A Beautiful Revolution, Vol. 2
by Common
  • Record Label: Concord
  • Release Date: Sep 10, 2021
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. musicOMH.com
    Sep 10, 2021
    80
    Common raps with the calm contentment of a man who’s reached his destination, and it certainly sounds satisfying.
  2. Clash Music
    Sep 10, 2021
    80
    ‘A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2’ stares down the traumas that proliferate our lives, offering hope, creativity, and soul filtered through Common’s profound hip-hop vision.
  3. DIY Magazine
    Sep 9, 2021
    80
    ‘A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2’ is a sweet paean to music’s mood-boosting properties, as well as it capacity to effect meaningful change.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    Sep 9, 2021
    80
    It’s rich with Afro-centric grooves and dusty drum breaks, the spirit of James Brown weaving in and out of the pro-Black messaging, which emphasises hope and progress but still acknowledges the pain and suffering endured along the way.
  6. The Independent (UK)
    Sep 9, 2021
    80
    Common’s lyrical imagery is as evocative as ever on both. ... This is Common’s most hopeful album in years.
  7. AllMusic
    Dec 10, 2021
    60
    The energy throughout the album is so steady and positive that, even at a low volume, it can have a pacifying effect on the soul.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Sep 14, 2021
    60
    There’s enough evidence on A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 2 to suggest that he still cares about music, but it may take more than mellow bromides and Obama shout-outs to truly convince us.
  9. Mojo
    Sep 9, 2021
    60
    An improvement on 2020's lightweight Pt. 1. [Oct 2021, p.99]
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  10. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 9, 2021
    60
    By catering to everyone in an effort to uplift, Common doesn’t connect with the listener as much as he could–and as much as he has in the past. Common's big tent might be too spacious for its own good.

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. MusicGuyMack
    Sep 16, 2021
    8
    The record's restlessness, be it in the shifting time signatures or the skittering beats and off-kilter rapping style employed by Common uponThe record's restlessness, be it in the shifting time signatures or the skittering beats and off-kilter rapping style employed by Common upon it, won't be for everyone, but combined with soulful production and the rapper's typically highly socially conscious lyricism, said restlessness transforms into urgency and even uplift, delivering a powerful, articulate and intelligently empathetic message of community and hope amidst ever-trying times.… Full Review »
  2. Rafa
    Sep 10, 2021
    10
    Africabeat and poetic. Poetry reminds me of the underground of the 00s. Common made an album with the essence of rap.
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