Resurrection
by Common Sense

While there are no obvious hits, this is more than made up for with Common's insanely excellent in-rhyme and homonyms. Smooth beats and a jazzy feel make this album unique, especially among 1994 hip hop. 9.5/10!

Common Sense - Resurrection is his second album and what a difference did these two years make. It's like he is a different man, the improvement is unreal. The production may appear simplistic and too 90's, but it gives Common plenty of room to shine, which is the main point of the album. The lyrics are easily the highlight of the album. The obvious one would be I Used To Love H.E.R., a brilliant way to showcase hip hop's development through the years ("I might've failed to mention that this chick was creative Once the man got to her, he altered her native Told her if she got an image and a gimmick That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy Now I see her in commercials, she's universal She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle Now she be in the burbs, lookin' rock and dressin' hippie And on some dumb shit when she comes to the city"), but pretty much every track has a message -it's equally impressive both in terms of content i.e. what he has to say and how he does it i.e. his rhymes, metaphors, etc.- to deliver ("I want a job but I ain't lookin' (how come?) I ain't tryin' to degrade myself, bein' nobody's Calvin I'm a couch bum What makes it bad, I had incentive But that disintegrated to a state that stagnated I procrastinated I can't recall a day without bein' intoxicated, or blowed I'm dealin' with a full deck, at any day I can fold What makes it bad, I wasn't dealt that bad a hand And I had a plan But things didn't go through The way they were supposed to Thank God I found you"). Despite the power of his words, he has this gentle and tactful delivery that could be perceived as somewhat dull, but I've never had any problem with it. It may not excite you initially, but I think the more you listen to it the more it will grow on you.

From Larcx13 11/12/2020 22:48 | #260723 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Most people commenting here have no idea what the hell they're talking about. Get out of here, simpletons. A mind filled with self-imposed ignorance should remain silent.

This is a hip hop classic. Not every song is perfect sure, but it's got some strong moments with Resurrection and I Used to Love Her. His lyrics are real and stray from the gangster clichés which is always refreshing, especially since it was released in 94. The jazzy beats also grab my attention.

I did exaggerate my rating yes. I'd give this an 80-85 but too many people downplaying this out of stupidity.

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the kind of music you can just sit and relax too. he's got soothing yet fun voice

From Hayden 08/08/2014 15:53 | #119042 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Just saw my comment from a few years back. After a solid relisten, I still don't think it's that great. Common had much better work afterwards. I Used to Love H.E.R. is a hip-hop classic though and the obvious gem in the bunch.

common suffers from being boring and monotonous at times, its like his voice is TOO smooth that you forget youre listening to it. either way his writing ability and poetic take on hip-hop cannot be ignored, where would we be without "I Used to Love H.E.R."?

From Hayden 02/27/2011 22:00 | #18782

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