Send "Common " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 So here we are in 2011 with another Common album to reflect upon, and while that might be a rather poor way of looking at things, barring his Neptunes-assisted Universal Mind Control that tried oh-so-hard to make Common a dominating force within the bright lights of the club scene, a new Common album is really nothing more than the same story re-dressed in more fashionable threads. The same stories are finding themselves being addressed yet again, and with that arises the problem that at this point in Common’s career he’s not really preaching to anyone who hasn’t subscribed to his semi-passive gospel already. All tales revolve around a central theme of positivity: those who dare to dream also dare to believe (notice a theme here?), and all black clouds come pre-packaged with the proverbial silver lining. For the most part Common’s standard template is one designed to be uplifting and inspiring, and they are, or at least they were. But we’re now nine albums into a career that also includes Common the writer, the model, and the latest in a long-line of musicians scraping together a career as cardboard cutouts in the background of Hollywood explosions.And while that message certainly hasn’t changed, the man delivering it (who has since moved from asking for spare change to the top of the mountain) certainly has, and what was once a simple message of unified hope passed out like food for the poor is now being shouted down from his high vantage point, a crow’s nest atop streets he hasn’t had to deal with in quite some time. And it’s not that he’s fallen out of touch, far from it in fact; no, Common wants you to know that he’s moved onto greener pastures. And it has nothing to do with the enthusiasm in his voice at working with No I.D. again, or that he’s triumphed in a world that discards its players almost as quickly as it accepts them. Common’s awareness comes in the form of some rather interesting self-gratification. “I Am the voice of the meek and the underprivileged. The smell of success, I want ya’ll to get a whiff of this”. ‘Gold’ is a fantastic track, a laid-back trip through upholstered soul that comforts and drives as warmly as any afternoon sun, and yet it also serves as perhaps one of the biggest deterrents of the album (well, outside of ‘Sweet’ that is). It shows Common going to great lengths to distance himself from the apparent common man, wholly separating the dreamer from the believer. And it’s with that image that Common ultimately sets himself up for early failure, that even when he’s at his most gloriously beatific providing commentary on the daily ails and afflictions that mark our day to day existence he attacks them from such an awkward and distant vantage point that you can’t help but feel sorry for the man. On many cases over the course of this album it comes off as simple folly, where you can almost overlook the glaring advantage he has. In fact on ‘Cloth’ you can almost completely ignore the notion when Common slips back into his fighting for the people role by presenting a rather lovely metaphor for sexual equality. But then there’s ‘Sweet’ where Common jumps the shark by falling into a much more aggressive stereotype that doesn’t work with his more laid-back demeanor. He uses the track to not only take a swipe at what he perceives to be more “softer” hip hop and r&b artists (apparently the track is a subtle reference to Drake and co but Common is apparently too “sweet” of a man to actually name names) but to bolster his own somewhat lackluster credentials in the field. The end result is nothing more than a kid in a sandbox post tantrum, minus the good graces to save face by digging the requisite hole....full text |
| Hiphopdx |
| Common has been here before. You should know the routine; after dropping an album that doesn’t resonate with the public as expected (see: Electric Circus), the Chicago rhyme veteran returns triumphantly with, yeah, a classic (think: Be). While 2008’s Universal Mind Control was coolly received, the discerning masses will surely embrace Com’s latest project, The Dreamer/The Believer. Linking up once again with No I.D., who handles all the production, Common finds himself comfortably doing what he does: Hip Hop. Let’s get it out the way; although “G.O.O.D Music” is still fam, Kanye West is not on the album. You’re not going to miss him, anyway. In case you are blissfully ignorant about an album called Resurrection, or contemporary rap joints from Big Sean (“My Last” ) and The Throne (“Primetime”), you know No I.D. is a monster on the boards. The current Def Jam Record exec provides Common with a diverse medley of grooves to lay into with his rhymes. Shuffling drums hug a soulful groove on the reflective “Windows,” lush strings permeate the righteous ruminations of “Gold” and gentle keys anchor the happy go lucky “Celebrate.” While No I.D.’s soundbeds hold him down, at many points it sounds like Common is spittin’ with an Everest sized chip on his shoulder. Particularly on “Sweet” where he takes shots at no one in particular, unless it applies, with pointed bars like “I’m the franchise so I rock my own chain/No I(D) said give ‘em that '80s cocaine/Something raw something pure so I stayed in that vein.” The rhymes skills are also thoroughly on display on “Raw (How Ya Like It)” with a bluesy guitar riff assisting Com’s tales of a bachelor on the prowl: “She all couture, in her Tom Ford/Security guard let me in cause I’m lord/of finesse, the under, the rings, the dress/Code is to always stay fresh/Aware of her chest cause I stay abreast/she was extra cold, I’m here to decongest.”...full text |
| Latimesblogs |
| Common — bestselling author and actor — uses his latest CD to remind us that, oh, yeah, he’s also a rapper. And he’s not shy about laying claim to being the best there is. When he throws barbs at “soft” rappers, you cringe at the retrograde machismo even if it is a relief to hear a pop music figure with some bass in his voice. “The Dreamer, The Believer” reunites him with producer No. I.D., who produced the rapper’s most acclaimed CDs, and together they make an album that sounds fantastic. Robust tracks revere and update the past, such as the retro-soul, Curtis Mayfield-inflected “Lovin’ I Lost” and tremulously beautiful “Gold.” Grooves paired with grimy beats underscore Common’s combativeness (the aptly titled “Raw”). But lyrically, Common is still stuck in the tug of war between street cred and a more nuanced worldview. “Gold” contains a line that partially summarizes that struggle: “I am the voice of the meek and underprivileged / The smell of success, I want y’all to get a whiff of this ….” From there, he continues to impress and regress. He dedicates a thoughtful love song to his daughter with “Windows” and offers an empathetic view of women with “Cloth” but turns to old-school gay-baiting as he emasculates other rappers on “Sweet.” On much of “Dreamer,” Common’s lyrics play into notions of power and success that reflect a core struggle in American hip-hop today: How do you define and elevate yourself as you’re seduced by values of machismo and materialism? Unfortunately, as gifted as he is, Common’s answers are often all too common....full text |
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