Common lightens up with new "Summer" album

04/30/2008 8:34 PM, Reuters
Gail Mitchell

Common's upcoming album is shaping up to be an electro-tinged departure from the Chicago rapper's previous lyric-driven releases.

"I created this music for the summer time, it's about feeling good," Common told Billboard.com during a recent preview of tracks appearing on "Invincible Summer." "This is the type of music I felt was missing from my body of work."

"Invincible Summer," Common's eighth album, is tentatively scheduled for a mid-July release. The high-energy track "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)" is likely be the first single, due by the end of May.

The Neptunes and Outkast producer Mr. DJ produced the album. Kanye West, who helmed the production on Common's last LP, 2007's "Finding Forever," did not contribute any tracks this time around. (That album has sold 549,000 units to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan).

"Kanye was focusing on his 'Glow in the Dark' show, so he hasn't been able to make it to the studio to weigh in," Common said. "But it worked out well, organically. The Neptunes & Mr. DJ came up with a fresh sound for me."

"Invincible Summer" features techno-inspired drums on "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)," spongy futuristic chords on "Make My Day" featuring Cee-Lo, and fuzzy kazoos on "Punch Love."

Common, currently in theaters with the Keanu Reeves cop drama "Street Kings," co-stars with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy in the summer thriller "Wanted."

Reuters/Billboard