Gift (Taproot album)

2000 studio album by Taproot

Gift

Studio album by

Taproot

Released| June 27, 2000
Recorded| January–March 2000
Studio|

* Master Control Recording in Burbank, Los Angeles, California
Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California[1]

Genre| Nu metal
Length| 43:22
Label|

* Atlantic
* Velvet Hammer

Producer| Ulrich 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

Gift is the first studio album and major label debut 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]

## Background, writing and recording

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview 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

[edit]

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

Japanese edition bonus trackNo.| Title| Length

|
|

13.| "Day By Day"| 3:21
Total length:| 46:43

## Notes

[edit]

* 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]

## Credits

[edit]

Taproot

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

Production

* Tom Baker - Digital editing, mastering[17]
* Frank Gryner \- Assistant engineer[17]
* Scott Humphrey \- Mixing[17]
* Ted Reiger - Assistant engineer[17]
* Stephen Richards - Programming, vocals[17]
* Edward Smith - Photography[17]
* Ulrich Wild \- Engineer, mixing, producer[17]

## Charts

[edit]

Album

Chart (2000)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard 200[18] | 160
US Heatseekers[18] | 6

Singles \- Billboard (United States)

Year  | Single  | Chart  | Position

|
|
|

2000  | "Again & Again"  | Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] | 39
2001  | "I"  | Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] | 34

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Taproot - Gift (Behind the Scenes)". YouTube. April 11, 2020.
2. ^ a b c d e f "Artist Spotlight: Taproot". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 73, no. 6\. CMJ Network, Inc. October 21, 2002. p. 23\. ISSN 0890-0795.
3. ^ "Interview:Mike DeWolf of Taproot Cryptic Rock". Cryptic Rock. July 3, 2013.
4. ^ "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". April 2022.
5. ^ a b c d e Allmusic review
6. ^ a b Rolling Stone review
7. ^ a b c "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
8. ^ Album reviews at CD Universe
9. ^ Borivoj Krgin. "CD Reviews - Gift Taproot". Blabbermouth.
10. ^ Strong, M.C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate. p. 421\. ISBN 9781841958606. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
11. ^ Griffiths, Mark (August 5, 2000). "Albums". Kerrang! (813). EMAP: 46.
12. ^ Sadler, Darren (October 2000). "Under the Hammer". Metal Hammer (79). Future plc: 77. ISSN 0955-1190.
13. ^ PopMatters review
14. ^ CMJ New Music Report (PDF). June 19, 2000. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
15. ^ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMJ/2000/CMJ-2000-07-10.pdf [bare URL PDF]
16. ^ Wookubus (2018-10-26) (October 16, 2018). "Taproot Detail Extensive 8 CD Rarities Set "Besides"". PRP. The PRP. Retrieved August 16, 2020.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
17. ^ a b c d e f g Gift - Taproot - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
18. ^ a b Gift - Taproot - Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
19. ^ a b Gift - Taproot - Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011

* v
* t
* e

Taproot

* Stephen Richards
* Phil Lipscomb
* Jarrod Montague
* Taylor Roberts

* Mike DeWolf
* Nick Fredell
* Dave Lizzio
* Dave Coughlin

Studio albums|

* Gift
* Welcome
* Blue-Sky Research
* Our Long Road Home
* Plead the Fifth
* The Episodes
* SC\SSRS

Demos|

* Mentobe
* Upon Us

Singles|

* "Again & Again"
* "I"
* "Poem"
* "Mine"
* "Calling"
* "Birthday"
* "Wherever I Stand"
* "Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)"

Related|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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