Common’s 14th Album “The Auditorium” Prod. by Pete Rock is His Best Since “Be” (Album Review)
Here we have the highly anticipated 14th studio LP from Chicago veteran Common. Emerging 3 decades back after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source back in the publication’s heyday, this resulted in a 3-album deal with Relativity Records shortly after & Can I Borrow a Dollar? was a solid debut even though you can tell that he still hadn’t come into his own yet. Com embraced the conscious hip hop that became universally known for with his next 2 albums Resurrection & One Day It’ll All Make Sense. Once we entered the new millennium, Common ended up signing to MCA Records for 2 albums: his magnum opus Like Water for Chocolate & the experimental Electric Circus. The label then dissolved at the beginning of 2003 & he jumped ship to G.O.O.D. Music/Geffen Records. Common’s debut under Ye formerly known as Kanye West’s then-newly formed label Be received universal acclaim, but Finding Forever was a respectable follow-up & I can’t really say the same for the hip house-centered Universal Mind Control. After his contract with G.O.O.D./Geffen was fulfilled, he decided to reunite with No I.D. & drop The Dreamer/The Believer under Warner Records before Immenslope was granted his own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. Nobody’s Smiling was a great response to the ever-increasing crime rate in his hometown & the Karriem Riggins-produced Black America Again was even greater given that it was revolves around the 2016 presidential election. But it’s safe to say that Common has been making himself home at Loma Vista Recordings & sticking with Karriem on the production end of things these last couple years, as proven on Let Love alongside his debut EP A Beautiful Revolution & it’s sequel. Now, one of my top 5 producers of all-time Pete Rock is being brought in to produce The Auditorium looking to become Com’s best in nearly 2 decades.
“Dreamin’” samples “Day Dreaming” by the late Aretha Franklin & “People Moving” by Azar Lawrenceto get the ball rollin’ namedropping his influences whereas “Chi-Town Does It” smoothly represents his hometown of Chicago topped by the Ye single “All Falls Down” during the scratch hook, which was an excellent touch. “This Man” is a horn/boom bap hybrid explaining that the game is safe in his very arms leading into the groovy “We’re On Our Way” talking about the destination being constant elevation.
Pete’s sampling of “Guarde nos Olhos” by Ivan Lins throughout “Fortunate” kinda gives me J Dilla vibes which we already know Pete was a huge influence to the Detroit producer & Com’s lyricism expressing his gratitude for being alive to this day feels heartwarming just before “So Many People” soulfully talks about the fact that a lot seek him especially. “Wise Up” heads for a hardcore boom bap direction so he can show everyone in the place his philosophical prowess, but then the gospel rap inspired “A GOD (There Is)” makes tons of religious references that don’t come off tacky or forced.
“Stellar” starts the 2nd leg of The Auditorium on a summery boom bap note talking about shining & rising simultaneously while “Lonesome” mixes a vocal sample with kicks & snares asking if one is feeling rather lonely. “All Kind of Ideas” featuring Pete Rock himself keeps it in the basement instrumentally flipping “Last Night Changed It All (I Really Had a Ball)” by Esther Williams as they rip up the mic together while “When the Sun Shines Again” featuring Pete Rock once again accompanied by Posdnuos of De La Soul luxuriously talks about everyone shining. “Everything’s So Grand” fuses jazz with soul & boom bap assuring the listeners that everything will be good in the end while the final song “Now & Then” prior to the outro ending the LP with fireworks still stepping to the mound occasionally.
His 4th project with Loma Vista in the last 5 years & the Chicago veteran Common returns with the best one yet legitimately ranking in the S tier with Like Water for Chocolate, Be & Resurrection. Pete Rock’s production makes him & everyone else feel the spirit of what he always loved in hip hop & soul music, taking us to a place where he could just MC freely like he & the audience are home. They blend the past, present & future into a cohesively timeless & amazing musical journey being true to themselves doing what they love. If these 2 keep working with one another going forward, it would be more than welcoming.
Score: 9/10
