I Hate To Say It, But Common's Universal Mind Control Isn' t That Good!!

So I've spent the whole weekend really trying to get into Common's new album Universal Mind Control, but I just can't. It's just not that good. And it's hard for me to say that, I would pretty much consider myself a Common stan.

First, I think Com' should never rap over a Neptunes beat, especially fake Brazilian funk uptempo tracks. Not only does Common not have the lyrically dexterity (ie flow) to ride their syncopated rhythms, but I personally think Pharell and Chad's drum patterns aren't particularly soulful. And I'm sorry, but Common last two albums were good because they were choke full of soul. I mean, remember the first time you heard those butter smooth strings on the intro track of Be. They still give me goose bumps.

Of course, the album isn't completely garbage. I think tracks like "Changes" and "Inhale" highlight how gifted a poet Common truly is. I also really like "Make My Day" featuring Cee-Lo. While I don't think this funky duo comes close to recreating the magic of their classic cut G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition), I do think that the record is prolly the best song on the album.

At the end of the day I am pretty sure that Common's record label prolly forced Common to drop this album so that they could recoup some of their money during the fourth quarter. But I am not all that excited about it.