Vanessa So/For the Review
If you think you’ve been seeing or hearing Pharrell Williams all over your televisions and radios lately, it’s because you definitely have. Better known by just his first name, Pharrell has been having a phenomenal year, which has carried over from 2013.
His collaboration with Daft Punk earned him a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the hit “Get Lucky.” Not only did “Get Lucky” burn the charts, but Pharell’s collaboration with Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” stayed atop the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for several weeks.
Coming off the success from 2013, Pharrell is ready for the spotlight as he releases his sophomore album, “GIRL.” The critical and commercial success of his Despicable Me 2 penned-track, “Happy,” accomplished many goals that he never thought were possible.
In a recent interview with Oprah Winrey, Pharrell says he still finds the success surprising after being in the music industry for more than 20 years, “It’s overwhelming, because it’s like I love what I do.” He continues, “I just appreciate the fact that people have believed in me for so long that I could make it to this point to feel that [referring to ‘Happy’].”
Though a departure from his hip-hop band N.E.R.D, “GIRL,” still has the funk, soul and recognizable beats that his production team The Neptunes would create.
“GIRL” opens with “Marilyn Monroe,” a track that is not about who you think it’s about. Introduced with orchestral strings filled with a skittering beat and a bumping bass line, the lyrics depict hopeless romantics and finding the perfect woman.
“[I] sort of [wanted to] reverse the connotation behind these statuesque standards of what beauty has to be,” Pharrell says of the lyrics.
It wouldn’t be Pharrell if he didn’t include a collaboration or two. Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and a standout track with Alicia Keys make the album.
“Know Who You Are,” which tackles the problems of knowing one’s self-worth and ambitions, is led by a funky bass line, with a relaxed, island and feel-good vibe.
“GIRL” follows some of the same formula that the likes of Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke and Daft Punk did a year before. Bringing back the ’70s and ’80s, neo-funk and soul is always refreshing, but the bars were set high for Mr. Producer of the Year. Will he be able to top “Happy”?
Pharrell Williams’s ”GIRL” is available for digital download on iTunes and available for purchase in stores. You can also check out “GIRL” on KSLC 90.3 FM and listen online at www.linfield.edu/kslcfm or stream the station on iTunes.
Vanessa So can be reached at [email protected]
