... Deciding not to waver from their distinctive MC and rapping style of music the group went back to the studio in 2001, with their new female vocalist Fergie, to record their third album, timed to coincide with the release of ‘Where is the Love?’
‘Elephunk’, was released in August 2003 and ... Read review
Advantages: So many musical styles Disadvantages: One rock track that doesn't work
The Black Eyed Peas became hot property after the release of their single ‘Where is the Love’ during the latter part of 2003. Despite having been around since 2000, the group had struggled to find their niche in the music market, although they always had a hardcore following. Maybe it was the decision to have Justin Timberlake appear on the single, that ensured its success, but the band went on to have another hit single ‘Shut Up’ at the end of the ... ...Ap met in the USA, their home country while they were at high school during the year of 1989. Deciding to set up a band, Atban Klaan were formed, and managed to secure a recording contract although everything went per shaped soon after. Undeterred, the boys met with Taboo, who became the third member of the band in 1995, and decided to re-name the group The Black Eyed Peas. After securing a recording contract with Interscope Records in 1995, the ... more
The Black Eyed Peas became hot property after the release of their single ‘Where is the Love’ during the latter part of 2003. Despite having been around since 2000, the group had struggled to find their niche in the music market, although they always had a hardcore following. Maybe it was the decision to have Justin Timberlake appear on the single, that ensured its success, but the band went on to have another hit single ‘Shut Up’ at the end of the year.
Will I. Am and Apl. De Ap met in the USA, their home country while they were at high school during the year of 1989. Deciding to set up a band, Atban Klaan were formed, and managed to secure a recording contract although everything went per shaped soon after. Undeterred, the boys met with Taboo, who became the third member of the band in 1995, and decided to re-name the group The Black Eyed Peas. After securing a recording contract with Interscope Records in 1995, the band released their first album in 1998. Featuring a guest appearance from Macy Gray, the album did not sell particularly well, neither did their second release, also featuring the dulcet tones of Ms. Gray. Deciding not to waver from their distinctive MC and rapping style of music the group went back to the studio in 2001, with their new female vocalist Fergie, to record their third album, timed to coincide with the release of ‘Where is the Love?’
‘Elephunk’, was released in August 2003 and can be purchased from www.hmv.co.uk for £8.99 or from www.play.com for £7.99.
The opening track ‘Hands Up’ has a Twenties quick step influence and is a fine start to the album. The energy in the song shines through and one can almost imagine this being used as a song to get an audience warmed up before a concert. The use of the trumpets and other brass instruments in the track create a blend of jazz and hip hop and sets the tone for the album well.
‘Labour Day’ transports the listener back to the Eighties, with its strong Soul Funk influences and is slightly reminiscent of the Rose Royce feel good vibe. Although a slow song, the wonderful vocal effects in this seem to liven and jazz it up no end, and is a song of celebration and partying, ideal to get the listener in the mood for a night out. Male vocals take the lead, with Fergie’s backing adding a Madonna influence to the song.
Fergie could almost have borrowed the opening lines from this track from Gloria Gaynor. Her amazing strong vocals are joined by a rapping chorus, in this very un-politically correct song that reeks of soul and bass fused with some Eighties funk. The song is so upbeat it is impossible to keep the feet still and is another feel good track.
“Bop your head like epilepsy, up inside ya' club or in your Bentley Get messy, loud and sick”
‘Hey Mama’ has a Latin influence and features the vocals of Tippa Irie. A light-hearted look at members of the opposite sex, one can almost imagine the male members of the band sliding up to women in a night club with their one liners. A strong blend of funk and dancehall influences make this track a winner.
‘Shut Up’ is a tale of a relationship entering rocky ground. Fergie shines on this classic track, and her vocals are the strongest on the whole album, her rich tones blending fantastically with the guttural male vocals. The bassline dominates the track as the male and female argue about their relationship in a funky-fused spat. Despite the seriousness of the song, I defy anyone not to be jiggling after the first few bars of the song. Fantastic.
The lyrics on ‘Smells like Funk’ are probably the silliest on the album, but the band leap into the track, positively strutting their funky stuff by this point of the album. The listener even ends up believing the lines “Cause if you know that if it smells like Funk then it must be us, if you smellin' Fat Funk then it must be us”. A riff borrowed from ‘Putting on the Ritz’ and the strong dancehall influences turn this song into another contender for top spot on the album.
