Be (Special Edition/Parental Advisory) [PA] - Common > Reviews > The Album With Soul - Common Has Done It Again!!!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Brilliant lyrics, relaxing, takes you back to the roots of Hip Hop, Inspirational piece of work !  !
Disadvantages:	mmmmm .  .  .  .  .  .  .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was planning on ignoring this album but thought i'd give it a quick spin in the CD player. Thank God i did. This album is an inspiration and is interesting, stimulating and just so fresh.

Background to Common:
Common, formerly known as Common Sense, won Source magazine's Unsigned Hype contest (1991) and debuted in 1992 with the single "Take It EZ," which appeared on his Combat-released debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? The set also featured the singles "Soul by the Pound" and "Breaker 1/9."

His 1994 follow-up, Resurrection, released on Ruthless Records, featured the classic track "I Used to Love H.E.R.," and further solidified his dominance of the hip-hop underground.

After being sued by a ska band of the same name, Common dropped the "Sense" and relocated from Chicago to Brooklyn. He also relocated to another record label, Relativity. 1997's One Day It'll All Make Sense boasted guest appearances by Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo, and the Roots' Black Thought and epitomized the movement of "intelligent hip-hop" that saw its peak around that time.

Known as the most well-known underground rapper, Common signed a major record with MCA. 2000's Like Water for Chocolate featured production by Roots drummer ?uestlove and, because of more extensive marketing resources, introduced Common to the mainstream. The album was a huge critical and commercial success and featured the Grammy-nominated "The Light." Guests included Macy Gray, MC Lyte, Cee-Lo, Mos Def, D'Angelo, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and international star Femi Kuti (on a tribute to his legendary father Fela Kuti).

Common followed up with a well-received guest appearance on Mary J. Blige's No More Drama in early 2002 and around the same time his romance with Erykah Badu became a hot item. Many said the relationship brought out the eccentric in Common and helped, in part, to inspire 2002's eclectic, and critically acclaimed, Electric Circus. "Be" is commons latest album so here's the rest of the review:

Album features:
This album does not have one bad song on it, all of them add something to the album and each of them have an individual quality which makes this album so great to listen to over and over again. It is a breath of freah air if you are getting sick and tired of the mimics of the Hip Hop industry and is groundbreaking in all aspects.

Kayne has also worked his magic on this album as he has produced it. He also features in the tracks "The Food" and "Go" which are also two of the best tracks on the whole album. Other highlights include "They Say" and "Testify" which are great in their own right. There are also other appearances including "The Corner" featuring the Last Poets and "Faithful" featuring Bilal and John Legend (Get Lifted- Also great album). There is also a guest appearance by singer/song writer John Mayer.

So as you can see, this album does really offer everything somebody could want. Something new, orginal but also close to the roots of the industry.
I highly recommend it to anyone taking an interest in the likes of John Legend, Kayne West and Talib Kweli.

Here's the tracklist quickly:
1. Be (Intro)
2. The Corner
3. Go!
4. Faithful
5. Testify
6. Love Is...
7. Chi City
8. The Food (Live)
9. Real People
10. They Say...
11. It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)

Track 1: Be (Intro)- This intro has got to be one of the best intros i've heard on a cd, honestly. It starts off with a bass playing a little hook and then all the intsruments and other sounds slowly get added on top until you've got one hell of a good beat. Like i said, great intro for the coming tracks.

Track 2: The corner- This track features Kayne and the Last Poets which add a lot of different qualities to this track. Kayne has a sweet little chorus and the rhythm in the background is up beat and something that you can boogie to.

Track 3: Go- This track features Kayne again but also John Mayer who is a brilliant singer/song writer. As i said earlier, this is one of my favourite songs on the album and the reason is because its so relaxing and it's the best song to just sit down and chill to. Kayne's chorus is brilliant and you'll be humming it everywhere as i know i do. Overall this is a brilliant track which i'll be listening to for a long time to come!

Track 4: Faithful- John Legend and Bilal feature on this track and it's another good one. The guitar riff in the back is brill and the piano goes well with Commons vocal lyrics. The chorus is different but in a good way. It's one of those voices like in through the wire but more bearable.

Track 5: Testify- This track i didn't like at first because it was quite repetitive but now it's one of my favourites as well. You've got a nice chorus being sung in the background and commons vocals have been placed over it perfectly which combines to give a nice, thoughtful track.

Track 6: Love is...- This is a ballady type of song which creates such a soothing atmossphere when you listen to it. Obvious from the title, this song is about love and common trys to explain what he thinks love is. He does a good job explaining with some nice lyrics and a calming chorus.

Track 7: Chi City- This is a more up beat track with a dilated peoples style chorus and commons lyrics over a catchy rhythm in the verses. Average song on the album.

Track 8: The food(live)- This track features Kayne West and is another favourite of mine. This song is performed and recorded live to an audience but this doesn't take away from the track but adds to it. The beat in the background is funky and good to grind to and commons and kaynes lyrics are again well thought out.

Track 9: Real People- This is track contains a jazzy style of beat with the saxaphones and guitar and it's another up beat song.

Track 10: They say- This song features John Legend and Kayne and Legend's soulful voice in the chorus is a good contrast between Commons and kaynes style of rapping. Its a soulful track with a funky beat. Another favourite of mine...

Track 11: It's your world- Good wrap up of the album with an inspiring set of lyrics and a smooth beat. Great end to a great album!