So not nearly as long of an absence from the blog this time around. It's just that I have been so anxious to review Pharrell Williams' new album, G I R L!
Pharrell Williams' sophomore album released on March 4th, 2014. Pharrell has been a industry leading producer for some time now. He has produced quite a few Grammy nominated albums such as Magna Carta Holy Grail (Jay-Z), Justified (Winner - Pop Vocal Album) (Justin Timberlake), and Channel Orange (Frank Ocean). He had only moderate success as a solo performer with his debut album, In My Mind, in 2006. It was not until this past summer of 2013 that Pharrell would see his "Solo" career take off. I use the term "Solo" very lightly, simply because he was featured artists on both of the songs that skyrocketed his success to a new level.
On one hand, he was a featured artist on Robin Thicke's summertime smash hit, Blurred Lines, where he provided a few vocals and an "Ooh!" every 8 beats. The song - which he also produced - was an incredible success and would hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks. This became the longest streak of not only 2013, but also the entire 2010's decade so far. It broke the record for fastest sale of 5 million digital copies by doing so in 22 weeks. It broke the record for most radio audience impressions by reaching 219.8 million people by the time it had been #1 for 9 weeks. I could go on and on about all the incredible records it broke to tell you about how big of a song it was, but let's be serious here; I don't have to remind you of how often you heard Blurred Lines over the summer. Pharrell's inclusion put his name back on the map as a performer.
If that wasn't a big enough hit for the Grammy winner, he was also a featured artist on the 2014 Record of the Year, Daft Punk's Get Lucky. The song peaked at #2 over the summer of 2013 (failing to dethrone Blurred Lines) and was a critically acclaimed hit. The song featured Pharrell almost exclusively on vocals, and this truly brought his "Solo" career back into reality. The song was absolutely one of, if not THE, song of the summer, and made Pharrell a hot talent in the music industry.
Now nearly eight months since he was champion of the charts over the summer, Pharrell has released his second solo album G I R L as an ode to women everywhere.
2. BRAND NEW (FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE)
So any of you that have watched Purple Opinions know that I am a HUGE Justin Timberlake fan. His album The 20/20 Experience (Part 1 of 2) is absolutely my favorite album ever (Check our review of said album here!) He's just so freaking awesome that I "can't even" (Whatever that means).
Timberlake doesn't fail to deliver on this great collaboration. The thing I find the most interesting about this upbeat song is that for once in his life, Timberlake provides some of the the lower harmonies, as opposed to the higher falsetto melodies. While he does provide some of those too, when the two R&B artists sing in harmony, it feels weird to hear JT on the lower part sometimes. The fun beat is another ode to women and how they make them feel amazing.
3. HUNTER
I'm still working out how I feel about this song. Its good, but I feel like it is just waiting to expand into something bigger. It keeps a very simplistic guitar repetition throughout the entire song. And while the repetition is good, the whole song just seems to be lacking something. Idk.
4. GUSH
This song should come with its own parental warning. I feel nasty just listening to it. Its a great song, it's just really dirty. Lyrics like "But I don't wanna mislead you. Tonight I think I wanna be dirty girl." make me very uncomfortable. This is like watching a sex scene in a movie. By yourself, it's like "NBD Bro", but if you're with other people, you'd rather die than sit through another second of the awkwardness. I feel like this song is similar in both content and style to Justin Timberlake's Strawberry Bubblegum.
5. HAPPY
This song is so darn catchy that I can't even put it into words. The lead single off the album, Happy, was featured on the Soundtrack for Despicable Me 2 and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song. It likely would have won in any other year, but it was up against Frozen's, Let it Go. And let's be serious; It's freaking Frozen. (You can read our review of Disney's Frozen here!) The song has become something of a cultural phenomenon, having been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the past four weeks, and stuck in my head for even longer. Just a really awesome and catchy tune, this song is the highlight of the album.
