I’ll freely admit Common was a name I wasn’t familiar with before this album dropped on my mat. However he rose to prominence in the States as one of Hip Hop’s most poetic and respected lyricists and has recorded no less than six albums. Including collaborations with fellow Chicago native Kanye West for the platinum selling album BE which achieved four grammy nominations. This is before we take into account the fact that he has found success as an actor starring alongside Ben Affleck in the film ‘Smokin’ Aces’ earlier this year.
The new album ‘Finding Forever’ is a timely introduction for the uninitiated (like myself) mining no shortage of musical references to bring its overral musical style to fruition. Kanye West steps in as executive producer and makes his lyrical stamp on a couple of tracks on the album but make no mistake Common doesn’t lean too heavily on his peers to get creative kudos.
The collaborative spirit at work here is unforced and there are no shortage of sweet spot soul moments mixed with lean contemporary beats, Lily Allen even makes an appearance (Driving Me Wild) and as unlikely as that might sound on paper, in practice her presence here is wholly appropriate and if anything can only boost her credibility for the American markets.
In terms of lyrical content Common often takes a slightly ethereal outsiders view of the Hip Hop game. The content doesn’t languish in the guns and bling territory that has become the careworn path of many. Instead he stands apart and this album could quite easily come to be seen as a chronicle of where Hip Hop lies. In essence Common doesn’t form allegiances or take sides, instead he stands off to the side and observes.
Definitely an album which mixes moments of immediacy and slow burning content (just check out ‘Misunderstood’ for a good example of the latter, powerful stuff). A definite recommended purchase.