Yet another style emerges with the track ‘Latin Girls’. The song is a celebration of the female species and is a peach. As the title suggests, the track has strong Latin influences with the maracas, piano and horns used to maximum effect, with the male members of the band even spouting some Spanish for good effect. The outcome? A strong track in which the almost breathless female harmony takes centre stage, in a Latin fiesta.
The mood moves to jazz for the next track, ‘Sexy’, another celebration of women, and Fergie’s sexy deep throated tones, make the song complete. Although the track slows the album down in tempo, one can imagine swishing round the dance-floor bossa nova style, with this playing in the background, despite the lyrics being very sexually oriented.
‘Fly Away’ is the only track on the album written by Fergie, and although the boys start off with an impressive rap introduction, Fergie soon butts in to take over the vocals. Sounding very similar to Nelly Furtado, the track mixes a blend of electric guitars with hip hop and a slightly rockier edge in a tale of a relationship end and the couple deciding to spread their wings and find pastures new. Brilliant.
The mood slows once again with the onset of ‘The Boogie that be’ and goes back to funky overtones with a heavy bassline. Black Eyed Peas do the funk sound so well, and this is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Influences of Eighties band Brass Construction make this a funk collaboration to be proud of, with the band sounding so laid back they are almost comatose. Fab.
‘The Apl song’ tells the tale of growing up in the Philippines, and Apl de Ap takes lead vocals to sing part of the song in his mother tongue. A slow song, interspersed with raps provided by the other band members, Ap proves that he is worthy of taking the lead in any future releases by the band.
‘Anxiety’ sees the band completely change direction to a very heavy rock based sound. The song, a collaboration with Papa Roach, telling of various low points in the band members lives, veers so far away from the rest of the album, it leaves the listener wondering whether the band will be able to get back on track. Sounding like Nickelback on a bad day, this is the thorn of the album.
The band finish the album off with the wonderful ‘Where is the Love?’ on which Justin Timberlake makes a guest appearance. From the opening sound, the beat of the song demands attention and literally grabs the listener by the scruff of the neck. The band ruminate on the state of the World today and the boys prove that not only can they rap, but can provide melodious harmonies as a backing track as well. Peace and love abound in a fine ending to a near perfect album.
The album certainly lives up to its name. Just about every blend of funk possible is included, fused with hip hop and rap, with the exception of the one rock based track ‘Anxiety’. The band are not afraid to experiment, and the huge diversity of the musical styles on the album make it a masterpiece. Although not lyrically strong, the outstanding musical collaborations on the album put it on a pedestal where it rightly belongs.
‘Elephunk’ is quite possibly one of the best albums I have ever purchased, and is a testament to the two years it took the band to produce. The Black Eyed Peas have certainly made an impact on the British public, and their amazing talent for just about every type of musical style imaginable will ensure that they go from strength to strength and earn a place in musical history.
Advantages: lots of diverse sounding songs Disadvantages: not really any
'Where is the Love’ is stuck in my head having just been listening to it... its possibly one of the most over-played songs on the album on my cd player, and at the moment, it is my favourite cd. Therefore... here comes another review of an album..... I had only heard of the group when I heard their number one single 'where is the love?' so I was surprised to find out that they had been around since 2000. They finally became a bit more mainstream ... ...- apparently he is sexy and everyone loves him.... I cant see it personally, he's just a michael jackson wanna-be-but-neva-gonna-be. Anyway, it did the trick and now everyone knows who they are... and if you dont..... then quite blatantly you have been living in a cave for the last 6 months...
The band was formed in 1989, when the original two members - Will I. Am and Apl. De Ap - met at school. After getting not very far not very quickly, they ...
missarty 07.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas
Advantages: brilliant songs, diverse album Disadvantages: some of the songs have been overplayed
As the most prominent of their 3 albums, this is the first one Ive had the pleasure of listening to all the way through. I didnt even buy it, my parents did, I just happended to turn it on by mistake when I was home.
