Gift (Taproot album)

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
"Again & Again" Released: April 28, 2000 "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

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

Professional ratings

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

Japanese edition bonus track

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]

Credits

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

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

1. "Taproot - Gift (Behind the Scenes)". YouTube . April 11, 2020.
2. "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. Allmusic review
6. Rolling Stone review
7. "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.
17. Gift - Taproot - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
18. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011
19. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19, 2011