@zellysayz shared with with me this mixtape that she had come across on Grooveshark by Beatnick that had some of Common's classic songs...I was pretty amazed at what she found: 




As you start to listen through some of the songs (many of them you would think were too classic to even consider to remake,) you'll find that Beatnick gives Common some new and fresh style to songs like The Light, I Used to Love H.E.R. and Reminding Me. It's crazy to me how new he manages each of these songs to sound. Of course, some people will always love the original version, and I'm not saying that this version of The Light is in any way more amazing than the one everybody remembers hearing for the first time in 2000. But it's almost a bit inspiring to see how producers these days can still pull something creative off something you would have never thought could be retouched. 

"When I make an album, I want to make it an experience and a story that you can play from front to back." -Common, heard on the beginning of Go. 

And that's pretty much what Beatnick was able to do with this mixtape. I played it from beginning to end and looked forward to the next song as one ended. I almost forgot that they were just remixes and that Common actually hadn't released a new album. Pretty crazy. 

Just a few of my favorite highlights from the album: 

*Disclaimer*: I screwed up every paper in my Music analysis class in college. I'm pretty much a dummy on any kinds of terms you use when properly reviewing the sound qualities of music. The following is simply an observation from what I've heard, not a full blown analysis that some reviewers would expect! Sorry, bud.

1. The techno kind of beat on Go  - While the original version of Go was great, I always felt the rhythm was a little bit of an overdone string that just repeated the word "Go" 10 times each time the chorus came. The new beat on this version is faster and actually blends the lyrics better in my opinion. Really cool. 

2. Crazy instrumentals on Reminding Me (Of Self) - Expect some crazy instrumentals that are amplified this time around on Reminding Me. Keys, guitar, percussions. This is what this song would sound like if performed by a live set, no joke. I love it.

3. Dose of Feel Good in The Light - Probably the hardest Common song to ever remake. Why would you ever want to? The song is such a classic, it almost would be a shame to remake the original one thinking you could do it better. But when I heard this version of The Light, I immediately got up and started dancing like I was at some family reunion or party. Try it, I'm sure it'll work on you too.