When it was playing in my kitchen I didnt even realize it was a black eyed peas album. Thinking it was something on the radio I made sure I could hear who it was. Compared to the flagship track 'Where is the Love?', this title track ... ...far faster, the bass line far heavier and the female vocals arnt so prominent. It is quite blatently a hip hop track, but features a rather nifty rocky guitar riff which rather than sounding out of place adds a little something extra to an already brilliant song. This track sets a precedent for the whole album, entitled 'hands up' it does seem to have that effect, so much so, rather than waiting for the next song, I ended up skipping backwards and ...
axtesh 27.02.2004 (20.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas
Advantages: very funky tunes Disadvantages: none really
I bought this album after really liking the singles 'shut up' and 'hey mama'. I was hoping for more of the same on the album, & I wasn't disappointed.
The Black Eyed Peas exploded onto the music scene late last year with their No 1 hit 'where is the love,' with its guest appearance by Justin Timberlake which was one of the biggest sellers of last year.
The album starts as it means to go on with 'Hands up', a sound not dissimilar to their recent ... ...and the sax add an unusual sound to this track. The instruments all work with the lyrics, and add to the track, rather than distract from it. I also liked the electricity sound affects. The guitar break in the middle is particularly catchy for me. This is a good intro to the album, and set the scene well for the rest of the album. I'm also very intrigued if the chorus is just sung once, then repeated for the rest of the track, as it sounds exactly ...
fuzzibear 06.04.2004 (22.08.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas
Advantages: The kids HAVE got taste Disadvantages: Explicit content - but not too bad
...songs. I'd bought the Elephunk album for my son, but managed to rescue it from his pit, and once I put it on I was hooked. This album has everything, from the sensitive, thought provoking Where Is The Love, through to the spanish riffs in Latin Girls, and onto the hormonal teenage angst (so familiar to many mums my age!) in Anxiety. There's even a little sliver of disco.
I'd hate to go through all the tracks and ruin what could be for you what I ... ...some of the other tracks. Smells Like Funk is catchy, one of those that gets into your heard for days on end and you have to listen to something else to get rid of it. Fly Away is melodic, and very obviously written from someone's personal experience. They've released their latest single in a different version to that on the album, where it's called Lets Get Retarded, the released version is Lets Get It Started, and it's been rejigged a bit, but ...
bookemjano 20.06.2004 (21.06.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas
Advantages: Funky!! Disadvantages: Some boring songs on the album!
The Blackeyed Peas- Elephunk
Interscope records, licensed to Polydor Ltd (UK)
The "peas" are also known as Will.i.am, Fergie,Taboo and Apl.de.ap. The peas have been around in the hip hop music scene for years know, and true die hard hip hop/RnB fans may say that their commercialisation has spoilt the genre. However, as one of these fans, I am nothing but impressed with the album.
I tend to buy albums that reflect in a certain memory in my life. ... ...throughout the whole of my girlie ski trip to South Germany and became our sound track! From then on, we all had to get it!
As a musician myself I can appreciate the fine form of all things musical, but particularly the catchy tunes with a range of rythmical influences such as salsa and latino which i love. In a nutshell then, its just down right funky!
In my opinion, the album is very good, strong and powerful. No two songs are the same in style, ...
armychick 14.07.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
Value for Money
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Advantages: Positive Hip-Hop Music, Some Introspection, Some Decent Production, "Where is the Love" Disadvantages: Wanna-be Party Tracks, Lack of Subject Matter, Some Bad Production, Some Nonsensical Tracks, Stupid
Im not going to sit here and pretend like i know EVERYTHING there is to know about the BlackEyedPeas. I do know that their last two albums were successful on a mainstream level and that the underground accepted them for giving us positive, thought-provoking hip-hop. I do know that they have a nice cultish following of loyal fans. I do know that they are composed of four members: three emcees and a singer, and that they have just recently released Elephunk, their new album which im reviewing right now. I also know that the lead-single is getting a nice dose of radio, MTV, and MTV2 play, which is refreshing to have positive hip-hop so well-recieved by the mainstream. BUT... Is the album any good?
Track List & Rating
1. Hands Up (3 Stars)
2. Labor (It's A Holiday) (3 Stars)
3. Let's Get Retarded (0 Stars)
4. Hey Mama (0 ...
Advantages: Variety of different types of track Disadvantages: None!
has a message. It's got everything really!
