Jane's Addiction | The Great Escape Artist

CD Reviews

Will.i.am

Songs About Girls | A+M

By ELLEE DEAN | October 8, 2007

2.0 Stars

There’s something melodious and calm about Will.i.am’s third solo hip-hop/R&B album — but there’s also something boring about its euphonic electro-funk dolor. Songs About Girls plays like a pop-concept album, showering you with flowery beats and songs about what seems to be a seven-year break-up. “She’s a Star” does sound a lot like Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around,” except that the chorus about shining stars is neither karmic nor produced by Timbaland — and Will.i.am’s stilted pop and background electric guitar are not at all Timbaland. “I Got It from My Mama” and “The Donque Song,” two tracks about ass, are just not that booty-shaking. The best track is about breaking up and feeling “Fantastic,” with ironic vocals and herky-jerky Jackson 5 sampling. That might not be a bad sign if rumors of a collaboration between Will.i.am and the fallen “King of Pop” are true. But for now, like MJ rumors and songs about shining stars, Songs About Girls is only almost fun.

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