Thursday, September 3, 2009

Classic: Heaven Somewhere


While there's a few bloggers who I've stumbled upon that share the feeling with me (most notably, Pinboard), everyone else seems to absolutely hate Common's Electric Circus album. It's the one that knocked him into near hip hop obscurity as a general outsider in the years before Kanye and Be rescued him. But you know what? Screw everyone else's opinions. It'll say right here and now that EC is my favorite Common album. Yeah, suck on that one.

I may write a full length review one day on it, but for now I just wanted to post one of the most classic posse cuts that has ever been assembled. And the super crazy thing is ... it's all R&B singers ... and the song ain't even a "We Are the World" remix.

Common - Heaven Somewhere (feat. Omar, Cee-Lo, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, & Lonnie "Pops" Lynn)

Com did an amazingly crazy thing when he assembled his chorus-singing features for this album. He retained each one to record a powerfully personal verse on the album's closing track, singing about what "heaven" means to them. And it turned out beyond perfect. The Soulquarians collective, who helmed nearly all of the electro-soul-funk production of the rest of the album, took this song and tweaked it masterfully to highlight each singer independently and reflect their message of heaven. All this comes after a strong spoken word-styled intro by Common that sets up the opus. It's an extensive track, but trust me when I say that you need this joint in your life.

... but do take my word for it.

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