Common
Finding Forever
Good/Geffe
Kanye West executive produces. Will.i.am records a track. DJ Premier scratches on another. D’Angelo and Lilly Allen both sing. But this album is Common’s. The Chicago rapper comes in from the cold again with Finding Forever. Deserving so much more than he gets, he probably won’t rise in the public consciousness, pop culture, beyond his appearance on a Gap commercial. Thankfully West keeps the ego in check (unlike on Be, the last Common record, which West also produced, the egoistic frenzy of beats and effects are tempered here to serve the songs). It’s all about Common’s smooth, strong vocal currencies.
Sean Flinn