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BUY THE CD
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I’ve had the Black Eyed Peas’ song,
“Hey Mama,” in my head for weeks. When no one’s around, it makes me bust a move in the
living room. But when I first got the CD, I was disappointed. The first time I listened
to it, I was in the car, and I didn’t feel like there was anything especially outstanding
about any of the songs (except, of course, “Hey Mama”). But when I took the CD home and
played it in my office, my opinion changed...a little bit.
The Black Eyed
Peas mix reggae, funk, dance, rap, and a few Latin rhythms here and there to create an
album that makes it difficult to sit still (even during the slower songs). The lyrics
are playful and fun (though some of the songs are a kind of playful that’s not really
suitable for kids—especially "Latin Girls," which talks about all the things the singer
would like to do to Cuban girls, Mexican girls, Puerto Rican girls, and Spanish
girls...).
Elephunk can be rather cleanly divided into two halves—a
little like the front and back of an old cassette (or, if you’re a little bit older than
that, an LP). I seem to remember that I never really liked the back side as much as I
liked the front. And I feel the same way about Elephunk.
The
album starts out with “Hands Up,” a smooth, hip-hoppish song, which is followed by a few
more fun, funky tunes (like “Labor Day”—a song celebrating the long weekend). But the
pace slows a bit for the second half of the album, and the style of the songs changes.
Before the album ends, the Peas throw a curve ball with “Anxiety.”
Instead of the usual funky beats, “Anxiety” is a gritty, alternative-sounding song—one
that I really like, but that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the album.
I love the songs that make me want to get up and dance. I love their
diversity—the funky reggae beats and spoken parts mixed with Fergie’s belted-out lyrics.
The second half of the album, however, is a little disappointing—not that it’s bad,
necessarily…I just expected something else.
The first half of the album
is great for a summertime party—but once you get halfway through, put in something
different.
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