The Chicago rapper homes in on his home town for his 10th album, though the Windy City has provided fertile fodder for his flow, insights and observations over the years. But the Chitown of now is an environment far removed from the Chitown of old, with a huge increase in recent years in gun crime and violence, a situation the rapper seeks to address on Nobody's Smiling. The Neighbourhood, Kingdom and the title track explore the strife Common sees all around him. While he furrows his brow and applies the introspective articulation, his longtime producer No ID creates a superb soundscape full of intricate, detailed and unexpected sinew and muscle. It's not all downbeat inner-city symphonies: Rewind That and Diamonds bring another dimension and bounce to the record. A truly deep and wide affair. thinkcommon.com Download: The Neighbourhood, Kingdom, Diamonds