Common is anything but what his name implies. Back with his fifth album, ?Electric Circus,? he tried to incorporate all different genres of music on the album.

He gives many mentions to his musical influences, from rock to R&B, with his songs, and illustrates that visually on the cover of the album. Featured in a collage of faces are his friends, influences, and other people important to him, from Prince to John Hancock to Chris Webber.

His circus is a star-studded affair, featuring collaborations with Bilal, Sonny of P.O.D., Mary J. Blige, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, Cee-Lo, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu.

For the first time, Common actually sings, not raps, on ?Jimi Was a Rock Star,? a duet with Badu. He limits himself to one octave, a wise move for an inexperienced singer, as he pays homage to Jimi Hendrix.

?Electric Circus? could be considered primarily a soul album, but it has more aspects to it. ?I Am Music? features a Dixie-land styled band. The song, featuring the merry Scott, speaks volumes with its title, showing Common?s awareness and attempt to reach different audiences.

The harmonica in ?I Got A Right Ta? adds a nice touch. However, Common seems uncomfortable singing the lyrics, especially when he covers the Clipse for a line. The Neptunes-produced song is a low point on the album.

Common succeeds in his experiment to tamper with rock music. He also does his best with what he is most familiar with: hip-hop. The album is one of the bright spots in this year?s urban lineup and will make other rappers reevaluate their approach to future albums.

4*/5*

Don’t forget to enter our contest to win 1 of 3 autographed Common CDs.






Related Stories: