Grooving with the Black Eyed Peas

Once again I find myself sitting in front of the computer checking my e-mail, Face Book updates, a variety of blogs and web sites, and of course the iTunes Store. On the iTunes store I noticed a small advertisement proclaiming that a new album from the Black Eyed Peas is available. Naturally, I clicked on the link and previewed a few of the tracks. Initially, my first thought was, “this does not sound like the Black Eyed Peas”. However, as I previewed a few additional tracks, I became more curious as the music samples were very catchy. So… I downloaded the album, synced my iPod, and took it along for my morning jog.

As I started to listen to the first song, I thought to myself, “this does not sound like the Black Eyed Peas, yet I find this music very enjoyable.” As I continued my jog I heard a few more of their tracks I noticed a few interesting trends. On the surface, their new sound relies on the electronica and a Hip/Hop sound.  However, a closer listen reveals that this music draws from a variety of sounds including disco, Prince, James Brown, classic rock, 1980s, and other genres. Most of the songs include great bass and guitar riffs as well as vocalizations that are very pleasant. My favorites are “Rockin to the Beat”, “One Tribe”, “Alive”, “Out of My Head”, and “Missing You.” ”Alive” took me back to the 1980s with its piano- bass combo along with the duet counterpoint setup. “Out of my Head” reminded me of “Funky Town”, a couple of Prince songs, and the energy of James Brown. “One Tribe” provides a positive message and the tune is fairly catchy. “Rockin to the Beat” reminds me of Michael Jackson’s “PYT” song (sort of). “Missing You” has a very 1970’s feel to it.

All in all, I found the music to be positive, fun, nostalgic, and great for the morning jog. Having said that, please be forewarned that the music does include a few expletives and that for the most part it is a “Pop” album. Fortunately, the expletives are not mean spirited and as mentioned above the music is fun. On a final note, I shared the music with my wife. She had the same reaction and said, “ this does not sound like the Black Eyed Peas but I do like it.”