Pharrell - In My Mind

A sort of King Midas of the US pop firmament, as one half of hit-making cartel The Neptunes and a founding member of NERD, Pharrell Williams boasts a remarkable track record. Roughly one half hip-hop and one half R&B, In My Mind follows the magic formula that’s seen Williams reinvigorate the careers of everyone from Britney and *NSYNC to Snoop Dogg and Nelly, drawing on music styles as disparate as metal and reggaeton and shaping them together with adventurous effect. In particular, the marching-band rhythms of "Keep It Playa" and the booming, atonal space-funk of "Can I Have It Like That" - featuring a brief cameo by Gwen Stefani - are startling examples of Williams’ production wizardry.

As an album, it’s not without its flaws: "Our Father" might wash with the God-fearing hip-hop fraternity, but more cynical audiences might balk at the Williams’ assertion that "Jesus is my playa"; meanwhile a duet with Jay-Z, "Young Girls", shows up the occasional weaknesses of his flow. No matter, though – you’ll buy this for the productions, and without exception, they gleam. – Louis Pattison From Amazon.co.uk

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.
December 4, 2007

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! November 27, 2007

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 May 10, 2007

Well, he's got something for both R&B and hip hop people

I'm a new fan of Pharrell. I think he is very talented, but I have to admit that I'm a mainstream fan (I just love "Frontin" and "Number One"),but I decided to take a chance and buy "In My Mind".
Okay, so I skip over the first half. I'm glad that he put the tracks in that order! From track 8 on, I think its pretty good. So all I can speak on is the second half.
I think we all know that Pharrell really can't sing...but does it matter?! I like the singing anyway because its kind of real to me. I think his sensitivity shines in this album because instead of handing the lyrics to a better singer, he did it and he's not afraid of putting himself out there for self expression.
Maybe he's got some sort of subliminal hold on me, because I don't ever remember being so enthusiastic about listening to a man singing about taking off clothes and using a word representing the female genitalia! But Take it Off/Dim the Lights has got to be my favorite song! I like all of the R&B type tracks...bad singing and all. He makes them all the more interesting with his voice. March 16, 2007

Please only work on other peoples stuff

This album is terrible. While there are some very promising beats, Skateboard-P has a terrible flow, and his lyrics are a complete joke. Therefore you have all these songs that would have some potential if only someone else was rapping over them. Much like the cover art, a lot of the tracks here come across as cartoonish, and you just cant take them seriously. Go buy the Clipse album "Hell Hath no Fury" to hear what a Neptunes produced album with talented rappers sounds like. January 4, 2007

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