How come every time you come around my London, London Bridge - wanna go down like... I think by now, we've all heard at least half this record. There was a time when I had a huge secret crush on BEP's hot lead singer, but now - I don't know. She looks like she's gotten too much work done and she looks - fake? Is that the right word? Anyways, Fergie. Born in 1975 in California. She grew up as a devout Roman Catholic, and was a child star. She was in the TV show Kids Incorporated, and was in an all girl band. When she turned 18, she has said she went on a huge drug and sex spree. She admitted later in interviews, "I have had lesbian experiences in the past. I won't say how many men I've had sex with — but I am a very sexual person." Probably music to the ears of her current husband, Josh Duhamel. (you know, the guy from Transformers) In 2009 she became part owner of the Miami Dolphins and recently she signed an endorsement deal with Dr. Pepper. (which features a song of this album, 'Here I Come') Regardless of all that, this album saw a TON of success. 3x platinum in the states and almost 7 million records worldwide. It had a variety of singles that saw big time radioplay. I'm really torn on this record. While the music isn't bad, it's not good either. Fergie does have a little bit of talent (not as much when she's live) and this album does a fairly nice job showcasing it. It has ballads, it has her "rapping" and it has her doing songs that are very near to her life. I enjoy that. The songs were catchy, and it was hard not to turn the car stereo up a little when they came on. I'm very much on the fence. Critics typically are either giving this 5 stars or 1 star - but I'm going to buck the trend and be in the middle. It's around average, maybe a bit above it. Unless Fergie reads this - and wants to meet up for a date, then it's a solid 5 star record. ;-) It's very worth checking out, especially if you're a pop fan. And if you're not, I think you'll find a few tracks you enjoy.
TRACK LISTING:
1. Fergalicious
2. Clumsy
3. All That I Got (the Make Up Song)
4. London Bridge
5. Pedestal
6. Voodoo Doll
7. Glamourous
8. Here I Come
9. Velvet
10. Big Girls Don't Cry
11. Mary Jane Shoes
12. Losing My Ground
13. Finally
Listen To Samples
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Finally
2. Fergalicious
3. Glamorous
FINAL RATING:
3.25 out of 5 stars
I'm on the fence myself. In terms of talent, I know she's got it. Like you, her live performances are much more on point. Studio work has me feeling like I'm only getting 3/4's yes 3/4's of what she CAN do.
ReplyDeleteI kinda like the Dr.Pepper commercial. I don't think I could ever knot a cherry stem with my tongue.
Gwen Stefani, what do you think of her solo work? Just as Fergie stepped away from B.E.P. a bit, No Doubt was her backbone for a while and she's branched out into different ventures.
I think Stefani never really made the music I expected. It always seemed like she was trying to do something different. I'll have to review her soon, it's been a while since I listened to her.
ReplyDeleteI really love No Doubt though, one of my favorite 90's bands.