PHARRELL IN MY MIND ROOT SKIN

Pharrell more or less mines the vestiges of soul greats past and present, touching upon the sounds of Prince (vocally on 'Angel' musically on 'Baby'), Curtis Mayfield, and just about any contemporary R&B crooner you can think of, especially evoking the randyness of R. However, the chorus is beyond sweet as Pharrell repeats 'Don't try to come up in my ear talkin' all the raspy shitвЂ¦' It's a wonderfully droll mantra that one can see the rich and famous picking up as their culturally hip catchphrase for 2006. Basically it's best to roll with his flow, but don't listen to the lyrics too closely as they're somewhat mundane. Still Pharrell's limited flowistic style eventually knocks the track down a peg or two. On the flip side, tracks like 'Raspy Shit' fare a little better, thanks to an O.G. The message of the song is strong and uplifting, but it just ushers forth in a clumsy manner. The same fate befalls 'You Can Do It Too.' Built around a slow jazz ramble, the music and Pharrell's flow never seem to mesh. The lilting pseudo quiet storm saunter used here isn't one of them. Like a lot of modern MCs, Pharrell has a voice that needs a specific style of beat to carry it over. Ditto for 'Best Friend,' which brings the tempo down and in the process showcases Pharrell's rap shortcomings. Surprisingly it's one of the few tracks that Pharrell holds down on his own. Yet for every 'Can I Have It Like That' there's a 'How Does It Feel?' Built around jumbo pickle restaurant plastic tub beats, pulsing horns, and background whoops, the song is unnervingly annoying.

PHARRELL IN MY MIND ROOT SKIN

Really, though, it's the shuffling and infectious beat that slips under your skin that will have you swerving and slinking like a cobra with epilepsy. Lyrically it's mostly a brag rap filled with references to boat parties and major league flossing. To be fair, many of the tracks are infectious as hell, specifically the premiere single, 'Can I Have It Like That.' Granted Pharrell's flow is a little sticky, but the smoky timbre of his loose lipped baritone is ruggedly appealing in a manner of speaking. Instead he's brought along a passel of powerfully recognizable friends including Gwen Stefani, Slim Thug, Jay Z, Snoop, Nelly, Kanye West, Pusha T, and Lauren. As can be expected Pharrell ain't flying solo, per se. records and a Neptunes album, Williams may just be pushing the envelope a little too far. But there's also too much of a good thing and after having laced up more artists than you can shake a stick out, having dropped two N.E.R.D. Pharrell Williams is currently residing in that penthouse near the stars, reaping the benefits of having stumbled upon a signature production sound that has made many a pop star hip and of importance to those who follow pop culture's ever changing heartbeat.

Let's face it, when everybody is clamoring to have you create a beat for them or croon Curtis Mayfield style on their next single or even lace them up with Billionaire Boys Club freebies, you damn well know that you're livin' pretty close to the top of the world. There's something to be said about being the King N.E.R.D.

Pharrell in my mind root