>but there's something "special" missing from his post LWFC
>discography. He just doesn't seem to have that poetic touch
>his earlier stuff had

I really liked a lot of TD/TB, liked the concept of Nobody's Smiling, and LOVE Black America Again. But I agree for the most part. I think BAA was a sort of return to form, he seemed more in his comfort zone than he's been since Be. But with that said, I had this same feeling when hearing any of his new music since TD/TB ... like, this is really good but there's something missing, some of the old magic. And I had previously attributed that to my getting older and just not really getting that feeling anymore at all from any new music, and felt like maybe my own personal youth and growth had been the source of that feeling. Then late last fall I came across a Common song I'd never heard before, released in 1999 or 2000, with DJ JS-1 called "While I'm Dancin'" and that feeling came back again hearing his verse on that track. So I guess there was a certain something he had back in his younger days that just isn't there anymore. And to bring it full circle, it probably has a lot to do with HIS age and getting older, in that the hunger he had from Resurrection thru Be just isn't the same as it was. Which is fine, he's still making some really great music and can still rap his ass off. But yea - I think there's something to be said for that youth magic he had. And a lot of other artists too, it's not just him.