Search - Pharrell :: In My Mind (Clean)

Pharrell, You've Left Me Speechless {2 Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 08/07/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'll probably be called a hater, but....I'm not. I've been a Pharrell/Neptunes fan since back in the day when they were making beats for Ol' Dirty B-stard and Noreaga (late '99/early '00). I've always loved his production and I was one of the DJs in Virginia that would bump their sh-t in the club and on my radio show (during college) when cats were hatin' their sound. But the bottom line is the production here simply doesn't measure up to the bangers P has put out (it doesn't have to sound like the old stuff, but d-mn, these beats are awful) and on top of all that, Pharrell can't rap or sing...he's vocally useless (just peep his performance on Jay Z's Unplugged album). This is what happens when cats gas your head up (especailly after he dropped "Frontin'") and you end up thinking you can do no wrong. I think that's why this joint got pushed back. Guest appearances are from all the people that P has done beats for (Jay Z [who drops a horrible verse on "Young Girl"], Slim Thug, Snoop Dogg, etc.) and they do nothing to help the album at all.



There are a few decent joints production wise, but everything falls back on P's inability to rap or sing. His flow is elementary and he isn't really saying anything. I kind of dig "Number 1" with Kanye West, but that will probably pass in a month.....then I'll be forced to drop my already generous 2 star rating.



In My Mind probably should've stayed in Pharrell's mind instead of him manifesting it in CD form. There are a few nice beats, but they aren't enough to mask Pharrell's mailed in rap verses and off key singing. Pharrell is just cashing in on his buzz because, well, that's what you're supposed to do....I guess. He knows people will buy this because of his production history and the fact that people will buy whatever major labels tell them to. But I can't honestly recommend buying this, it's 100% pure garbage. I recommend downloading this if you must hear it. Otherwise, take a pass.



Standout Tracks: Number 1 feat. Kanye West"

Pharrell, Go Back To The Drawing Board

Dexter Kyner | Austin, TX | 08/09/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I read Norfeest review and I must say I agree with his write-up 100%. I'll also give Pharrell a two star on this CD but I consider this CD an artist rip-off. I'm also A DJ and I'm from the ATL; I tend to grade hard but I try my best to be honest and fair on my evaluations.



The reason I'm calling this an artist rip-off CD; it's typical of an artist like Pharrell, to ride the coattail of pass successes. They'll come in, produce an album while the fire is hot and take the money and run! This is the type of CD that causes people to revert to illegal downloading of MP3's.



Two artists in the past year has released albums that does just the opposite of what Pharrell's album has done. And those artists are Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. I hope more artists including Pharrell, would take notes on that and more people would pass on downloading that one good song on their CD and buy the whole thang! Nuff said!!!"

Very Inconsistant Album From Pharrell (Rating: 6 out of 10-

Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 10/10/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I love Pharrell. He is one of my favorite producers and I enjoy freestyling to his beats. When I heard that his album was coming out, I couldn't wait until to hear it. It was supposed to come out in Feb '06, but the critics said it wasn't as good as expected, causing him to go back and change it (or so I heard). Finally in July he comes out with his solo debut "In My Mind". Listening to this album it is very inconsistent, mostly on Pharrell's behalf.



What's good about this album is that I like his production for the most part. Most of it is on point. On the song "That Girl" with Snoop Dogg, would showcase what Pharrell can do. I also enjoyed the beat to the inspirational song "You Can Do It Too" as well as "Stay With Me" with Pusha T from The Clipse. Basically his production is the main highlight on this album.



The bad about this album is his rhymes. Since Pharrell is more for production, his vocals and rhymes are not on point for the most part. When singing "Angel", he sounds horrible. His hooks are not as good either. He takes a line from his verse in Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" and uses it as a hook for the song "Raspy S***" as that as well as the rhymes fail. The song "Our Father" just doesn't work at all, in my opinion.



But his rhymes do shine at some points. "Best Friend" goes good up until the last verse. The inspirational "You Can Do It Too" is a good song and he rhymes on point. And some of the singing isn't bad as on the song "Number One" with Kanye West as well as "I Really Like You".



Production wise is good, but lyric wise is bad. Many people like this album for the production, and I say it's good for the most part. But his rhyme and singing skills definitely need improvement because they lack on this album. We all know Pharrell is capable of much better, but it's not shown effectively as we expect. If you're a fan of his production, I recommend this album to you. If you're looking for any lyrical skills, this isn't where it's at.



Lyrics: C-

Production: B+

Guest Appearances: B-

Musical Vibes: C



Favorite Tracks: That Girl, Take It Off (Dim The Lights), Stay With Me, Number One



Honorable Mention Tracks: Best Friend, You Could Do It Too



Peace Everyone!

"