Common: back to comfort land

Common’s latest years have been restless. Be (2005), the record that brought him back to the spotlight, not only sold lots of copies but it was also an astonishing critical triumph. Then came Finding forever (2007), a record that was in terms of sales even more successful than its predecessor. With these two albums Common proved to be a remarkable hip-hop artist with a keen sense to deliver catchy and meaningful songs with the aid of his creative partner Kanye West. However, Universal mind control (2008) interrupted this success streak. (Many attributed this flop to Common’s acting endeavors.) That record, produced by The Neptunes and written for the dance floor, failed. Nonetheless that move said a lot about Common’s absence of trepidation when it comes to take risks. Fortunately his latest record, The dreamer, the believer (2011), brought him back to the sound he’s always been cherished for. Positive lyrics, soul-sampled beats and effective hooks are all present in this album. It’s always great to see your favorite artists trying to get out of their comfort zone (I loved his Electric circus (2002) indeed), but it’s definitely greater to see them coming back to that place that made us love them in the first place.

This is the video for Celebrate