What can you say about Flo Rida? The kid has number one singles on nearly everything he touches and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.  To be honest this reviewer didn’t think we would hear from him again after Mail on Sunday. He has proven us all wrong by continuing to make hit records and finally showing he can do it without big name guest appearances.  So you ask, what does his new album R.O.O.T.S. have to offer?

You can skip “Finally Here”, but the second track, the Nelly Furtado featured banger “Jump”, is his next potential number one smash. From there the album carries on as a soundtrack to the club. “Gotta Get It (Dancer)” is an 80’s inspired freestyle joint with an auto-tune chorus that would make Roger Troutman proud.  The Jim Jonsin produced “Shone” featuring Pleasure P takes a down tempo turn, but Flo Rida maintains his double time flow that keeps the listener in tune.  The title track produced by new comer J Rock is a synth drenched club song that will keep your head nodding.  Much like “Love Hangover” from his previous album, the Ne-Yo assisted “Be On You” is Flo Rida’s ode to the ladies, while the Akon fueled “Available” let’s those same ladies know  that Flo Rida ain’t got no girlfriend either.  “Touch Me” lifts Benny Benassi’s house anthem “Satisfaction” for yet another club banger in the making.   The barrage continues with “Sugar” jacking Eiffel 65’s hit “Blue” with an equally hypnotizing chorus laid by Wynter. And of course, who can forget his current radio smash, “Right Round”.

The album is really quite solid for commercial rap music.   There are some minor pitfalls, like the Wyclef featured “Rewind” and “Never”, as both songs don’t fit the flow of the album.  The same can be said of the first track “Finally Here”, which merely sets the stage for the headlining acts. Lyrically, Flo Rida is not a genius, as the subject matter is pretty much girls, cars, clubs, and money, however he truly lives up to his name, with a cadence and delivery that can’t be denied.

Overall, R.O.O.T.S. (Route Of Overcoming the Struggle) is much of the same as Mail on Sunday, however this time it seems he honed his craft to chrun out more than just one “Low” style anthem. At the end of the day, Flo Rida is more or less a better than average rapper, rhyming over club friendly instrumentals.  The difference between Flo Rida and others in today’s landscape is that he can actually flow over nearly anything, which should give him the longevity that this critic didn’t think he would ever have. - DG