In My Mind

Fly or Die Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo practically sweat platinum. As the production duo behind the Neptunes, they have crafted monster hits for everyone from Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears to Jay-Z and Ol' Dirty Bastard. In their spare time they make the music they really like un...	The Neptunes Present... Clones	Seeing Sounds The title of N.E.R.D's third album, Seeing Sounds, was inspired by a TV show the ban watched about synaesthesia--the neurological disorder that causes people to experience sounds as colours or objects in their minds. The concept inspired the trio (Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, a....	In Search of The electro-powered grooves of the writing-production team the Neptunes have abetted fine-to-great tracks by everyone from Jay-Z and Ol' Dirty Bastard to Britney Spears. On their debut as performers, they display an irresistible knack for hooky tracks rooted in the eclectic liste...	In Search of... The electro-powered grooves of the writing-production team the Neptunes have abetted fine-to-great tracks by everyone from Jay-Z and Ol' Dirty Bastard to Britney Spears. On their debut as performers, they display an irresistible knack for hooky tracks rooted in the eclectic liste...
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I really like you (girl)
I am a HUGE Pharrell/Neptunes/NERD fan, so my review is horribly biased. I can't understand why this album received such crappy reviews!!! Why so many people hate on Pharrell??? He's never professed to be the best singer/writer/arranger--the dude just makes CRAZY beats--that's it! I kinda like his falsetto thing he's got going on! He's sounds better than a lot of this R&B/Pop wanna-be girl artists right now... Pharrell is one of the ILLEST producers of all time and this album showcases how talentedly wicked his beats are. I will admit, it took a few rotations for me to get hip to the the tracks on the CD (the first half of the album is filled with rap-fillers--I prefer the R&B version of Pharrell), but THE ALBUM IS STELLAR! Favs: That girl ("...there's something bout that girl and...") Angel (took a while to grow on me) Young girl/I really like you (The production is SICK on the "Young girl" track--Pharrell is a genius!). I love the fact that "I really like you" is sort-of a hidden track that you can only hear by listening to "Young girl". Take it off/Dim the lights (sounds like something you'd jam to in the living room, with some drawers on, watching the rain) Stay with me (the beat is HOT!!!) Baby (Nelly added just the right amount of FUNK to this track. "...I see the look in your eyes, I want to touch you--BABY...") Pharrell is and will always be, one bad MF!

Not focused on the music
Pharrel used to be a great producer back with the neptunes. I mean they really made great beats in the late 90s and early 00s. But it seems that since Pharrel has become some type of fashion icon, he's not about the music anymore. This is really bland, overproduced hip hop. He's all about his image now, this whole fashion thing him and kanye have going is just diluting the minds of the youth. I mean he performs with a backpack on...how corny is that? I guess he needs to keep making albums so his BBC line sells...oh well.

2 1/2 Stars to be Exact
First of all, I have been a fan of Pharrell Williams since his very early production days being the face of The Neptunes production team. Back in '99 in N.O.R.E's "Superthug" is the first time I ever saw one half of the men behind The Neptunes. Up until that point, only Timbaland captured me with his beat making. Since that day hearing and seeing "Superthug" I was a huge fan of The Neptunes. It was The Neptunes, then N.E.R.D., and then Pharrell as a solo artist. I loved his individuality he brought into the hip-hop game. There was no one like him. And now, I don't know if it is because he is such a trend setter or he himself as transformed in the "pop star" image that embodies him, but Pharrell no longer gives me that same individualality vibe that attracted me to his talent to begin with. However, his efforts as an MC have never been fully embelished. Until now. We all know Pharrell can "sing." We saw that in his many featuring spots with artists he and Chad produced, but we hadn't seen him rapping much until "In My Mind." I don't believe Pharrell is that bad of an MC, or for better words, he is not as generic as his "In My Mind" effort displays. He does have a mind that can explore many facets of lyricism. I have heard him on mixtapes spit verses that rival or are even better than Kanye West's. However, "In My Mind" feels to me like it was very rushed. And that feeling comes after the album was delayed more times than I have witnesses any other album being. The expectations was for this album to have The Neptune's best beats and Pharrell's best creative songs. It wasn't. Instead, we get only Pharrell's production, which is still very good, but not outstanding as it would be if Chad would have been part of the project. And we get very hallow songs from Pharrell. A title like "In My Mind" gives the impression that it would be a little more personal than it actually is. Sure there are songs like, "Best Friend" or "My Father," which are very personal, but seem forced into what is largely a generic album. There are a few gems in the mix of the 15 songs. The first is "Can I Have It Like That." I do like that song. It is catchy, however, it could have done without Gwen Stefani. There is a remix of the song which features post Blink-182 drummer Travid Barker that is much more solid. Another gem that pops up is "Keep It Playa" which finds Pharrell trading verses with Slim Thug. This is a feel good head bobbing type of song. It has one of the most intriguing beats on the album. The other gem, which is my favorite of the R&B songs, features Jay-Z and is called, "Young Girl." "Young Girl" sounds to me like an eighties pop song with a new appeal. Even though Jay-Z only spits for what seems like seven seconds, his presence is needed to give the track the all-around feel it possesses. For the most part, this album is divided into two parts, R&B and Hip-Hop. Pharrell has few songs that stand out in both parts of the album. But I was dissopointed in his efforts. There was little rock influence and it seems to me that the N.E.R.D. Pharrell is the "true" version of the man and artist. His Hip-Hop and R&B sides seem very forced or depended on his pop star status. There are conformations floating around that Pharrell as rerecorded the entire album with a live band, specifically including the Roots drummer ?uestlove. Which should add an entire fresh appeal to the album. I hope so.

