Common Wealth

"I kind of think," he goes on, "that the guitar is completely over-used, over-relied-on and completely boring most of the time. I only play it because it's the only instrument I'm semi-competent on. I'm mostly focused on using guitar to help what needs to be done in the song at that moment."

Common's found-sound repository includes everything from educational and instructional offerings to a tape found on a late-'60s reel-to-reel machine. That recording documents several generations of a Native American family passing around a microphone as they sing songs, most of them in their native tongue. "It's my favorite album," he says, laughing, "and I have the only copy available on planet Earth.

"It seems so obvious now to me," he adds, "to use the entire palette of sounds available to us here on the planet to make music."

And if that music is on the upbeat side, even better. Common admits to having a bent for sad songs and dark material in the past, in part because he's been through his own share of "downer" times over the years. "After a while," he says, "you just get sick of it. You know: ŒHow about some light?' For those who listen to the songs, maybe I owe it to them and to myself to really try to be positive. There's plenty to be sad about, but you get what you focus on, so let's focus on light."

He's already lightened the load in a number of ways with his new disc.

"Early third-party trials," Common says, "are showing that a steady diet of Good to Be Born can improve or even completely cure ligament pain, Epstein-Barr virus, sensitivity to wool and the common cold."

Of course, he adds, there are even more practical time-tested applications for his music.

"I just want people to make sweet, sweet love with this record playing in the background," he offers. "Songs like ŒWhat Are You Waiting For' or ŒComing in for a Landing' take on a whole new meaning depending on the context, you know."

As does the disc's title. The term "good" here also implies readiness, Common notes, and reflects his feelings about his own musical rebirth. "This is the first record I've ever put out under my name," he notes, "and the title sort of signifies that I'm ready for that. I've never been in a better place than I am now as a writer and a musician and a guy in a band. Everything just feels right, and this album feels right. It's good to go; it's the right time."