So while the short video is good, the 24 hour music video is even better. Check out 24hoursofHappy.com for 24 hours of the song. The video features random people (and even a few celebrities) all just dancing along to the 2014 smash hit. My personal favorite is this guy,
Look for the coolest park ranger in the world at 5:24am on 24hoursofHapppy.com
6. COME AND GET IT BAE (FEAT. MILEY CYRUS)
I really don't like Miley Cyrus. I know that isn't exactly a popular opinion, but its my Purple Opinion. That being said, this song is awesome. Miley's voice fits perfectly in this track, and really brings the piece together. Her vocals provide great contrast to Pharrell's airy falsetto. The great cultural reference with "Bae" is just icing on the cake.
7. GUST OF WIND (FEAT. DAFT PUNK)
I love this song. I mean like REALLY love this song. It has been out for less than a month, and I've already listened to it over 400 times. If it isn't in my top 10 most played in the next week or two, I'll be shocked. Featuring his fellow collaborators on Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance, Pharrell calls on his French robot friends, Daft Punk, for this awesome song.
It features just same amount of disco-esque guitar mixed with modern pop that made Get Lucky such a huge success. The addition of a huge string section just puts it over the top, and the techno-robot vocals from Daft Punk provide one of the coolest choruses ever. This song is absolutely my favorite on the album, and I'm praying that it gets released as a single. I would like to bet it will, considering Pharrell said that the song was his persona; favorite when speaking at a Google-Hangout listening party. (Yea. I watch those. Don't judge.)
8. LOST QUEEN
An interesting follow up to such a production heavy track. Where Gust of Wind is a really complex song, Lost Queen is an almost tribal tune for the first part of the song. After the awkward ambient ocean noises halfway through the song, the "hidden" track Freq (Frequency - EQ; producer humor I guess?), is introduced. A much more sensual tune, the song features Jojo and Leah Labelle as a collaborators. The song is stylistically similar to Gush, though not nearly as upbeat.
9. KNOW WHO YOU ARE (FEAT. ALICIA KEYS)
This song features the one and only Alicia Keys as a featured artist, and she freakin kills it (as usual). The song is similar to Come and Get it Bae, but less upbeat, and Keys' vocals are 8000 times better than Miley's (#sorrynotsorry). I love Keys, and she is so prominent on this song that if you told me that this was an Alicia Keys song featuring Pharrell Williams, I'd probably believe you.
10. IT GIRL
This song can best be described as the song that plays while the credits are rolling at the end of the movie. The song is pretty simplistic, nothing very thought provoking or moving. The song is a semi-upbeat sorta contemporary tune that ends the album on a good note. Usually songs that fade out at the end really irk me, but it seems fitting at the end of an album like this. A nice, chill way to finish G I R L.
CONCLUSION
This album is pretty darn good. I know it's only March, but this could be a serious contender for pop album of the year. While it certainly has plenty of short comings, it is definitely an incredible sophomore album from someone who hasn't released a solo effort in over almost a decade. This album is a really fun album to enjoy, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't at least crack a smile while listening.
Now nearly eight months since he was champion of the charts over the summer, Pharrell has released his second solo album G I R L as an ode to women everywhere.
1. MARILYN MONROE
The opening song on the album is a real doozey
(In a good way.) The heavy Pop/R&B fusion with a string section is awesome.
The song starts off pretty simple, with more parts being added as time goes by
until its this very full and fun piece. The song is the first of many tributes
to women on the album which is largely a homage to the women in his life, who
“were (his) muse” over the course of his two decade long career.2. BRAND NEW (FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE)
So any of you that have watched Purple Opinions know that I am a HUGE Justin Timberlake fan. His album The 20/20 Experience (Part 1 of 2) is absolutely my favorite album ever (Check our review of said album here!) He's just so freaking awesome that I "can't even" (Whatever that means).
Timberlake doesn't fail to deliver on this great collaboration. The thing I find the most interesting about this upbeat song is that for once in his life, Timberlake provides some of the the lower harmonies, as opposed to the higher falsetto melodies. While he does provide some of those too, when the two R&B artists sing in harmony, it feels weird to hear JT on the lower part sometimes. The fun beat is another ode to women and how they make them feel amazing.
3. HUNTER
I'm still working out how I feel about this song. Its good, but I feel like it is just waiting to expand into something bigger. It keeps a very simplistic guitar repetition throughout the entire song. And while the repetition is good, the whole song just seems to be lacking something. Idk.
