Octavis Lawson
Staff Writer
Don’t call it a comeback, Pharrell Williams has been here for years.
Last year’s resurgence of the singer/rapper/producer’s dominance of music spanned genres. Starting with the ever popular “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, Williams had a year to remember.
While he made hit after hit for multiple Grammy winners, he would also write and produce the accompanying soundtrack for the film “Despicable Me 2”.
This album would hold one of the biggest hits of the year as the song “Happy” sped up the charts following a 24 hour music video that held cameos by over 20 celebrities and started several viral parody videos. It also has now provided the super producer exactly what he needed to catapult his latest solo effort, “G I R L”.
Williams certainly is “Different” as he opens up the album with the track “Marilyn Monroe” which serves as a pseudo-title track as he let all the lovers of the world know it does not matter who your significant other is, as long as you love each other.
Pharrell then enlists superstar Justin Timberlake with the album’s standout song, “You Got Me Feeling Brand New, Like the Tag Still On Me!” The duet gives a true feel good song which sounds like another instant hit as it showcases the falsettos of both Timberlake and Williams across a joyful, bouncy instrumental.
The album sounds like one of the Virginian’s most sensual and uplifting works yet as he chooses his album’s core audience and provides them with songs that prove he is the heir to the late Michael Jackson throne as the King of Pop.
With only ten songs on the album, Pharrell had little room for error and undoubtedly proved that less is more. The only song on the album that came off as gimmicky was “Hunter” as it sounded eerily similar to 1980’s group Blondie.
As Williams’ upbeat, stimulating production nears its conclusion, the listener has been through a joyful experience about love, sex and above all happiness.
Pharrell may sway outside of familiar waters on some of the album but ultimately stays in his lane by relying on his smooth melodies and instrumentals to make “G I R L” the pop album to beat of 2014.
He shows that you just have to “Know Who You Are” to make a great album and does just that.
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