Pharrell, “In My Mind”
HIP-HOP|Interscope, released July 25
Like Kanye West, this producer-turned-emcee isn’t as adept in front of the mic as he is behind the boards.
Pharrell is one of music’s most intoxicating talents. He’s one of the biggest names in the production game, focusing on hip-hop, R&B and pop. And while he nails the production on this solo record, from the dizzying, off-the-wall loop in “Raspy (Expletive)” to the ’70s TV theme-influenced strings in “That Girl,” the songs are never brought full circle with rhymes to match the beats.
Pharrell has tried it all, from rap to R&B to rock, to varying degrees of success. His “Frontin”‘ was a goliath single on urban radio, but his most artistically satisfying work is that of N.E.R.D., his rock band that plays by hip-hop rules. The band’s records are far from consistent, but they’ve produced a small stable of bombtrack singles that mesh rock sensibilities with hip-hop production and delivery, and they own dance floors and critics’ best-of lists alike.
But here it seems like Pharrell is trying too hard. He’s reaching beyond his own skills, and he’s also enlisting the help of some very influential friends, including West, Jay-Z, Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Slim Thug.
But especially given his mammoth contributions to all of these artists’ careers (and countless others), Pharrell didn’t utilize their returned favors as much as he should have. He gave Gwen Stefani the unstoppable beats of “Hollaback Girl,” but on the No Doubt singer’s guest spot here she’s relegated to a yes girl, a very minor role that has her inimitable voice almost unrecognizable.|Ricardo Baca
Angie Stevens, “Stand Up Girl 1”
COUNTRY-POP|Self-released, out Aug. 8
“Stand Up Girl 1” is the first of two mini-albums this Denver-based songwriter recently recorded, bringing band members Evan Beatty (bass), Damon Scott (percussion) and assorted guest players to the table for six tracks of breezy acoustic pop. Opener “Words” proves that Stevens is at her best when her lush vocals move in a country-folk direction, the waltzlike cadence of the song accented with layered piano notes.
The upbeat “Favorite Rerun” sounds a bit out of Stevens’ depth, her talents less forced when not trying to affect too much of a rock attitude. The title track would fit perfectly on any current radio play-list, and Stevens’ knack for affecting lyrics takes bittersweet form on closer “Judy,” shot through with personal pain.
Stevens isn’t breaking any new ground, but the tight performances and production here should please discerning country-pop fans.|John Wenzel (Stevens will play a CD-release show at Red Rocks on Aug. 8.)
Five For Fighting, “Two Lights”
ADULT CONTEMPORARY|Columbia, released today
It’s reasonable to wonder if Five for Fighting would still be releasing music on a major label were it not for Sept. 11.
After the terrorist attacks, a wounded American public latched onto the lackluster but timely and sentimental FFF single “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” thus launching it’s career. And now, as singer-songwriter John Ondrasik is releasing his fourth full-length CD in 10 years, it’s obvious that there’s a place for Five for Fighting’s earnestness – only it may be the used CD bin for some discerning listeners.
When “Two Lights” isn’t coming off like an overproduced contemporary Christian record (see the tragically named track “Freedom Never Cries”), the CD sounds like a relic from the mid-1990s when being Toad the Wet Sprocket-esque was actually desirable. Ondrasik is swift behind both the piano and guitar, but his songwriting is sleepily overwrought with stock Midwestern sentiment and lazy blue-collar imagery.|Ricardo Baca
Other releases today:
DMX, “Year of the Dog … Again” (Sony) Can this gruff hip-hop star reassert his career after a string of legal troubles?
Only time (and album sales) will tell.
Various artists, “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” Soundtrack (Lakeshore) Another mediocre movie, another mediocre soundtrack. The Magic Numbers, Fatboy Slim, Josh Kelley and Tristan Prettyman can’t rescue this middling disc from landing in the musical graveyard.