4. GUSH
This song should come with its own parental warning. I feel nasty just listening to it. Its a great song, it's just really dirty. Lyrics like "But I don't wanna mislead you. Tonight I think I wanna be dirty girl." make me very uncomfortable. This is like watching a sex scene in a movie. By yourself, it's like "NBD Bro", but if you're with other people, you'd rather die than sit through another second of the awkwardness. I feel like this song is similar in both content and style to Justin Timberlake's Strawberry Bubblegum.
5. HAPPY
This song is so darn catchy that I can't even put it into words. The lead single off the album, Happy, was featured on the Soundtrack for Despicable Me 2 and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song. It likely would have won in any other year, but it was up against Frozen's, Let it Go. And let's be serious; It's freaking Frozen. (You can read our review of Disney's Frozen here!) The song has become something of a cultural phenomenon, having been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the past four weeks, and stuck in my head for even longer. Just a really awesome and catchy tune, this song is the highlight of the album.
So while the short video is good, the 24 hour music video is even better. Check out 24hoursofHappy.com for 24 hours of the song. The video features random people (and even a few celebrities) all just dancing along to the 2014 smash hit. My personal favorite is this guy,
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| You can't be taught this kind of swag. |
6. COME AND GET IT BAE (FEAT. MILEY CYRUS)
I really don't like Miley Cyrus. I know that isn't exactly a popular opinion, but its my Purple Opinion. That being said, this song is awesome. Miley's voice fits perfectly in this track, and really brings the piece together. Her vocals provide great contrast to Pharrell's airy falsetto. The great cultural reference with "Bae" is just icing on the cake.
7. GUST OF WIND (FEAT. DAFT PUNK)
I love this song. I mean like REALLY love this song. It has been out for less than a month, and I've already listened to it over 400 times. If it isn't in my top 10 most played in the next week or two, I'll be shocked. Featuring his fellow collaborators on Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance, Pharrell calls on his French robot friends, Daft Punk, for this awesome song.
It features just same amount of disco-esque guitar mixed with modern pop that made Get Lucky such a huge success. The addition of a huge string section just puts it over the top, and the techno-robot vocals from Daft Punk provide one of the coolest choruses ever. This song is absolutely my favorite on the album, and I'm praying that it gets released as a single. I would like to bet it will, considering Pharrell said that the song was his persona; favorite when speaking at a Google-Hangout listening party. (Yea. I watch those. Don't judge.)
8. LOST QUEEN
An interesting follow up to such a production heavy track. Where Gust of Wind is a really complex song, Lost Queen is an almost tribal tune for the first part of the song. After the awkward ambient ocean noises halfway through the song, the "hidden" track Freq (Frequency - EQ; producer humor I guess?), is introduced. A much more sensual tune, the song features Jojo and Leah Labelle as a collaborators. The song is stylistically similar to Gush, though not nearly as upbeat.
9. KNOW WHO YOU ARE (FEAT. ALICIA KEYS)
This song features the one and only Alicia Keys as a featured artist, and she freakin kills it (as usual). The song is similar to Come and Get it Bae, but less upbeat, and Keys' vocals are 8000 times better than Miley's (#sorrynotsorry). I love Keys, and she is so prominent on this song that if you told me that this was an Alicia Keys song featuring Pharrell Williams, I'd probably believe you.
10. IT GIRL
This song can best be described as the song that plays while the credits are rolling at the end of the movie. The song is pretty simplistic, nothing very thought provoking or moving. The song is a semi-upbeat sorta contemporary tune that ends the album on a good note. Usually songs that fade out at the end really irk me, but it seems fitting at the end of an album like this. A nice, chill way to finish G I R L.
CONCLUSIONThis album is pretty darn good. I know it's only March, but this could be a serious contender for pop album of the year. While it certainly has plenty of short comings, it is definitely an incredible sophomore album from someone who hasn't released a solo effort in over almost a decade. This album is a really fun album to enjoy, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't at least crack a smile while listening.
Get G I R L on iTunes here!
Be sure to look out for our next post, where we'll be reviewing Karmin's debut album, Pulses!!!
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| And if the music thing doesn't pan out, he can always fall back on his roast beef sandwiches. |
Be sure to look out for our next post, where we'll be reviewing Karmin's debut album, Pulses!!!
