By shelz.

The Dreamer, The Believer is only a month away and Common has let loose the 2nd single from his 9^th album.  “Blue Sky” is a story of hard work and achievement; chasing your dreams and making them come true.  And being able to afford a couple of Prada suits never hurt anyone.

The foundation is a lively combination of swirling strings, boomeranging keys a drum that’s almost tribal, and a cacophony of layered vocals. Strange spacey details move in and out as the track goes from crisp to muffled and back again.  There’s a lot going on, but No ID manages to stuff 10 pounds of awesomeness into a five pound bag without it becoming over-worked or laborious to listen to.  The only issue is this beat sounds like it should be a beast to rap over.

Common threads the needle for the most part, but it’s like traversing jagged rocks.  All the little steps he has to take to make the vocals fit between elements already present takes the effortlessness out of his delivery. His story of rising from the bottom to limitless highs is well told though.  And it’s always nice to hear the word high used without being a drug reference.  When all is said and done though, No ID is the star here.