I have mixed feelings about this album and the new direction that the group are taking.
For me Behind the Front is their best album as far as hiphop funk goes. A superbly eclectic collection of tunes, that flows seemelessly from start to end.
This new album is a new direction for The Fugees....er..sorry Black Eyed Peas musically. Add to the mix a new female member to the group, and you can be sure things will have changed. But for better or worse? A little of both actually.
Elephunk is a very commercial album – it’s not to say it’s bad, but it’s watered down hiphop for accesibility (I wouldn’t rate Dustbin Tinkerbell as hiphop, but each to their own eh?). The commerical nature of it is obvious with collabrations of current flavours of their genres Dustin BinkerFarkWhatsitCryMeARicverSpears and some guy from Papa SoggyCockRoach. The latter collabaration, is a bad combination – much like drinking a beer with vinegar in it, it doesn’t work and tastes bad, and you wish you never experienced it.
it’s not something I would listen to often – it lacks direction, lacks competency and is almost a mish mash of ideas
Stand out tracks are Shut Up & Let’s Get Retarded. The new female singer, Fergie, most prominently all over these tracks. She’s a a good lookin’ lady, and a nice addition in some respects as it gives the group a new dynamic. On the other hand, she’s added an energetic and powerful aggression to the group (which is very attractive) but somehow seems misplaced with the whole hiphop funk mentality.
BEP were often regarded as a “Wannebe-Tribe”, which in some respects is true, but I think they established themselves as very good at what they do with Behind the Front. This album is, however, more like a cross between all current trends within R&B, rap, hip hop and so on.
What this means is there is no consistency to the album, sure it’s good to see the group going outside of the box and to diversify, but I think it’s at the expense of a lot of their early fans. As all bands are in it for the money, it probably makes sense that they have taken this approach and gone for the commerical aspect with some jovial and “happenin” tunes.
The unforunate thing is, and this is what REALLY PISSES ME OFF, is that this will be the first taste of BEP for many, with the success of Where is the love?, many talk about BEP as if they were never around before – some new band that came out of nowhere. Yes they haven’t had the commerical success of other bands in that time scale, however, to talk about them with rhetoric along the lines of “Let’s see if the BEP can repeat their success after Where is the Love? and not be a 1 hit wonder” is misguided and untrue.
Now people that listen to this album before they listen to Bridging the Gap or Behind the Front may get confused in thinking that Elephunk is representative of the BEP sound, which it is now, but wasn’t before. I think BEP may alienate a lot of their fans, but commerical success will bring them new fans – however, these are the same fans that will end up being “flavour of the month fans” that is, BEP are the flavour for now, and when there’s a new flavour, they’ll move on.
it’s good to see the group going outside of the box and to diversify, but I think it’s at the expense of a lot of their early fans
Don’t get me wrong, I think this album is, for the most part, very good but it’s not the BEP sounds, it’s taken everything that is popular now within that scene and melded it into some cliched but good. It lacks originality, it sounds like The Fugees at times, sometimes it sounds like everything else that is out there and therefore I can’t really recommend this album over anything else!
Behind the Front is still a far, far, far superior album; commerically inept perhaps, but better than sacrificing musical integrity surely? This album has done the reverse.
I will listen to this on occasion, but it’s not something I would listen to often – it lacks direction, lacks competency and is almost a mish mash of ideas. It seems BEP is still finding it’s grounding in particular with the new member, and perhaps their fourth album will rectify this.
Verdict: Commercial cliche done well – inferior to their previous work.
Track Listing
1. Hands Up
2. Labor Day (It’s A Holiday)
3. Let’s Get Retarded
4. Hey Mama
5. Shut Up
6. Smells Like Funk
7. Latin Girls
8. Sexy
9. Fly Away
10. The Boogie That Be
11. The apl Song
12. Anxiety
13. Where Is The Love?
14. Third Eye