Spins: Album reviews

Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.

Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Title: The E.N.D.
Label: Interscope
Genre: Hip-hop/Electronica/Pop

For some reason everyone seems to hate on the Black Eyed Peas. Yes, they ditched their backpacker sound for a more accessible pop sound and yes, they added funky white girl Fergie in place of neo-soul diva Kim Hill. However, none of this takes away from the fact that Will.I.Am is one of the best producers in the game whether he is creating pop, R&B, or hip-hop (ask his long list of esteemed collaborators which includes Mary J. Blige, Talib Kweli, Chrisette Michele, and Chris Brown), or that Fergie can deliver a potent verse whether singing of fake-rapping. Thankfully BEP have not let the criticism dampen their energy, hence the title of their fifth album The Energy Never Dies or The E.N.D. for short.

Where BEP’s last two albums created a pop-funk sound this new album finds the Peas incorporating the current electro craze into their sound. Before you cry “copycat”, this move isn’t a stretch for the Peas who have been entrenched in Los Angeles underground culture since the 90s, often seen popping and locking at that city’s massive rave parties such as Audiotistic. With The E.N.D. the Peas aren’t just jumping onto a trend, they are reliving their youth, and Will.I.Am seems to be enjoying the ride, fully embracing techno, breaks, electro and house for a high energy excursion through underground beats and pop melodies.

Anyone who has turned on the radio or been to a club as of late, has heard the ubiquitous single “Boom Boom Pow”, a deliciously catchy track with nothing on its mind but booty-shaking. It is the Peas’ most successful single to date, yet ironically it is also the most underground in terms of production. The track is pretty much a breakbeat track straight out of Miami with a trance breakdown, yet somehow in 2009 it is considered pop. Oh, what a difference ten years can make! The rest of the album follows suit with plenty of bass heavy breakbeats (”Ring-A-Ling”), speaker rattling electro (”Rock That Body”), and club anthems (”Party All The Time”).

Don’t expect much in terms of lyrical brilliance. Throughout the album Will.I.Am and company simply talk about dancing, drinking, and having sex with a wink and smile. The most thought provoking line on the album in Fergie’s now famous “I’m so 3000 and 8, you’re so 2000 and late” from “Boom Boom Pow.” But that is not to say the album does not deliver some pleasant surprises. Say what you will but Fergie is the best thing to happen to the Peas. Her Taylor Dayne meets Salt n Pepa delivery often creates the group’s biggest highlights. Throughout the album she is given dramatic buildups and breakdowns to swoon and holler over, delivering anthemic rave moments on tracks like “Missing You” and the pure 80s ear candy of album standout “Meet Me Halfway.”

One of the album’s best tracks, “Imma Be”, almost feels like two. Starting out with Fergie & Will.I.Am boasting over a bump and grind hip-hop groove, the track morphs into a sexy deep house excursion that seems fully authentic. But when the album steers into purely pop territory as on the cheesy second single “What A Feeling” or the grating “Now Generation” things begin to feel forced. The truth is the Black Eyed Peas sound best when channeling their underground sensibilities into high-energy accessible dance tracks but often fall flat when trying to create pop songs that appeal to their fan base. But fortunately on The E.N.D. the Peas stay true to what makes them great. And the party doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

- Norman Mayers

BlackEyedPeas.com
www.myspace.com/blackeyedpeas

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The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)