FergieThe Dutchess | Interscope  October 10,
2006 12:29:05 PM
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Fergie taking leave from the Black Eyed Peas was as predictable as Gwen Stefani stepping out from No Doubt. The solo Fergie (real name Stacy Ferguson) may have been a guarantee: that the album would be good was anything but. Fortunately, her Peas pal Will.i.am threw in his support, and with Fergie herself co-producing and co-writing more than half the material here, The Dutchess is an eclectic, danceable collection of hip-hop, R&B, and pop confections in which she gets electro-funky on “Fergalicous” and just a little bit nasty on the single “London Bridge” and even brings a little reggae to the party with “Mary Jane Shoes.” She certainly has an ear for catchy choruses (just try getting “London Bridge” out of your head) and block-party beats that force your hips to sway. Sassy tracks like “Glamorous” and “Pedestal” are typical of what you’d expect from an ex-Pea; “Here I Come” gets soulful with a Temptations sample. Only the melodramatic “Finally,” with its big string arrangements, feels out of place. Fergie doesn’t have her independent pop-star persona consolidated yet — right now she’s somewhere between funky sexpot and R&B balladeer — but she’s on her way.
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