After many delays, speculations on the diverse featured guest list and a stolen hard drive, Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am’s upcoming solo album, #willpower, is just on the horizon. After the success of singles “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever) feat. Jennifer Lopez & Mick Jagger”, “Scream & Shout feat. Britney Spears” and “#thatPOWER” feat. Justin Beiber”, the BEP lead singer is enjoying his time as a solo vocalist, rapper and producer. The dance/pop packed effort relies on heavy beats and synths and the talents of artists such as Nicole Scherzinger, Miley Cyrus and Chris Brown. While some tracks have potential to be huge radio hits, others are too noisy and chaotic.
The fifteen track solo album kicks off with an intro titled “Good Morning” and then transitions into “Hello”, a euphoric, dance anthem of rocking the night away with the person who catches your eye. will.i.am’s signature robotic vocal style overpowers most of the track, but when production is scaled back some magic seeps through for a brief second. While the first minute is enjoyable, the rest is unfortunately forgettable.
After “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” peaked in the top forty region on Billboard’s Hot 100, “This is Love feat. Eva Simons” was strangely released as the project’s new lead single in June 2012. While Simons soaring vocals on the addictive chorus is worth praise, the rest comes off generic and a bit lackluster. Production and dance beats will get people moving and singing along, but not much else to it.
Anticipation quickly rose when Britney Spears was announced as a guest on “Scream & Shout”. However, when the final product was unleashed, desperation was written all over the pop track. Spears sings in a sad, fake British accent, will.i.am’s rap verses are amateurish and unimaginative and it still got to the top five. Best moment: “when we up in the club, all eyes on us”. That’s about it.
Currently the subject of plagiarism accusations, “Let’s Go” feat Chris Brown does not deviate far from the pop/dance formula will.i.am has created already. The production breakdowns are nice, could be because of the talents of Arty and Mat Zo, but once the rapper’s voice breaks through, the whole track gets knocked down a peg. If Brown would focus more on his incredible voice instead of media drama, his career will continue to strive.
Fellow Black Eyed Peas band mate alp.de.ap and Korean pop group 2NE1 assist will.i.am on “Getting’ Dumb”. 2NE1 are set to make their American debut later this year, under the direction of will.i.am so it’s no surprise they make an appearance here. Their vocals are sweet and tough at the same time, making for a promising career. It’s nice to hear alp.de.ap back in the game. The song is one of the better.
“Geekin’” shows will.i.am taking control of his work. Filled with technology references, including namedropping Google and Mark Zuckerberg and an Intel sample, the song is fast-paced with very intriguing and impressive supporting production. Some lines fall flat, while others caused a smile for good reasons. “Gold digger pros got me taking precaution, cause they just want my dope #extortion”, one great lyric.
For once on the album, the artist does not rely on AutoTune for “Freshy”, a collaboration with rapper Juicy J. Both artists deliver pretty good verses and the song is the kind of music people have come to want and hope to get from will.i.am. Rap may not be my forte, but even I found the track enjoyable. There is a change in production in the last minute, probably the highlight.
Released as the album’s official third single, “#thatPOWER” featuring Justin Beiber was a sure fire dance hit on paper, but the actual track, which stalled at #42, is a sad moment. will.i.am reverts back to his bad writing, “used to have a piggy bank, now I got a bigger bank”, and Beiber’s contribution is altered beyond recognition, kind of like Britney. Justin is here for his name, not much more.
Originally titled “Great Times”, a revision called “Great Times Are Coming” follows. The intro is soft and inspirational, telling listeners good things are on the horizon, and then the entire vibe unfortunately changes as will.i.am breaks into his hip-hop persona. Then, three minutes in, gorgeous strings emerge and another change occurs. Hip-hop is replaced with dance and all is right once again.
With my attention grabbed again, “The World is Crazy” sounds completely out of place on the album, but that’s one of the reasons why it is successful. If Fergie and Taboo were on the track, it would fit in perfectly on a BEP project. will.i.am is not trying too hard, he is letting it come naturally and it shows. The background cooing, the lyrics and vocals create something worth a second listen.
A bright moment for the album occurs when “Fall Down”, the rumored fourth single, comes through the speakers. Former Disney starlet Miley Cyrus trades verses about loving the one who picks you up when you’re down with will.i.am. Lines such as “you’re an elevator cuz you always pick me up” may be laugh worthy, but when Miley sings them in her captivating voice, everyone is bound to listen.
Skylar Grey has been featured on numerous songs under different names, on “LoveBullets” she sounds as beautiful as she always does. The two artists trade verses about living in a destructive relationship, when you are in love you stay no matter what. The song feels heartfelt and real, the performances are some of the best and it’s kept simple. Could this be a future single?
“Far Away From Home” featuring Nicole Scherzinger has to be one of the album’s most successful moments. The former Pussycat Doll has one of the most underrated voice in the business and she shows it off to its fullest extent, “I wanna run from home, I don’t wanna think about it”, she sings. It seems will.i.am put a bit of his life in the lyrics and becomes a revealing piece of meaningful pop.
The album closes with “Ghetto Ghetto”, a lullaby sounding hip-hop track. A young child’s vocals are incorporated, cute but unnecessary, for a song that describes the struggles of leaving unfortunate living conditions. The lyrics of wanting to be something bigger and better are encouraging, but I don’t know if it makes as big of an impact as it could have. Good, just not a great close.
#willpowerhad immense potential, but it falls flat on too many occasions. Big names such as Britney Spears and Justin Beiber do not carry their weight, while will.i.am seems to not even be trying at times. The highlights are tracks that have not been tampered with too much in the production stage, the artist needs to understand this. Pop stars like Nicole Scherzinger and Miley Cyrus appear on choruses that could steal the radio airwaves, but the brief highlights can’t cover up the problems. As a fan of will.i.am, I was hoping for lyrical masterpieces and amazing work, unfortunately a was left scratching my head in disbelief. The album receives a 70%.
Tracks to Hear: “This Is Love feat. Eva Simons”, “The World is Crazy”, “Fall Down feat. Miley Cyrus” and “Far Away From Home feat. Nicole Scherzinger”
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