Elephunk [PA] - Black Eyed Peas > Reviews > BLACK EYED PEAS, AND YOU'RE NOT TOO OLD TO FUNK!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money

Advantages:	The kids HAVE got taste
Disadvantages:	Explicit content  -  but not too bad

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Aged 37, I've got to the point where I watch Top of the Pops with my kids and I open my mouth and my Mum's voice comes out, saying "Now that's just noise. Where's the rhythm? You can't even hear the words. Those kids look like they haven't washed in years ...." Whatever age you are Ciao member, you know the rest! Then I remember my all consuming passion for Adam Ant 20-odd years ago and I shut up.

So when I first saw Black Eyed Peas I'm ashamed to say I put them down as just another rap band who thought spinning on their necks was art.

But ....

When they brought out Where Is The Love, which is unashamedly the only song around summing up the war situation, I was keen to hear more of their 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 experienced - surprise after surprise, but here's a snippet of 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 that doesn't detract in anyway for its listenability. The ones you would have heard if you'd not bought the album are Shut Up and Hey Mama - both still sounding fresh and funky months after their release and constant airplay.

Throughout the album is Fergie's voice, whether on backing or front vocals, it's amazing. Don't be fooled by thinking she's the token hottie in the band. She may have hip bones you could slice MDF on, and the ability to dance every which way, but she is definitely not there just for show.

I played it on repeat. I played it on random. I taped it for the car. After the umpteenth time of hearing it my husband through the tape out of the window. No soul that man!

Then I went to a Christina Aguilera concert (don't bother), and they were the surprise support - they were fantastic. In fact, they got a better reception than Ms Aguilera did.

Eventually they came to Manchester on tour. I went along, more excited than my two kids who accompanied me, and it was one of the best concerts I have EVER been to, and I have been to loads. The energy on the stage was awesome, the chemistry within the band was obvious, and their act went flawlessly. When it came to Where Is The Love being sang, everyone joined in - not in a schmaltzy light your lighter/shine your mobile phone type of way - the atmosphere was electric in a way that you see only a few times in your lifetime and I have to say, it will remain one of my fondest concert memories for a long, long time.

So the moral of this review is - don't take your kids' word that a band is good. Listen to the music, you may find that you're not too old the smell the funk.