With 2002's Electric Circus, Common rocketed deliriously into the outer limits of sonic experimentation, at least as far as major-label hip-hop is concerned. On 2005's Be, he returned triumphantly to Earth with a sound as intimate and soothing as a warm bath after a hard day's work. Now comes Finding Forever, another Kanye West-engineered opus that picks up exactly where Be left off. It feels less like a sequel than an extension of Be, though the uncanny resemblance is both a major strength and its biggest weakness. Forever boasts nearly all of Be's homey virtues: It's tight, cohesive, devoid of filler, refreshingly brisk (at 50 minutes long), and sonically and lyrically focused. In an age of production-by-committee and double-digit guest rosters, it's the work of one MC and one producer (Kanye West) blessed with rare chemistry and a strong mutual vision.
| A1 | Intro | 1:17 |
| A2 | Start The Show | 3:14 |
| A3 | The People | 3:24 |
| B1 | Drivin' Me Wild | 3:42 |
| B2 | I Want You | 4:30 |
| B3 | Southside | 4:44 |
| C1 | The Game | 5:01 |
| C2 | U, Black Maybe | 5:01 |
| C3 | So Far To Go | 4:27 |
| D1 | Break My Heart | 3:39 |
| D2 | Misunderstood | 4:44 |
| D3 | Forever Begins | 7:36 |
