Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas > Reviews > Elephunky

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money

Advantages:	very funky tunes
Disadvantages:	none really

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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 singles. The instruments used such as the guitar 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 the same every time...

The 3 singles from the album gives you an idea as to how this album is. A lot of the tracks are very funky, with catchy choruses, such as 'Latin girls' and 'smells like funk' which must have the stupidest lyrics in history, such as the chorus "The Funk Funk full foul stinky it's stanky stuff , If it smells like Funk it must be us,
Cause nobody's Funky as us, Cause we keep it Stinky (Stinky)" Overall, this album's lyrics are bizarre in places, but if anything it adds to the overall sound, rather than distracting from it.

Track 2 is 'Labor Day' with a chorus that on first listen reminded me almost of Madonna's Holiday. This is an upbeat track, celebrating the holidays, and it captures the excitement of a few days off work.

Next track is 'Let's get retarded' with an intro reminiscent of Alicia Keyes's Fallin'. when I first heard this, I didn't like it, but after a few listens it has grown on me, & while it's not my favourite track, I do like it. It has a very singalong chorus, and a catchy tune. This has been released as a single with the alternative lyrics 'Let's get it started'.

Track 4 is 'Hey mama' a recent single, although this version is a longer mix, and some of the vocals and words differ from the radio approved version, such as the dropping bombs in the middle east line.

This morphs into 'shut up' their previous single, and I prefer the version on this album to the single, as there are a few surprises on the album version when you're used to hearing the singles. I also love the lyrics "boy you're useless!"

'Smells like funk' was another track that at first I didn't like, but has grown on me, & after a few days with the chorus in my head, I have to admit, it is a catchy tune, even if slightly annoying!

There are a few tracks after this that do sound a bit samey to me, but they're still well worth a listen.

'Fly Away' is one of the surprises on the album. Written by Fergie, she also takes the lead vocals and it shows her skills as a hip hop singer, and shows that she has a future as a hip hop star.

The biggest surprise on the album is 'Anxiety' a collaboration with Papa Roach. An unlikely pairing, but it works really well, and provides a wake up call for those of us lulled into the security of what the Black Eyed Peas sound is. It also has some very deep & profound lyrics, a contrast to the lyrics of many of the other tracks on the album.

I haven't heard any of their other albums, in fact I assumed they were a new band until I did some research and found out that they've released other albums. I'm not sure though if I would bother buying them though, as I like the mix between the raps and Fergie's vocals, and she's a recent addition to the band. The more the listen to this album, the more I like it. It's really growing on me, & is never out of the CD player in my car now!

Most of the tracks on the album are hip hop like their singles. If you like their singles, you won't be disappointed with the album. I did think some of the tracks sounded similar because of the style of their music, but all in all, the album's great. It's a great album for the summer!