KEY POINTS:
Rating: * * *
Common is not prone to letting his hair down - and it's not just because he's a shiny-headed hip-hop star who more often than not wears a hat.
This Chicago rapper, and BFF with Kanye West, has been one of the most intelligent and potent rappers of the past 15 years but on his eighth album he's in the mood for a party.
While Universal Mind Control is not as radical and revolutionary as 2002's excellent Electric Circus, with its breezier, more summery approach
it is a departure from his more sophisticated fare.
There's the rump-rattling sonics of the Afrika Bambaataa styled title track; the fruity fun of songs like What A World and Make My Day (with Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo); and Gladiator is more extreme with its warped Kid Creole brass.
On Inhale he starts spitting like the Common of old but on lines like "Play the game, you got a bonus, man, cos the the plan is to master like Tiger, so much drive", the flow and power is stunted.
UMC is not as riveting as classics Like Water For Chocolate (2000) and Be (2005) because of the flippant and cheery nature of the tunes.
But if one of hip-hop's foremost poets wants to have a bit of fun, then so be it.
Scott Kara
