Finding Forever
by Common

Album details

US: 31 July 2007 on Universal
UK: 30 July 2007 on Geffen

Kanye West, will.i.am, and J Dilla are among the producers on the Chicago rapper’s follow-up to 2005’s ‘Be.’ Lily Allen, DJ Premier and Bilal also guest.

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The critical consensus

Usually one to try out something new on his albums, Common instead replicated the formula that worked so well (and earned him so many Grammy nominations) on Be with its follow-up, Finding Forever. Would it work a second time? Observer Music Monthly, like many critics, is happy with the status quo, noting that the new album is "largely content to re-cast Common in familiar surroundings, safe in the knowledge that he has found his groove." Amazon proposes that Common achieved the tough feat of creating back-to-back winners: "Whether Finding Forever surpasses Be is a matter of individual, song-for-song taste: At worst, it’s on par." Spin actually calls the new album "livelier, grittier, and better" than Be, while the Boston Globe says that "Common has developed a deeper sense of self and a deeper sense of soul, refining what was evident on ‘Be’." All Music Guide, however, finds Forever "a shade less satisfying" than its predecessor. And Pitchfork calls it "comparatively lead-footed and tired."

Comparisons aside, Urb simply calls the disc "spectacular," while the Washington Post calls it "fine but flawed." Artist Direct agrees Forever a good, but imperfect, album, noting that "the overall vibe is luxurious and even lovely, with the whole making up for the less adequate parts through flawless sequencing." (The New York Times’ Jon Pareles also comments that "the ride is smooth.") Rolling Stone also generally likes the disc, despite the presence of a few "snoozers." Although Common "occasionally plays it safe," Entertainment Weekly admires West’s production, which makes the album "both lush and gritty." Blender, on the other hand, complains that West’s beats "effectively turn the headliner into a guest star on his own album," while Pitchfork faults Kanye’s production for trying to ape Jay Dee’s sound. Likewise, Sputnik adds, "When Kanye’s at the helm, Finding Forever is an overcomplicated mess."

It’s not just the production that some critics dislike. Stylus concludes that "Common’s verbal skills have slid into disrepair." Nick Sylvester, writing in The Phoenix says that "Common has become hip-hop’s Mitch Albom." And Now finds some of the "contrived slow jams" and "sensitive soul-baring" hard to stomach, while CokemachineGlow calls the album a pretentious, "career-ending shitheap." (As opposed to the good kind of shitheap.)

For all its unevenness, Finding Forever is one of those albums that eventually grows on you with each successive listen.

- IGN

Review roundup

Tracklisting and media

1. Intro
2. Start the Show
3. The People
   
   
4. Drivin’ Me Wild
5. I Want You
6. Southside
7. The Game
   
   
8. U, Black Maybe
9. So Far to Go
10. Break My Heart
11. Misunderstood
12. Forever Begins

Also on the web

• Official Artist Site
• Common @ MySpace