Be (2xLP)

Common's 6th studio album from 2005 produced by Kanye West   Electric Circus cost and won Common some fans. It was very exploratory, especially so for a rap album released in 2002, containing developments - some of which soared, some of which sank - that few longtime followers could have foreseen. Listeners either felt Common was picking up fresh, new inspirations or that he was just being distracted by a whole lot of ill-fitting nonsense. With Be, it seems the MC has realized that not every album that's sprawling and eclectic is as good as Electric Ladyland or Songs in the Key of Life. More notably, he might've been struck with the fact that a high percentage of excellent albums are around 40 minutes in length and are built on a unified sound. Be is highly concentrated, containing 11 songs and involving two producers and a small number of guests. It's a 180 degree turn from Electric Circus, and in a bizarre way it's both a progression and a back-to-basics move. Kanye West and Dilla ar