Have you ever passed by a loud club after a tough day of work and cringed at the thought of entering? That's kind of what the new Black Eyed Peas album is like. It's a little too much party for one album without enough substance to make up for it.
Though there are some gems tucked in here and there (particularly the addictive lead-single "Boom Boom Pow"), most of the songs find will.i.am trying way too hard to please an elitist blogosphere by adopting electro, disco and dance music trends.
For all this talk of "next level" and "future flow", the album mostly falls flat lyrically, relying on a mass of hip-hop cliches and recycled concepts. Gone is the absurdity and humor that made "My Humps" such a guilty pleasure.
Worst of all? Anyone who remembers the Peas from their pre-Fergie "Joints and Jams" days will cry sacrilege when they hear such atrocities as "Now Generation". Fucking with genre is all fun and games, until someone fucks genre in the ass with a cactus.
With that said, moments in songs like "Alive" or "Imma Be" hint at this "next level" sound the group enjoys bragging about. Your best bet is to listen to clips of each song and download the ones that suit your tastes. Not only will you save some money, but you'll also save your appreciation for BEP.
– Dewitt
I just bought the album and so far I’m not unhappy at all with it. I’m kind of tired of Boom Boom Pow actually haha. I love Meet Me Halfway and Ring-a-Ling has a fun beat, you just have to kind of ignore the stupid words…
Ive had this album for a few weeks now, being friends with one of the producers, and I LOVE it completely thru and thru and think this is one of their best albums ever