Common, Be

There truly is something to be said for good timing. Three years after his ill-received Electric Circus has faded into the abyss of bad dreams forgotten, and two years into the revival of Chicago as a musical superpower (ignited by Kan the Louis Vuitton Don), it was the perfect time for Common to try again. Chicago was left in a state of unrest after seeing its favorite MC rockin' smediums under the love spell of hip-hop heartbreaker Erykah Badu and anxiously awaited his return. Six time's a charm for Common, as Be, produced by Kanye West, boasts a soulful sound that plays like a documentary peering into the lives and hearts of the Chi City. The eleven track LP tells stories of the 'hood, the people who make it through life with vision and the ones who can't bear to see past the corners.

True to the Common of old, are moderate paced introspective flows touching on anything from spirituality to street-husslin' and sexuality. But musically, Be finds Common in Kanye's territory. The heavily instrumental jazz and soul infused album is almost more of a testimony to Kanye's production genius than to Common's revival of his reign as a dignified soldier of the streets.

Be finds Common struggling for new topics to preach about (there are frequent references to his daughter's eyes, lost black women, and the hard knock life of the streets). True fans may even notice some lyrical recycling, (2000's Like Water for Chocolate found Common boasting, “my refrigerator rhymes are magnetic like ultra,” on 2005's Be, Common says that tapes are “ultra magnetic to the fact the messiah is black”). Small but frequent lyrical overlaps like this may find Common die-hards a bit disappointed.

Still, this is Common back in his truest form. The familiar content notwithstanding, Be excels because it is an album of true storytelling, exploring people, situations and circumstances that can all be called the black experience. “It's Your World” tells of a college girl turned street-walker, while “Testify” tells the unsettling tale of a stand-by-your man trickster enduring a criminal trial, later revealing that she committed the crime.

“Chi-city” finds Common delivering lyrical sermons as he lashes out on the superficial state of hip-hop, “I wonder if these wack niggas realize they wack, and they the reason that my people say they tired of rap,” is followed up by “in the middle of chaos and gunfire, so many raps about rims, surprised niggas ain't become tires.”

John Legend keeps the G.O.O.D. music flowing with help from soul crooner Bilal on “Faithful,” a reflection on the repercussions of cheating, a track a bit reminiscent of 2000's “The Light,” while Marvin Gaye's vocals give “Love Is” a classic uplifting optimism. The electric keys and doo-wopping chorus of “They Say,” (Common's come back anthem), give the scorned rapper a chance to redeem himself for 2003's disturbing bohemian-love-guru transformation.

Some might find it discouraging that someone who's been in the game as long as Common is receiving wide recognition only after teaming up with trendy youngling Kanye West, but the Windy City combo has emerged as promising new Jedi in the music force. With Chicago on top, of course Common would take advantage and drop a return album when everyone is watching, it's the nature of the business, or it's just Common Sense.

Is Be a classic? Maybe…maybe not. But Common more than deserves this time in the spotlight, a time that many would say is long overdue.
Leigh Davenport