Monkey Business by Black Eyed Peas (CD, Jun-2005, A&M Records USA)

Unfortunately this album does not live up to my expectations, which were low to begin with. Don’t get me wrong – I’m as big a fan of Fergie’s navel as the next guy – I’ve simply lost affinity for the original group of musicians that could have chosen an entirely different path to achieve success.

I used to be a BEP fan, in the pre-Fergie days. Their best albums, Behind the Front and Bridging the Gap, were a refreshing change of pace and a nice foray into a genre of hip hop with an undertone of R&B percussion.

Monkey Business has a whopping 15 tracks, and includes some outsiders such as Justin Timberlake, the masterful James Brown, Dante Santiago and even Sting. The album starts out with Pump It, a rendition of Miserlou from Dick Dale that made it’s resurgence in Pulp Fiction. Track 2 is Don’t Phunk With My Heart, which requires no explanation since it is probably one of the most played-out songs in recent radio history. Don’t Lie, the next track, is actually a smooth track by MC Will.i.am that’s worth a listen – I’d suggest an iTunes download for this one. A little later comes My Humps, and it probably doesn’t take too much imagination to figure out what Fergie is referring to in this number.

Monkey Business is made for the masses (specifically, your 16 year old daughter’s birthday party), and it’s a classic example of an album designed to reach new audiences and capitalize on financial opportunity.

There’s not much that sounds or feels original about the album and the money in your music fund is better spent elsewhere.