KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
COMMON
CD: Finding Forever (Geffen/Universal)
Verdict: Chi-town MC's grown-up sequel to Be.
It took Common 13 years to crack the big time. That was two years ago when the Chicago rapper released Be, his Grammy-nominated sixth album, produced by Kanye West. Common already had a healthy legion of fans who warmed to his insightful rhymes and nice-guy appeal but Be had the hooks, the edge and the hits - The Corner, Go and Testify among them.
Finding Forever is essentially Be's sequel in that it barely tinkers with the formula. That means Kanye's back, soaking this in warm R&B harmonies, lush gospel and soul samples, notably Nina Simone on Misunderstood.
Meanwhile, Common proves he's not about to resort to bitches'n'guns talk to get the party started. Particularly Start the Show and the album's best track, The People where he rides West's beats with family-friendly rhymes and impeccable timing: "My daughter found Nemo, I found the new primo". Or when he goes for the kill on The Game: "I never kissed the ass of the masses, I'm the black molasses, thick and I lasted, pass these rat bastards".
He also makes a smart move by inviting rap-chick-of-the-moment Lily Allen to provide vocals on Drivin' Me Wild.
Occasionally the mood droops as the atmosphere mellows and Common's rhymes barely penetrate beyond the slick, yoghurty texture of the tracks. There's the kind of low-slung hip-hop you'd expect from the Roots on Will.I.Am's I Want You and a dreamy collaboration with D'Angelo on So Far To Go. Forever Begins is also evidence there's still earnest, spiritual blood running through Common's veins. But while it dances dangerously close to being cheesy, you can forgive him for tuning into his inner Coldplay when you listen to the lyrics, a lamentation to his late friend, J Dilla. It makes sense that Finding Forever is Common's attempt to create something timeless. The album comes in at under an hour but in that short time he proves he has more soul than most of his peers.
