Archived: Oct 08, 2007

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Mediocre.it.is

Will.i.am’s newest a mixed bag

By Jacob Schneider

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‘Get Your Money,’ an ode to the ladies on the pole, stands above the rest with a funky electro beat and some jazzy guitars.

It’s been a busy two years for Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am, who has been lending his production talents to numerous artists since the 2005 Black Eyed Peas release, “Monkey Business.” He has been helping bang out hits for fellow artists including Justin Timberlake, Common, Nas and countless others.

Somehow, in the midst of all these projects, he has found time to focus on his own creative talents and has produced his third solo album entitled “Songs About Girls.”

Beware, to all the B.E.P. fans out there looking for a high-energy album similar to “Monkey Business” or “Elephunk.” No party is gettin’ started in here.

“Songs About Girls” is a mellow album inspired by the recent breakup of Will and his girlfriend of seven years. The song topics range from the breakup, to strip clubs, and eventually finding new love. Saving his best work for himself, the album has a very unique futuristic style of sound that comes off very club friendly.

I was upset to find out that some songs on this album lack any sort of artistic creativity. An example of this is the albums first single, “I Got it From My Mama.” This song is flat out garbage. With its annoying and repetitive chorus, it’s sure to be a huge success. Be prepared to hear this one five times an hour on commercial radio.

That’s not to say that this album is a total loss. There are a few decent tracks worth checking out. Most notably, “Get Your Money,” an ode to the ladies on the pole, stands above the rest with a funky electro beat and some jazzy guitars. Will tells the girls during the chorus “If you strippin’ / I ain’t trippin’ / It’s alright with me.”

All in all I wasn’t impressed with this CD. It was obvious that certain songs were put in place to be “money makers.” This is unfortunate considering that these tracks will shadow the decent material on the album.

Will.i.am is a talented producer, and it shows on this record, but he lacks the lyricism necessary to captivate a serious audience. Perhaps he should stick to producing for other artists, or his role as front man of the Black Eyed Peas.

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