Like
Black America Again
, the release of
A Beautiful Revolution, Pt. 1
was timed with a U.S. presidential election.
Common
and company no doubt could have made this brief LP a report strictly on what transpired after November 8, 2016. While there are references to the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor and skepticism regarding COVID-19 vaccines -- among other tragic injustices, developments, and conditions of the late 2010s and early 2020s -- they're contextualized within the ongoing narrative of white supremacy, and are tempered with the positivity and pride that
still has in abundance. The support the MC receives is mostly from longtime comrades. Drummer
Karriem Riggins
, keyboardist
Robert Glasper
, bassist
Burniss Travis
, and guitarist
Isaiah Sharkey
-- the first three are also the producers -- form the band, generating braided grooves of jazz, soul, funk, and Afrobeat with a hip-hop mentality. Their work is a bit more live-sounding than what's heard on
and 2019's
Let Love
, and a little closer to the openness of 2018's
August Greene
. On "What Do You Say (Move It Baby)," one of several songs featuring the words and voice of
contributor
PJ
, they concoct what is essentially a roller skating jam anchored by a
Travis
bassline that bobs and weaves.
is also a driving force atop "Say Peace" ("All they really wanna do is cuff you"), the muscly polyrhythms of which are further strengthened by a panoply of dancehall interjections and a high-alert
Black Thought
guest verse ("They on the hunt for the plug, and we the auxiliary").
Lenny Kravitz
delivers the hook for the rumbling "A Riot in My Mind," and
Stevie Wonder
returns to add harmonica to the ballad "Courageous," yet another
showcase.
is so welcoming in stretches that he's more like a presenter than a headliner, dropping in for the occasional verse of encouragement or, in exceptions "Fallin'" and "A Place in This World," offering deeper ruminations on race relations, taking aim at overt racism and ineffectual liberalism alike. ("Many, many holler about justice reform/But won't put money where the hustle is born" is one of his all-time best couplets.) Introduced and capped off by the authoritative poetry of
Jessica Care Moore
and
Morgan Parker
, this is billed as a "part one" but has the feel of a complete statement. ~ Andy Kellman