Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning (Interscope)
Melissa Lewis | Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Now, it would appear – following the E.N.D, we have The Beginning (bit odd) and the return of the Black Eyed Peas; hoping to capitalize on their recent X-Factor lego-inspired performances. Unfortunately, similarly to this years winner Matt Cardle, the peas have merely managed to ruin hits we would have much rather seen left well alone.
Their sixth studio album is nothing short of a terrible covers remix album, a sell-out record hoping to hit the clubbing faithful track by track. To the disappointment of many, The Beginning fails to lift off and 'Dirty Bit' is probably the only highlight – albeit a weak one and a kick in the face for Dirty Dancing lovers. The film, that is.
Clutching onto the Kanye West vibe, Will.i.am and co have produced a techno inspired auto-tune friendly record, sparsely using Fergie's vocals and relying primarily on the lead producer's bland lyrical transparency. The stutter-effect can be overused – this is selling proof.
It's shorter than its predecessor, but this doesn't make it any better and The E.N.D was lucky to feature a number of popular, respectable releases. The Beginning is an experiment, a return to the geeky musical trio that began the Black Eyed Peas many moons ago; an experiment we might add that craved recognition until a certain blonde led the way.
The closing tracks 'The Best One Yet' and 'Just Can't Get Enough' are better then most of the rest but are mellow compared to a number of the hit wannabes near the start. Particularly poor are 'Fashion Beats' and 'XOXOXO', using text slang as opposed to real words. Deep. As for 'Light Up The Night'? End it, more like.
Could this be The Beginning of the E.N.D? Bring Fergie back bring Fergie back etc etc.
Rating: 1/5