Hook 1: instrumentation and singing. The album is almost completely sample-free, and all the beats are still beautiful and sound great. ?uestlove's drumming is as tight as ever. All the singing fits right into the music as if the singers' voices are some more instruments in the ensemble. Even the rappers' voices fit right into the music and make their verses sound better. Every song has its own satisfying and unique sound. And then there is the four part orchestral suite (that is partially a Sufjan Stevens song) which is superbly performed.
Neutral 1: rapping. All the rapping, wether by Black Thought, Greg Porn, Dice Raw, Truck North, Big K.R.I.T., etc, had the same gist. They were just narrating the life of Redford Stephens. However, very thoughtful lines constantly arose that were instant hooks. If you read my review of Under The Influence, you read my acquittal of Domo on claims of simile abuse. In the case of Joe v. Black Thought, Black Thought turns out a convict. His metaphors and similes and word play are all quite contemplative but sometimes I cannot even understand what he is talking about. "I'm fighting a battle for the soul of the century/destiny is everything that I pretend to be" - Black Thought. Very deep and thought provoking, but this could mean 5,000 different things. Just saying.
Downside 1: the album is less than 40 minutes. Only 35 are rap. For the short amount of time, Undun was amazing, but more would have been much obliged.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
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