rahzel's album.

Quite frankly, they do a great job of bringing a live experience to your stereo. Black Thought's performance as MC is outstanding, and lets the rest of band amicably perform their duties. Unlike some live recordings, cheers and screams don't drown out the sound of the actual music. Guest appearances come on where appropriate to the individual tracks, and fit in well with the overall performances. And there's even some messing around/remixing of the joints if you're a bit bored of them.

To be honest, there's not all that much to write. Its a live Roots performance. It's clear, entertaining, and energetic. There are a few studio tracks, but they are inconsequential to the overall album. I can't say much, its dope, worth a purchase, and you should buy it. That's it.