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 Universal Mind ControlSales Rank:458List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $7.99 Lowest Used Price: $5.44 Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5 Total Reviews: 41 Customer Reviews:Rating: 5 Expect the unexpected. Needless to say, I enjoy every common album. I don't bother going out of my way to compare previous albums to current, because it is always about changing it up. Something fresh to to my aural cavities. If you aren't sure, just listen to clips, youtube the tracks, whatever you do, just be sure to give it a few listens before you make up your own mind. Rating: 3 Not typical Common, but not bad, 3 1/2 stars Whether you like this CD will be determined by what you're looking for. If you want "Be" or "Finding Forever," you're going to be disappointed. If you like the Neptunes and you're OK with hearing some good dance tunes, even if it's a change for Common, you'll like this. This CD is not totally void of the socially conscious tracks that made Common who he is. "Changes" would fit in on other albums, and so would "Inhale," which is my favorite song on the CD. And Common nails it with two of his other songs -- "Announcement" and "Punch Drunk Love." They're the kind of songs you'd expect from someone else, but Common's ability to rhyme and flow is still on display. There are other decent songs, like "Make My Day" and "What a World." I really dislike "Universal Mind Control" and "Sex 4 Suga," but all in all, this is a pretty good CD. Rating: 3 Caught Between Two Worlds...(Rating: 7 out of 10- -3.5 stars) I guess you cannot knock Common for trying something new in rap. From the days when he "Used To Love H.E.R." to the moment he just wants to "Be", he's done it all. I've been a fan of his music since I was 14 when he dropped Like Water for Chocolate back in 2000, and has copped all of his albums that he has made throughout his career. One thing I've noticed was that he has attracted a new fan base of alternative rap listeners (those who say they don't listen to rap except Mos Def, Talib, Common, etc...you know, those "real" hip hop artists) when he madeFinding Forever. Since then, I sort of thought he has alienated his original fan base (including myself) from that album on. When he came out with this, it was real hard for me to buy this album, because I kind of know what to expect. One thing I've noticed with this, as well as his last two albums, the replay value has gotten less and less. Also his albums have gotten shorter and shorter. Universal Mind Control is a short album, only 10 tracks long, with each song averaging around 3 1/2 minutes. Some of the songs I really dug. My favorite one is "Inhale" because that is Common at his best here. The problem is that it is a short track, so I had to keep it on repeat to get the full enjoyment out of it. "Make My Day" with Cee-Lo is another common colab between the two that goes hand and hand here. His lyrics are in full force on "Changes" featuring Muhsinah with high upbeat production. Songs that I think that don't work are pretty easy to spot. "Universal Mind Control" is one of them (I don't give a DAMN who it was inspired by! It doesn't work!) "Sex 4 Suga" and "What A World" are also forgettable. The rest of the songs not mentioned are neither bad or good, but are not worth mentioning. The overall work is solid. Many old fans will have to stomach his new style of work. Expect something further beyond Electric Circus with this album here. New fans of his music will like this here because its sort of party type. Older fans, like me, have two options: love it or leave it (as blunt as it sounds). Peace. Lyrics: B Production: B- Guest Appearances: C+ Musical Vibes: C+ Top 5 Tracks: 1. Inhale 2. Make My Day (featuring Cee-Lo) 3. Gladiator 4. Everywhere (featuring Martina Topley-Bird) 5. Announcement (featuring Pharrell) Rating: 1 horrible this is trash i thought after the last album him getting with kanye it was a new beginning BOY WAS I WRONG Rating: 5 1st Time I Actually Bought A Common Album... WeLL Worth It!!! I've never been into Common feeling that pure & simply as much "praise" as he gets in the game/respect-wise... His musical sound has just never done it for me. I respect different styles from every which way but to be honest his "soft-approach" if you wanna' call it that and the instrumentals backing ... just was completely nothing that came into tune w/ my ear. I ALSO haven't cared for The Neptunes either w/ almost all their last projects besides The Clipse's first CD... This CD was a surprise to me and is the 1st WHOLE Common album that I would recommend buying if you've felt the same way about Common's style/flow/sound/etc. Well worth the buy IMO... |