The Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning

How do you follow up a party-packed multiplatinum smash called The E.N.D.? For Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning was the place to start. It all seems a bit backwards… The E.N.D came before The Beginning… but the new album pick up exactly where the last one E.N.Ded (in terms of the Euro-themed music). It seems that the party never stopped. The collective intelligence that powers the Peas delights in the dynamic interplay on lead single The Time, the ruthless thunder of techno and the glistening shards of minimal electro.
There are a few things wrong with this album. First, Will.i.am. I know, he’s the mastermind behind the group but since he’s moved into the producer sphere he’s obviously let it get into his pea-sized head that he is the greatest music producer and genius to have ever been born. He is all over this album, even to the point of the others in the group being reduced to back-up and guest appearances. He’s known for trying to spit out some quirky lyrics and these lyrics are some of the dumbest lyrics I’ve heard in a while. Second issue – Fergie. She has had massive success as a solo artist and even on the previous BEP album we heard her actually sing a bit. Not so much on this album. When she does appear it’s mostly to scream out a line or two. She feels missing in action on most of the album, however. As do the other members of the group because this album sounds a lot like Will.i.am’s recent failed solo artist quest.
The other problem is just the music itself. Many of the songs change speed, melody and tenor so fast they play like medleys, perfect for an ADHD driven music audience who have calluses on their skip button fingers. Golden oldies like the Dirty Dancing theme “Time of My Life,” Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” and KC and The Sunshine Band’s “Baby Give It Up” are looted for their instant recognition and then immediately turned on their axes. The production magicians pull “The Time,” “Light Up the Night” and “Love You long Time” respectively out of their hats with huge amounts of sticky thump, wispy atmospherics and crawling, key-hopping synth that snuffs out all the 80’s sensibilities as the songs progress.
This album is such a let down, if this is the best the group can produce then really this album should be the true “E.N.D.” But if you just need a couple of old school/new school, pop, disco, Hip-Hop songs to shake your ass too, then this should be right up your alley. There isn’t a sound that isn’t represented in “The Beginning”…
I am not sure if this the beginning to the end for BEP...