Music on TV - Week of 12.05.11: The Roots

More than a house band for Jimmy Fallon, The Roots pull double-duty as the musical guests on Tuesday.

Nearly three years ago when The Roots were announced as the house band for the new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the news was met with mixed feelings. While it was great to have access to the band on a nightly basis, there was some fear that the night-in-night-out punching of the clock might beat some of the creativity out of the Philly act. 2010's How I Got Over quickly refuted that theory, but it's their latest, Undun (out this week), that really helps define what the Late Night experience has contributed to the band.

Undun is the band's first attempt at a concept album, and follows the life -- in reverse -- of one Redford Stephens, a fictional character we meet dying of a gunshot wound on the streets of New York. The concept was inspired, in part, by a performance on Late Night by *Sufjan Stevens, and the band incorporates Stevens' "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" to kick off a four-part suite to end the album. Through the experience of booking and often backing so many diverse acts, Questlove and co. have truly begun to transcend hip-hop, without becoming anything you could label as fusion.

*Between the inclusion in Undun and getting name dropped by Childish Gambino, how crazy is it that Sufjan Stevens has become cool for hip-hop?

Picks for the week
Monday, December 5
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ryan Adams
FOX: American Country Music Awards: Kristin Chenoweth, Miranda Lambert
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Alison Krauss & Union Station
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Weezer (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Yelawolf
Tuesday, December 6
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: T-Pain
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: 50 Cent
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Black Dub
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: The Black Keys
NBC: A Michael Buble Christmas: Michael Buble, The Puppini Sisters, Ed Helms, Oscar the Grouch
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Taio Cruz
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Portugal. The Man, Wale
Wednesday, December 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Neil Diamond
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Coldplay
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Bear Hands, Tom Morrello
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Lenny Kravitz
Thursday, December 8
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chevelle
DOC: John Lee Hooker: That’s My Story: John Lee Hooker
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Gym Class Heroes
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: fun., Ziggy Marley
TBS: Conan: Blink 182
Friday, December 9
NBC: The Today Show: Robin Thicke
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Aretha Franklin
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: M83
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Lady Gaga
Saturday, December 10
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Coldplay
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Robyn
PBS: Austin City Limits: Patty Griffin, Shaun Colvin, Emmylou Harris
Sunday, December 11
HDNET: HDNet Concert Series: REO Speedwagon