MUSIC REVIEWS
Fergie - The Dutchess
David Allun Jones
Love or hate her, Fergie’s inclusion in the Black Eyed Peas made the hip hop band of misfits worldwide stars. Though some criticized her for stealing the splinter of street credibility that the group had when they were selling close-to-no albums, the truth is, her MTV-friendly look and sound only helped in realizing Will I Am and the gang’s goals of being the universally appealing pop phenoms they are today. After the inane rap “My Humps” dropped and became a runaway hit, it also led to unavoidable realization that a Fergie solo album was on the horizon. On The Dutchess, Fergie relies on the production talents of Will I Am, for what is essentially a Black Eyed Peas project minus the two other rappers who barely get mic time anyway. A mural-styled collection of anything and everything, the album seems to capture the spirit of the Love Angel Music Baby sequel Gwen Stefani delayed for motherhood, resulting, in most cases, in Fergie doing Miss Stefani better than Gwen herself.
Like Wyclef before him, Will I Am is a fan of compiling as many different flavors as he can pour into one track. Sounds from different times and parts of the world all clash in a loud fusion of decadence over thirteen tracks that guarantee that everybody might not like everything, but are assured at least one or two cuts they can hold dear. Such a ramshackled way of putting together an album does have the potential of pulling off trashiness, forcing The Dutchess into coming up with some creative ways to turn trash into gold. Those who abhorred the inane raps of “My Humps” will most likely despise the return of MC Fergie Ferg on the JJ Fad-inspired “Fergalicious” or the nonsensical “London Bridge”, a horn-splashed mimic of Missy Elliott/ MIA silliness that attacks the paparazzi, hypes Grey Goose, claims “I’m such a lady but I’m dancing like a ho” and incorporates a hook that may or may not be XXX-rated. On “Here I Come”, Will swipes the thunderous strings and sweaty chorus behind The Temptations’ classic “Get Ready”, one of many instances were recognizable samples are lazily flipped P Diddy style, as Fergie drops rhymes with the same youthful grace of Roxanne Shante. It’s all goofy fun that you’ll have to be sauced to truly enjoy; but on the other hand if you dug “My Humps”, these will be the album’s best moments.
After a few nice R&B efforts (“All That I Got”, “Clumsy”) including “Glamourous”, which deliberately steals the Ludacris cameo and Polow Da Don-produced beat from the remix to Stefani’s “Luxurious” for a decent knock-off, the album begins to lose it’s spice. “Mary Jane Shoes” borrows the melody of “No Woman No Cry” for a crappy reggae/ ska-punk about how wonderful the footwear is (“When I wear my Mary Jane shoes/ I’m just like a child in underoos”). Serious ballads “Losing My Ground”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Finally” showcase her big voice but are unremarkably complacent compared to the eventful circus that surrounds them.
Little more than an extension of the globally dominating umbrella that is Black Eyed Peas, The Dutchess effectively offers Fergie an outlet to be star of the show away from her rapping partners but with a patchwork of cuts that seem to serve better with stylish videos than as great songs on their own. If nothing else, this should keep fans tided over until the real “Hollaback Girl” makes her return to snatch her place in the pop echelon back.
