Elephunk

by

The Black Eyed Peas

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When I first heard "Where is the Love" last summer, I couldn't stand it. I dismissed the Black Eyed Peas as one hit wonders and waited for their moment to pass. Then I heard "Shut Up" and was surprised I liked it. It wasn't until I heard "Hey Mama" that I fell in love with them. This CD is by far the best hip hop album right now because each song, even "Where is the Love", sounds good when you listen to the entire album. In my opinion, they are just as good, if not better, than that other visionary hip hop group, Outkast. Each song sounds like a radio smash, and it's not surprising this group has moved past the one hit wonder tag.

1)Hands Up- gets the CD off to a good start. One of the best party songs of the past few years. The perfect opener for this CD.

2)Labor Day- probably my favorite song on the CD. The beat is infectious, the vocals are top notch, and I think would be an even bigger hit than "Hey Mama" if they release it as a single.

3)Let's Get Retarded- the title threw me off at first, but they say right off the bat it's not meant to be offensive. It really is a good song and it's no wonder it is their latest single.

4)Hey Mama- yes, it's not the same version we heard on the radio, MTV, and VH1. Does that make this version bad? No, the track still holds up even without the excellent Fergie vocals heard on the single version.

5)Shut Up- I like the way this song sounds. The vocals play off each other very well, and even though it's about a disastrous relationship, you can still dance to it.

6)Smells Like Funk- another really good song. I like the beat.

7)Latin Girls- a little long, but it's still a really good song.

8)Sexy- I like the feel of this song. It's very smooth and it sounds great.

9)Fly Away- a great showcase for Fergie. She probably sounds her best on this song.

10)The Boogie That Be- another really good party song. The beats are really strong.

11)The APL Song- a good song. I like the way this song tackles an overused subject but still makes it sound very good.

12)Anxiety- a surprisingly strong rock song. The appearance of Papa Roach sounds strange in theory, but makes perfect sense when you hear it.

13)Where is the Love- not my favorite, but I really do like this song now. I understand the lyrics more now. They even make Justin Timberlake look good.

14)Let's Get It Started- the radio version of Let's Get Retarded. My only problem with it is that if they could put this single onto the CD, why couldn't they put the version of Hey Mama we all want to hear on it?

HIDDEN TRACK)Third Eye- probably the most political song on the CD. I really enjoyed this song and think it's the perfect way to close a near-perfect album.

I highly recommend this CD. I can't think of one song that I don't like, and that is a rarity nowadays. This album should have gotten so much more praise from critics than it got, but I believe someday this album will get the respect it deserves.

In my opinion, I've never seen any hip-hop artist sell out like the Black Eyed Peas did in Elephunk. If you want to hear some great music, check out their previous cd's, they're through and through some of the best albums I've ever heard. I don't buy Cd's all that often and when I purchased this cd, I couldn't have been more let down. Unless you're 12 years old and like "Lets Get it Started/Retarded" then this should be entirely disappointing for you. Sorry to say it because I previously loved BEP when they used to diss sold out artists, until they became one of them.