Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela) [ft Roy Hargrove, Femi Kuti & Vinia Mojica)]: Any album that starts out with a tribute to Fela Kuti is cool in my book! There's a subdued feeling to everything that I really like. It's like everyone is being forced to be quiet, so the energy is still there all tight and compact. There's also a really nice layering effect that building throughout that I dig. Dig the distance on his voice - goes along with the effect of everything. The long cut after "time travelin" back into the groove is sweet. Slight groove switch at the end is funky. Nice, mellow way to start off the album.
Heat: Something about Common's flow on this makes it sound more like a piece of slam poetry than an actual rap, and I find that very cool. The beat is so simple (thanks Dilla) that the poetry isn't lost in it, which I think is vital to this particular track. It may be a little too simple though... Maybe it's because the previous track was just under 7 minutes, but this track seems much shorter than 3:41. I dig it.
Cold Blooded (ft Black Thought, Rahzel & Roy Hargrove): Man, I could barely recognize Black Thought's voice on this one! Eleven years certainly makes a difference. No surprise that he's as on point as ever. Really dig the groove on this one. The occasional horn parts, and the staccato guitar line go well together. Everything plays very well off of everything... if that makes any sense.
Dooinit: All of these beats so far are very mellow, which I'm totally down with, but I can see myself needing a lil more punch in a lil bit. Oh hello Mos Def! He may not get a feature, but I can recognize that voice anywhere. Nice lil cameo in the chorus. Solid beat, solid lyrics - everything's solid, but I'ma need a lil some'in some'in in a lil bit.
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