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He’s the mastermind behind the Black Eyed Peas, and he’s produced some of the biggest names out there. But in his new solo album, Songs About Girls, will.i.am throws his fans a few curveballs—by adding a little bit of heart to his usual soul.
The songs on this album really are all about girls (except for the last one, which is a little more abstract—it’s about Mother Nature). Yes, there’s a song about a stripper (“Get Your Money”). There’s a song about admiring a beautiful stranger (“Ain’t It Pretty”). And the album’s first single (“I Got It From My Mama”) is an ode to beautiful girls and their mamas. But give the whole album a listen, and you’ll find much more than just a bunch of Black Eye Peas-style club songs.
Take the first track, for instance. “Over” is just the first of a number of songs on Songs About Girls that focus on the end of a long relationship—one that was supposed to lead to marriage and kids and happily ever after, but it lead to fighting and hurt and regrets instead. It seems as though writing many of the songs on the new album may have been a kind of therapy for will.i.am—a cathartic way to talk through what went wrong and to figure out how to move on. The lyrics are smart and thoughtful and sincere—so much so, in fact, that if I happened to be his ex, I might be tempted to give it another chance (but, then again, I always was a sucker for a well-written apology).
But don’t think that all the songs about fighting and heartbreak and regret make Songs About Girls one big downer. It’s not all slow and sad and depressing. On the contrary, some of the most penitent songs still manage to keep things moving. And you’ll still find a few of the standard club tracks (like “I Got It From My Mama” and the rather long and annoying “The Donque,” a tribute to a certain part of the anatomy, featuring Snoop Dogg) that you’d expect from the guy behind the Peas. So don’t worry. There’s plenty here to get you moving. The album’s infectious beats and catchy, often repetitive, lines manage to keep it light and upbeat—even when the lyrics aren’t.
Of course, the album does have its low points, too. It’s sometimes a little bit corny—and a couple of the tracks go on a little too long, overstaying their welcome a bit. But Songs About Girls is a danceable (or at least, in its slower times, grooveable) album. There’s nothing especially mind-blowing about it, but it’s a solid, well-written, and often heartfelt album by a talented artist. Fans might be surprised by the heart, but they’re sure to dig the soul.
