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Uncut

Tough and determinedly sexed-up, here you'll find talk of beefs, booty and bitches, rather than brotherhood. Producers Neptunes and OutKast's Mr DJ oversee this exercise in alluringly moderne hip hop. [Oct 2008, p.83]

The Guardian

His eighth LP is most compelling where these themes collide, such as on 'Punch Drunk Love,' where the salacious production meets its match in imaginative innuendos.

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Filter

It's both disjointed and jarring, but it's unlike anything the Chicago legend has done before. Drop your booty if you enjoy such things. If not, try and appreciate those who do. [Holiday 2008, p.91]

Spin

While we're used to Common in the role of poetic prophet or self-righteous rhyme slayer, Universal Mind Control is primarily a rhythmic celebration, paying tribute to Afrika Bambaataa and Jonzun Crew jams.

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Los Angeles Times

Too much of Universal Mind Control falls conceptually flat.

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Rolling Stone

Huh? A Common album without a soul-jazz opener? Well, rap's deep thinker wanted to make club bangers. So he got the Neptunes to shape this sexed-up set.

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Billboard

As was the case with John Legend, who beamed into the club on his latest, the initial effect is jarring, even in its star's capable hands. But it also settles in nicely.

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Dot Music

His flow remains arguably one of the greatest out there; it would just be nice for him to have a bit more faith in his own mind, rather than those of our uber-producers.

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Prefix Magazine

We're approaching the dead of winter and are in the middle of a recession, and Universal Mind Control isn't helping.

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Mojo

The first side's carnal workouts are muscular of beat, but let down by Common's awkward dirty-talk....The more 'conscious' ssecond half plays better. [Feb 2009, p.106]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

On his eighth solo album, Common stops trying to save the world and uplift the human spirit, and gets in touch with his inner freak, with results that are often more bewildering than sexy.

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RapReviews.com

[comon] managed to record a whole ten scenes, I mean tracks, over the course of the year, and at least three of them are listenable.

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Paste Magazine

Common’s inability to sound sincere about a man he spent two years championing is the most telling part of this consciously shallow caricature of hip-hop’s dregs.

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Entertainment Weekly

Universal Mind Control seems to move Common backward instead of forward, which for a lyricist of his caliber is truly disappointing.

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All Music Guide

Common's here to have a good time, no strings attached, with uneven results.

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Hartford Courant

Universal Mind Control gets stuck in the same rut as so many other booty-jam records do: It's not all that memorable.

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Boston Globe

Not many of the Neptunes' beats really challenge Common, and his rhymes seem uncharacteristically empty.

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Slant Magazine

Although Universal Mind Control represents a serious step backward from the successes of his recent projects with Kanye, it would be remiss to say the album is the death knell for Common's career or that he has fallen off in any significant way.

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The New York Times

It’s a blatant mismatch, Mr. Williams’s blunt-force id with Common’s casual gravity. The Neptunes, who produce seven of the 10 songs here, treat Common as an obstacle to be worked around, which, in fairness, he is.

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Blender

The MC turns largely to the Neptunes for music, and their lithe, bombastic space-porno sonatas provide a vitality and playfulness he’s still capable of matching. But a string of increasingly awkward and thoroughly ludicrous sex jams finds him slapping asses, and may leave his devotees smacking their foreheads.

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Vibe

In fact, the flair that is championed on most Common albums is absent, leaving a vapid display of good ideas with unenthused delivery. This nonchalance has placed Universal Mind Control’s release, regardless of its intentions, in poor form, doing little for progressing Common’s ability.

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NOW Magazine

So there’s no shortage of sick beats, but Common’s decision to dumb down his rhymes to a rude and rudimentary level comes off horribly crass at best and at worst downright embarrassing.

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Under The Radar

He is a mimic of fine abilities, but he has always sounded like whatever group he’s glommed onto.

Sputnikmusic

Universal Mind Control is offensively bad.

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PopMatters

Pharrell and his Neptunes exert a svengali-like control over the record helping Common release his most contrived and banal album to date.

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Pitchfork

Universal Mind Control is a painful misstep from a talented rapper who's decided to be as nasty as he wants to be--which turns out to be much, much nastier than we'd like.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 6.7 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Peter F gave it a9:
This album is awesome. From best first track of album ever (UMC- maybe best song on album, definitely best beat on album) to great turntablism in Inhale. In my ladder of US hip-hop albums, second after 808s and Heartbreaks.

Clif C gave it a5:
Entertainment Weekly said it all. Big, big, big, biiiiig disappointment! Some good moments though ("Universal Mind Control" & "Everywhere").

bugs bunny Jr. gave it a2:
Baad.. What just happened? I want common's old sound back!

Frantz L. gave it a9:
This Album is really good because of the fact that common changed the music up on his tracks and still kept the meaning. Notice when he raps about sex its not just about calling girls names but he lyrical makes sex more sexier. He is a legend and for a legend to get this type of recognition...its shameful. He cant win can he? When he raps "conciously" he's hailed as a lyricist that cant sell. And when he switches it up a little by getting beats that people cn dance too he's labeled a failure? This album was extremely creative and original and i give it a 9 out of 10

The Rap Man gave it an8:
WHile not it is not the best Common Cd there is..I find it to be a great cd none the less. This cd is still a higher calibur than most other rappers in the rap game. But now that I am done with the compersian. It does fall flat sometimes, but the songs that are on the cd are simply amazing. It has a different sound now that Common has handed the producing from his usual Chicago buddy to producer the Neptunes. It is a complete all around sound from music to rapping. While to me it hasn't equaled up to BE or Like Water For Choclate. It has the vibe of Eletric Circus and the Flow of Finding Forever.

Lawrence H. gave it a7:
Universal Mind Control is generally a fun album to listen to if you can get past Common's mediocre punchlines and lyrics.

Tony B. gave it an8:
Not bad. Not great. Solid.

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