Pharrell "Happy" With His Mainstream Success

        Pharrell Williams has many titles to his name. Williams is a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, entrepreneur, etc. If know one who Williams was before 2013 then they do now. The N.E.R.D member appeared on many of the hits of 2013 including Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and looks to continue his success with the release of his new album G I R L. This is only Williams’ second solo album. His first album In My Mind was released in 2006.

         Since the release of his debut solo album in 2006, Williams has been hard at work doing various things in the production of music. Williams and his group N.E.R.D released two albums and he has been behind the scenes producing songs for artists such as Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, Frank Ocean, Usher, John Legend, and a plethora of other artists.

     

Courtesy of Pitchfork

    Williams has described G I R L as an album for the ladies (hence the name of the album). The whole album was produced by Williams himself and features collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys. It also features additional vocals from Kelly Osbourne (“Marilyn Monroe”), Timbaland (“Brand New”), Miley Cyrus (“Come Get It Bae”), Daft Punk (“Gust of Wind”), and JoJo (“Freq”).

         The album as a whole will provide the listener with a figurative time machine because of the sounds you hear on it. The production would be compared to the works of Stevie Wonder or even Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall. The standout songs on the album to me are “Marilyn Monroe,” “Brand New,” “Hunter,” “Happy,” “Lost Queen,” and “Know Who You Are.”

         G I R L opens with the song “Marilyn Monroe” which examples one of the scores made by Hans Zimmer, a legendary film composer for movies such as Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Williams makes it clear in this song that Marilyn Monroe, Cleopatra or Joan of Arc are nothing compared to the girl he desires.

         The song “Brand New,” a duet with Justin Timberlake, has the potential to be the album next single. With Nile Rodgers on the guitar, Williams and Timberlake perform the song while dueling in falsettos about the rejuvenating power of love.

         “Hunter,” a personal favorite of mine, has a 70’s feel to it because of the guitar riffs. The song was supposed to be written from a woman’s perspective and expresses the pursuit of a lover’s affection.

         “Happy” originally appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Despicable Me 2 and has been the driving force as the album’s first official single. The song is just so infectious and can brighten anyone’s mood with its peppy, up-tempo beat.

         The song “Lost Queen” contains a tribal humming throughout with a minimalistic bounce. Overall, the song talks about certain promises that serve as tribute to woman who is considered out of this world. The whole track was divided into two parts: “Lost Queen” and the hidden track “Freq.” “Freq” contains vocals from JoJo and speaks about how being unique. “I’d rather be a freak than not be unique, the individuality makes life better,” sings Williams and JoJo.

         “Know Who You Are” is the most soulful song on the album thanks to the vocals of the soulful R&B queen Alicia Keys. Williams and Keys exchange verses of soul and spiritual guidance. They both exhibit skill and enlightenment in the topic of understanding as a lover and a spiritual guide.

         Overall, G I R L met or exceeded all expectations in my opinion. Although it was only announced a few weeks back that Williams would be releasing an album this early in the year, it leaves critics and listeners wondering what is next move in the career of the 40-year old artist. One saying that Pharrell Williams does not age holds some truth because he stills looks and sounds as good as he did in the early 2000’s.

Twitter: @OddKingz