I Wanna Be a Duck

Common - Be

I can't stop playing this album. It's nice to anticipate something for so long and it not only exceeds expectations, but lives up to them after repeated play. To have Kanye West behind the production on 9 of the tracks and Dilla behind the remaining 2, I didn't think it was possible to fail. It didn't.

I believe that a copy of this album was leaked a few months ago, and I couldn't wait for it. For some reason, I downloaded the early copy and just kept it on my computer for a few days before I caved and listened to it. Ideally, given the level of appreciation that I have for an artist, I would wait until the record came out in stores and proceed with a number of steps. These steps would include a drive down to a spot where there is a good view of the city where I'd open up the cd case and read the book notes and see all the production credit...and so on. I'd also make sure I was mentally prepared to appreciate the music as much as possible...using herbal aids. Know what I'm saying? huh? I'm sure you do.

Okay, so the deal with this was a little different. I had to BURN a copy....yeah...burn it first. It threw off the whole routine, but it was worth it. I really enjoyed this album. The version that I had was a little bit rough, as it was missing the transition between the tracks, as well as certain mixing, but I still loved it and kept loving it everytime I played it.

Last Tuesday it was finally officially released. If you read my blog regularly, you'll recognize the fact that I mention it quite often. It's so good. I can't say it's one of the best albums I've heard or anything, given that it's still quite new and all, but I think I'd put it as one of the best I've heard this year.

The changes from the leaked version are few, but I still find them significant. Let me break down the songs for you all.

1. Be (Intro) - Holy shit. I loved hearing this song for the first time and I still have that feeling after hearing it so many times. As soon as the bass starts plucking away at the start of the song, it builds into a great introduction as to what you're getting yourself into. Kanye West and Jay Dee (Dilla) both add some goodness to it and produce a smooth, happy beat that compliments Common nicely.

2. Corners - This was the lead single that was released a while ago and it gave everyone a taste of what 'Be' was going to sound like. I've always loved Kanye and I am constantly impressed with his production. The rolling beat just gets me hyped up and I can't seem to get sick of it yet, no matter how many times I've heard it. The Last Poets grace the song with some poetry that they are so well known for and it does it justice.

3. Go - the new single and new video directed by Kanye. John Mayer provides the backup vocals...but really just sings the word, "Go". I wasn't hooked on this song like the rest the first time that I heard it, but I'm started to enjoy it more and more. Common's deliverly is crazy. His second verse shows his emphasing every snare...it's hard to explain what I mean, but it's really cool to listen to. His flow is complimented well in this track.

4. Faithful - The singing in this track is really great. John Legend and Bilal deliver some nice, harmonic vocals that compliment the odd-sounding vocal sample that plays throughout the chorus. The muffled trumpet that plays during Common's verses are really haunting and add a nice flare to the track. He creates a nice story about his relationship with Erykah Badu, or so one assumes, and concludes by informing us that they are still best friends.

5. Testify - My favourite track on the album. I LOVE the sample that is used and I think it works well. The leak cuts the track off too soon and thankfully, Kanye keeps it going on the retail version. A track like this is the reason why I love Kanye so much...the flawless way that he incorporates a sample into a track is just incredible. I don't really know how to describe it, although it probably looks like I have no clue what I'm talking about. Oh well, the point is, is that it works nicely and the story that Common tells in the song is really cool.

6. Love Is - This is a Dilla produced track and contains an incredible Marvin Gaye sample. I love songs that use Marvin Gaye samples. They never seem to disappoint. Dilla has a gift of producing that I didn't understand before, but I have been able to appreciate the more I hear him. The way he flips that sample into his trademark sound is unreal. I wish I could hear more of him on this disc, but I'm not complaining.

7. Chi City - ooooh...this is another favourite from the album. I can't get too into reasons for why I like this song, but my love for it has been slowly growing since the retail version came out. The one I had on the leaked copy was messed up a bit and it was hard to really enjoy it. The subtlties of this song are what makes it so great. The scratching, the beat cut-offs, and the fierceness of Common's delivery are just small examples of what I mean.

8. The Food (live) - I was surprised to see that they chose the live version from Chappelle's show as opposed to the studio version. I think I like the live version better, mainly because the studio one seems so forced and lacks the energy that the live one has. Kanye seems so...blah.. compared to the live one, where he's running around and all hyped up. Even Common seems to have more expression on the live version and delivers his lines with more force.

9. Real People - This track has a nice, jazzy-style beat to it. I love how the sax, the keyboards, and the drum beat compliment Common's voice so well. It's a nice addition to the overall feel of the album. I don't really have much else to say about it....so I'll leave it at that.

10. They Say - Ahhhh...one of my other favourite tracks from the album. Common uses this as a response to the publics opinion of him and Erykah, his last album, and the idea that he 'lost his mind'. They took off Consequence's verse from the leak, which really sucks 'cause I really like him and it should have stayed. They replaced it with a new verse from Kanye, which adds a little humour and shows that he's becoming a better MC. John Legend backs up the track and gives it some soul and really shows off his talent.

11. It's Your World / Pop's Reprise - Produced by Kanye and Dilla. This is a beautiful track and leaves the album with a perfect ending. I don't want to talk about it any further, so you just have to listen to it. It ends with Common's dad, aka "Pops", doing his usual rap that he does on the end of Commons' albums. This is where the "I wanna be a DUCK" comes in...'cause all these children begin to describe what they want to be when they grow up, such as a doctor, rapper, work in the gov't..etc. Then this little voice shouts, "I wanna be a DUCK!"....which is weird, yet inspirational(?). Check it out and you'll laugh a little.

So that's my mini-breakdown of the album. I figured I'd give it a week before I really posted anything about it in order to give it a really good listen. If you haven't picked it up yet, then I suggest you get it. There is a special edition version that comes with a DVD that is packed full of goodies and gives you, from what I assume, a good picture of Common.

That is all. Enjoy the album. Coming soon....Kayne West - Late Registration!!!