So in conclusion, I say that this album is a good investment. I can't say I'm really familiar with the BlackEyedPeas work previous to Elephunk, so I can't compare it, but I can compare it to other r & b and hip hop albums around at the moment and I would say that it would be positioned pretty highly in my opinion. If you liked "Shut up" and "Where is the Love?" i think you would definitely enjoy this album! ...
Advantages: Makes you feel great Disadvantages: The girl in BEP can sometimes ruin the songs!
The BlackEyedPeas, Elephunk, album has done them alot of credit! It has swung them into the limelight at last! Third album and they have finally done it! Made it big time! The album has a variety of different tunes not just hardcore hip-hop and rap, but some latino and other cultural influences as well. Thus appealing to a wider audience. The overall atmosphere produced by the album is very bubbly and partyish!
This is a comparatively long album - 16 tracks (in the U.K.). Recently released singles from the album include 'Where is the Love?', 'Hey Mama' and 'Shut up'. But some of my favourite tracks are later in the album. I think track 13 is my ultimate best track. Im not sure what language in which the guy is singing in, but the contrast between the singing of English and the other language, provides a serene atmosphere. If you pay ...
Product Information for "Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas" »
Product details
Title
Elephunk [PA]
Performer
Black Eyed Peas
Genre
R&B
Sub Genre
Rap
Release Date
30/06/2003
Original Release Year
2003
Label / Distributor
Interscope / Universal Music
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
602498603659
Catalogue Number
9860365
Additional notes
Album Notes
Black Eyed Peas: Will.I.Am (vocals, Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet, Moog synthesizer, programming); Apl.De.Ap (vocals, programming); Fergie, Taboo (vocals). Additional personnel: Justin Timberlake, Jamie Gomez, Allen Pineda, Dante Santiago, Jacobi Shaddix, Debbie Nova (vocals); Tobin (guitar, bass); George Pajon Jr., J. Curtis (guitar); Elizabeth Ann Lea (trombone); Printz Board (trumpet); Tim Izo Orindgreff (saxophone, flute, horns); Ron Fair (piano); Mike Fratantuno (acoustic guitar, bass, upright bass); Terence Yoshiaki, Dave Buckner (drums); Davey Chegwidden (congas, shaker); Chuck Prada (percussion); Terry Dexter, Noelle Scaggs (background vocals). Producers: Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap, Ron Fair. Recorded at Stewicha, Los Feliz, California; Record Plant, Hollywood, California; Glenwood Studio, Burbank, California; Velvet One, Sacramento, California. With distinct, cuttingly insightful, yet subtle lyrics fed over consistently catchy beats and eclectic arrangements, L.A.'s Black Eyed Peas have earned a high level of respect within the rap world, significant attention at college radio, and even the occasional crossover hit. Third release ELEPHUNK sees the addition of a fourth member, enchanting female vocalist Fergie (introduced with verve on the dancehall "Hey Mama"), and the continued elevation of their style and skills, as the group journeys all over the map, never falling into a funk of boredom. ELEPHUNK opens the ears from the outset with the flophouse jazz backbeat of "Hands Up," simultaneously easy-going and infectious, before crashing into the fluorescent, straight-up party anthem "Labor Day" using the familiar JB's "The Grunt" sample as successfully as the Bomb Squad did back in 1988. Then there's the perfectly chiseled but fiery "Shut Up" with its insistent Knight Rider-theme beat and call-and-response. ELEPHUNK closes on an unlikely duet with Justin Timberlake, "Where Is The Love," an earnest state-of-the-world ballad that somehow creates a fitting ending to a solid album from one of hip-hop's most intelligent groups.
Album Reviews
Alternative Press (9/03, p.118) - 4 out of 5 - "...Better partiers than preachers, these Peas have found their pod..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Hands Up
2.
Labor (It's A Holiday)
3.
Let's Get Retarded
4.
Hay Mama
5.
Shut Up
6.
Smells Like Funk
7.
Latin Girls
8.
Sexy
9.
Fly Away
10.
Boogie That Be
11.
Apl Song
12.
Anxiety
13.
Where Is The Love - Black Eyed Peas & Justin Timberlake
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08/12/2003
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