Out Of This World
Known for the many incredible features, his group N.E.R.D. and even half of production team the Neptunes producing many singles with heavy rotation, Pharrell steps out for his sixteen song debut album In My Mind completely produced by himself. The album is kicked off with "Can I Have It Like That" featuring Gwen Stafani over a warping sound effect. "How Does It Feel?" has the effects of a marching band with bright horn arrangement. Pharrell stepped up his flow to keep up with the drum taps with lyrical attack "...its one thing to say that you did it / its one thing to lie about your digits..." Pain, struggles and path paved to get to this destination on "Best Friend" as he "...let it out..." and speak on personal experiences and offering inspiration on "You Can Do It Too". On the player tip, "Keep It Playa" featuring Slim Thug, each artist flow with big boy shining taking their choice of women. Smoothed out flow of nearly being speechless on "That Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg is a highlight for the album. Showing off high pitched vocal range on "Angel" was the height of the song. "Young Girl" featuring Jay-Z/"I Really Like You" are both found on track nine but are two different songs and feels. "Young Girl" featuring Jay-Z has Prince feel during the chorus/hook not to mention the instrumentation are key to the song's appeal as "Stay With Me" featuring Pusha T. Under the strobelights sets the scene for "I Really Like You" with a great harmonica bridge with Stevie Wonder swing makes this a perfect addition to the concept. The slow, x-rated "Take It Off (Dim The Lights)" is tasteful enough for an intimate encounter. Adding a little rock edge to the equation on "Baby" featuring Nelly made the concept of the tune rougher for the mainstream but still has the appeal. It could never be wrong to thank a higher power and beliefs as done on "Our Father" still asking for assistance. "Number One" featuring Kanye West is right on top of the charts as a pure feel good song. To conclude the In My Mind, Skateboard P. flows over the organ filled "Show You How To Hustle" featuring Lauren is another angle of his talent and abilities. As producer, writer, rapper/emcee and singer Pharrell was definately blessed with the many gifts all showcased on this project pressing the envelope of originality. Not to mention the talentless age from the past few years, or "Raspy ****", its good to know there is still good music out there. Yessurr!

2-1/2 stars -- Not much different from an N*E*R*D album, but...
I'm sure everyone knows by now that Pharrell Williams is one half of the production duo the Neptunes. After making numerous contributions for other artists, he decided to put out his own album, In My Mind. The album was actually supposed to be released in 2005 but it got pushed back (but how does an album on your own label get pushed back?). It finally came out last summer, but after listening to it, I'm starting to wonder what exactly was ON his mind. One thing I was baffled at right away was the production. It's not that the production is bad; it's just, well, if you listen to the radio or if you watch a video on MTV Hits, most people could listen to a song and say, "Okay, that's a Neptunes beat right there." And although Pharrell did produce everything on the album, it sounds like ANYone could have produced these songs. But the reason why I say this album doesn't sound much different from an N*E*R*D album is because on those albums, Pharrell pretty much takes cares of the vocals (Chad only does production, and Shay doesn't really do anything). But that's not always a good thing. Although Pharrell has never been an incredible singer, the songs where he sings are actually the best tracks, like "Take It Off (Dim the Lights)" and especially the single "Number 1" (which is almost ruined when guest Kanye West says, "Ima FedEx my love and make you sign for my heart"), However, his tribute to Jesus, "Our Father", is just bizarre. And things go downhill from there. It's safe to say that P is a better singer than a rapper because lyrically he falls flat most of the time. I have no idea why the Gwen Stefani-assisted "Can I Have It Like That" is the opening track; doesn't he know that the album was pushed back for a REASON? There are worse tracks than that though, like "Angel" and "Raspy Ish", as well as songs with a message: "Best Friend" (a clumsy tribute to Chad) and the motivational "You Can Do It Too". And while Slim Thug and Clipse's Pusha T save "Keep It Playa" and "Stay With Me", respectively, other guest stars can't do the same. While Nelly and Snoop Dogg don't drop terrible verses on the respective tracks "Baby" and "That Girl", the songs are still forgettable. And "Young Girl" (with Jay-Z) sounds like it was left off In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Pharrell is obviously incredibly talented, but as other reviewers have said, he really needs to stick to just being behind the boards. But as I mentioned earlier, even the beats on here don't carry that signature Neptunes sound, so if you really want to get down, check out some earlier Neptunes stuff instead. Anthony Rupert