Monkey Business - Black Eyed Peas > Reviews > They don't want music...but I did!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Lacking inspiration
Lyrics	Mediocre
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money	Satisfactory

Advantages:	The first three tracks a good, entertaining and foot tapping .  .  .
Disadvantages:	.  .  .  . the rest of the them are fairly dull and monotonous .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

'Monkey Business was a album released by Black Eyed Peas only last year. The birth of this successful rap band actually came about as far back as 1989.

Originally a break dancing duo, Will.I.Am and APL.De.Ap teamed up with 'Taboo' after the pair's flunked album. It was then that they changed the name to Black Eyed Peas.

They are a diverse band using live, on stage, musical instruments as the background to their rap content. Something that known rap stars until then didn't do. They came across visually like 'Earth, Wind and Fire' set up with the sound of a melodic Run DMC.

They have followed the path in recent years that other rap bands would have scowled at. Jazz, soul and bluesy tempos have been the perfect backdrop to their somewhat political lyrics.

With a set not dissimilar to 'The Fugees', they had accquired surprising success althought their actual musical ingredient may be seen as a little dated. They are a band that have worked especailly hard to reach out to a wider audience than any other rap band. Where others have had the attitude of 'if you don't like us, tough,' the Black Eyed Peas have wanted to be liked by a large cross section of the community. Basing their styles on all types of music genre, they have proved their worth. Also their PR has worked in glorious ways; a tribute to Lennon was a wise and also unprovoked move. Guesting on all the right main stream shows has paid off.

The album in question here is a far ranging collection of such jazz, rap, soul and jazz funk yet holding that very continuous funk baseline theme throughout. Not to all tastes and I must admit here, not mine, they must be admired for their visual performance and their vision of creative and imaginative rap style.

The sleeve must also get a mention here. Dressed in a Gothic style of an Old time Music Hall, the inside booklet is a unique read and a credit to what I can personally say, is a rather flat album, musically.

Each page is styled along a theme of art deco and late Victorian naughty picture post cards. It takes us on an inside tour of anything from a picture of a contract to their flights, collection of tour motorvehicles, stage photos, hotel sleeping arrangements and even the catering. Merchandise and the website also get a page each making the sleeve a delight in itself.

I will note here that the album should be listened to before reaching for the sleeve. Simply because you may find the sleeve more intruiging and emotionally stimulating than the muscial content within.

The first track, 'Pump It' uses the rather cult track belonging to Dick Dale and the Del Tones entitled 'Misilou' featured in the film 'Pulp Fiction'. A good design around a classic piece of Dale. It mixes light and tuengful female vocals with hard male rap.

'Don't Phunk With My Heart' is a good style again, using soft gentle fenale vocal with a catchy, well written rap. Their usage of snippets of Indian chant music and silly bits of a horse galloping are amusing (these bits are so quick, you'll miss them.)

Each track slides gently into the next, a tactic that can irratate certain listeners, especially the ones recording their own albums, (harks almost back to the days of trying to tape off the radio and pausing before the DJ cut in to talk over it. A piece of history here that the younger generation will not have a clue about...) The first few tracks on this album are pleasant and gentle on the ear. It starts well, appealing to any taste and it matches and compliments that fantastically designed sleeve.

'My Style' features Justin 'either love him or hate him' Timberlake which resorts to eighties rap. The kind that contained little melody and primarily used beats for the sole accompliment. The lyrical content with its repetative retort between male and female vocal becomes boring after a while.

'Don't Lie' opens with a pleasing violin intro and a tropical guitar flows in with a promise of endless summer lazy days and Peter Andre with his shirt hanging off. Its a pretty tune and its full of the usual summer track relaxed for the holidays. A melodic Spanish guitar mumbles along in the background. Its an unoffensive track busting to be a number one.

'My Humps' opens with a background that sounds half inched from Salt n Pepa. This is when the album for me, starts to faulter. A rap in a style of a taunting playground Tweenie, it lacks originality.

'Like That' and we are transformed to an underlying Vegas ultra lounge tune. A fast rap, it will appeal to rap fans. The female vocal is applicable to the style of the track. Thankfully the lounge sampler fits and allows the track to not become a temptation to the skipped to the next...

'Dum Diddly'. The lyric on a loop that stands out within this track is from 'Pass The Dutchie', the 1982 hit for Musical Youth. A loop that goes on for too long, and that sounds too copied.

'Feel It' and the listener pictures SWV (Sisters With Voices). Very 70's glam disco. Very funky and quite catchy.

'Gone Going' has a good acoustic guitar, good sound but perhaps a little Craig David.

'They Don't Want Music' features the legend in his own toilet, Mr James Brown. Sounds too 'The Playback' a cult track by the man himself around thirty years ago. It really has Brown written all over this track. Makes you wonder if he had only agreed to appear on the track so long as the song didn't sound too much like Black Eyed Peas....

'Disco Club' I have to admit is pretty awful. Terribles 'ooo's' at the intro. Rap is too repetative. The beat is very pominant but its does nothing for the 'disco' feet.

'Bebot' Again, 70's style funk, than can work so long as it sounds authentic enough and not over done on the backing. The rap is slowed down and lacks all the sparkle of a real funk sound. Real funk never had vocals that were shouted.

'Ba Bump' (Just can't get my head around these titles). Uninteresting.

'Audio Delite at Low Fidelity'. This track could be at home as a B side to all the others. It rather reminds the listener of a song from the soundtrack of 'Dangerous Minds.'

'Union', surprisingly is rather a little gem at the end of this disappointing album. It suddenly allows the listener to come alive. Using the tune of Sting's 'Englishman In New York' its not back and probably belongs at the start of the album.

On the whole, I was not impressed with this album.. I think I was dazzled by the stunning cover. Never judge a book eh? I guess perhaps I am probably the wrong generation, but gone are the days of Grandmaster Flash, and I guess since the explosive entrance of rap in the early eighties, perhaps for my age group, nothing is going to come close again.....

However, I haven't been too miserable. Tesco's (on a less glamourous note) are doing a the moment twenty per cent off their chart albums, so I only got this album for seven quid.

Who am I to grumble..... after all, at my age, surely I should be more worried about watching the pennies in Tesco's than listening to rap music?

Tutt...........

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