RetroHash

Early comparisons to Eminem may have helped Asher Roth break through the doubters’ ranks pretty quickly with his surprise hit “I Love College,” a funny and smooth-flowing ode to partying and college life with zero pretentions to be anything else. But that comparison gives way to faint evocations of Macklemore on RetroHash (an anagram of Roth’s name), the follow-up to Roth’s 2009 set Asleep in the Bread Isle. It feels like all of its five years in the making; it's smart and broad and deep. R&B, pop, indie rock, and hip-hop vibes permeate with equal enthusiasm. It's also fun, but with less of the dumb-youth kind of fun. It’s the sound of a talented artist growing up, sharpening his lyrical prowess and pulling musical memories and influences out of their dark corners and into the light. The lead single, “Tangerine Girl,” is a blissed-out, slinky tune that merges styles and ideas with utterly delicious morsels in a similar way that Beck did 20 years ago on Mellow Gold. “Tangerine Girl” is surrounded by moody soul, the warmth of vinyl hiss, speedy and sassy word gymnastics, and pop culture nods (he works in references to everything from Soul Train to TED talks). It has more sexiness than his weed-smoking, testosterone-loaded younger self could ever have mustered.