Gift (Taproot album)

Gift
Studio album by Taproot
Released	June 27, 2000
Recorded	January–March 2000 at Master Control Recording in Burbank, Los Angeles, California
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: 2001

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Alternative Press	[2]
Drowned in Sound	(10/10)[3]
Kerrang	[4]
PopMatters	(average)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Blabbermouth	8/10[7]

Gift is the first major label album by the rock group Taproot. It was released on June 27, 2000. "I" and "Again & Again" were minor Mainstream Rock singles. The album has sold at least 250,000 copies.^[8]

Music and lyrics

Described as a nu metal album,^[8][9] the album's lyrical topics are primarily about topics such as depression and disliking life.^[1][8] 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.^[1][6][8] The album consists of vocal styles such as singing, rapping, growling and screaming.^[1][3][8] The album features characteristics that have been compared to Tool, Incubus, Deftones, Glassjaw, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Outkast, P.O.D., Faith No More, Slipknot and Papa Roach.^{[3][5][7][10]}

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Smile"	3:33
2.	"Again & Again"	3:56
3.	"Emotional Times"	3:04
4.	"Now"	3:23
5.	"1 Nite Stand"	3:40
6.	"Believed"	4:02
7.	"Mentobe"	3:38
8.	"I"	4:14
9.	"Mirror's Reflection"	3:11
10.	"Dragged Down"	3:31
11.	"Comeback"	4:24
12.	"Impact"	2:47
13.	"Day By Day (Japan Bonus Track)"	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".
• Other b-sides entitled "Thrift Whore", "Strive", and "Get Me" can be found through file-sharing networks.

Credits

• Tom Baker - Digital editing, mastering^[11]
• Frank Gryner - Assistant engineer^[11]
• Scott Humphrey - Mixing^[11]
• Ted Reiger - Assistant engineer^[11]
• Stephen Richards - Programming, vocals^[11]
• Edward Smith - Photography^[11]
• Ulrich Wild - Engineer, mixing, producer^[11]

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
2000	Heatseekers[12]	#6
2000	The Billboard 200[12]	#160

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2000	"Again & Again"	Mainstream Rock Tracks[13]	#39
2001	"I"	Mainstream Rock Tracks[13]	#34

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Album reviews at CD Universe
3. Drowned in Sound review
4. Strong, M.C. (2006). The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate. p. 421. ISBN 9781841958606. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
5. PopMatters review
6. Rolling Stone review
7. Borivoj Krgin. "CD Reviews - Gift Taproot". Blabbermouth.
8. "CMJ New Music Report (Vol. 73, No. 6) - October 21st 2002". Vol. 73. CMJ Network, Inc. 2002. p. 23. ISSN 0890-0795. (October 21st, 2002). Retrieved on October 10th, 2015
9. "Interview:Mike DeWolf of Taproot Cryptic Rock". Cryptic Rock.
10. CMJ (July 10th, 2000). Page 24
11. Gift - Taproot - Credits. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
12. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Albums. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011
13. Gift - Taproot - Billboard Singles. Allmusic. Retrieved March 19th, 2011