Common - 'Finding Forever' (Island) Released 30/07/07

With more views than an L.A. beach condo, Common has always been a politically charged emcee with more than just cars, clothes and hoes on his mind. Originally breaking on to the scene using the alias Common Sense, hip-hop’s answer to Dr. Martin Luther King has always inspired those that needed inspiring and silenced those that required to be taken down a peg or two.

While his 2002 release ‘Electric Circus’ almost pushed him off of rap’s radar because of its heavy genre-crossing experimentation, it took an old acquaintance by the name of Kanye West - who battled Common on a Chicago radio station back in ‘96 before he became a household name, to resurrect the career of one of music’s most respected players. The outcome of the pair working together was the solidly constructed and instrumentally drenched in soul ’05 classic ‘Be’.

Tag-teaming once again with the Louis Vuitton Don, Common’s latest offering is to rap fans what human awareness is to global warming - a solution. While the occasional track lacks the production pizzazz that ‘Be’ was swamped with, this minor defect is the only negative point that ‘Finding Forever’ holds. The Lily Allen assisted ‘Drivin’ Me Wild’ combines fun-loving lyricism and commercially blissful vocals with a drum loop very reminiscent of early 90’s b-boy culture. Then flipping the script for a brief moment, ‘I Want You’ hears Common lace a fresh and funky will.i.am beat with words that mirror the rules of attraction while succumbing to a state of relaxation. Other tracks to make note of include the DJ Premier scratched ‘The Game’ and harmonious sampled ‘U, Black Maybe’.

While his previous release stands as a hip-hop classic, Common’s latest offering continues to alert listeners to his openly opinionated words of wisdom and stands head and shoulders above the rest of today’s competition.