 |
Currently, the album of the week is Common - "Be" Confusion would be the understated way of describing how many felt while listening to 2002's "Electric Circus." Many tried to justify it by stamping it as "eccentric" or "innovatively different" but ultimately, it was a peculiar release that left many fans perplexed. In comes Kanye West, whose 2004 banner year brought along furthermore awareness of "Chi-town" and whose album featured a collaboration that was to some extent a preview of what was to come; Common's 6th studio album "Be" is perhaps the early contender to claim 2005's Hip Hop album of the year. Although only clocking in around 43 minutes, it is a compact and intriguing album whose vintage soulful approach depicts itself to be old school but brings about a refreshingly modern sound. Without overstating, "Be" literally has exceptional song after exceptional song. Courtesy of the aforementioned Kanye West, the flawless production ranges from the jazzy "Be (Intro)," and "Real People"; the soulful "Testify," and "Faithful"; the R&B-esque "Love Is..." and "They Say"; and the gritty throwback sound of "The Corner" and "Chi-City." Lyrically, there is the introspection present from the early days of "Like Water For Chocolate" or "One Day It'll All Make Sense." Although If I were to be nitpicking, I'd say "The Food (Live)" falters when compared to the other tracks. However, considering all of its positive aspects, a notch below excellence is still very good. With quality production and lyrics, "Be" is easily superior to many modern generic albums and it furthermore cements Common's existence as one of Hip Hop's best lyricists.
|
|
