In My Mind [PA] - Pharrell (CD 2006)

*Disclaimer: I ain't dissin' Clipstans here. I'm jez sayin', their beats aren't The Neptunes' only good sh*t.

Even if you're not big into rap, you may've heard of Pharrell. Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot?" That N.E.R.D. single "Lapdance" I swear everyone seems to know? I'd mention that first Justin Timberlake album too, but I ain't tryin' to lose my whiteboy suburban hip-hop cred here. Really though? Not bad at all.

But while Pharrell and his production partner Chad Hugo (known as The Neptunes) were pretty much on top of their game earlier this millennium, not just as far as hip hop but in pop music in general, things ain't been so sweet lately. Chalk up part of their decline to some of Pharrell's Hugo-less output last year. For every "Partners for Life" and "I Gotcha," there was stuff like Skateboard Pizzle's attempt to thug out his beats on Grandpa Snoop's "returnin' to my gangsta roots!" Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. No doubt certain people may've liked those beats because they were grimier and less "pop" compared to The Neps' previous work with Snoop. To me? They just sounded like sh*t compared to the usual 'Tunes sound.

So I was skeptical about picking up Pharrell's critically-panned solo debut In My Mind, especially given the fact that it was similarly Hugo-less (and officially this time -- P doesn't try and credit himself as "The Neptunes" behind the boards) and that, well, like Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, P's a non-rappin'-*ss producer. But dammit if I wasn't gonna get my Neptunes fix after I couldn't find that older Neptunes Present... Clones CD. So I picked it up.

Seriously? This ain't bad at all. In fact, most of it's pretty damn good. Maybe not quite up there with that N.E.R.D. debut album, but it's something you can pretty much enjoy all the way through, with some small exceptions. Pharrell the non-singin'-*ss singer happens to win the battle against Pharrell the non-rappin'-*ss rapper here, thanks in no small part to his beats in the more R&B half here having a fuller, more vibrant sound. The production on the hip-hop part of the album is quality too, but a couple of songs ultimately devolve into half-*ssed attempts at the Neps' trademark minimalism (particularly on the irritating, percussion-heavy "Keep It Playa") where Hugo's absence is most evident, as they ain't no "Drop It Like It's Hot"s or "Grindin'"s.

I know what you might be thinking by this point. "OK Trey, so the production's good. How 'bout the actual rapping and singing? This album'd be better if Pharrell's mouth was wired shut." Not so fast now. Sure, Pharrell's rapping doesn't have a ton of personality, but don't shoot me, I actually kinda like his singing. (With apologies to Beanie Sigel, who I know has his issues with both Pharrell and Kanye West.) Pharrell ain't winning any competitions anytime soon, but his strained falsetto actually works well with the production here. Not to mention, he has some incredibly amusing (in a juvenile way of course) lines here that make this the funniest rap album I've heard in a while. So much that I've decided to dedicate a whole section of the review to 'em.

In My Mind quotables/what the f*ck did he just say?
*The hook to "Can I Have It Like That," which features Pharrell and Gwen Stefani trading the lines "Can I have it like that?" and "You've got it like that" in deadpan
*Pharrell the monotone rapper on "You Can Do It Too," where he goes "My d*ck is being sucked down, by a b*tch named what now" and "Life's got a fat *ss, trust me I'ma f*ck full steam"
*Pharrell the singer at the beginning of "Angel," where he sings "She got an *ss like loaf of bread...you wanna slice!" in falsetto
*The entirety of his castrated falsetto singing on "I Really Like You," which almost reminds me of Puffy on Biggie's "Playa Hater"
*The entirety of "Take It Off (Dim the Lights,)" which I'm convinced was intended to be a joke. Part of the hook: "I'm a master baby with your bra," although the lyric sounds a little different than that on first listen

OK, so enough of me listing amusing lines that probably don't look all that funny on paper. While the rap section of In My Mind is solid, there's two highlights in particular -- opening track "Can I Have It Like That," featuring a basic-yet-addictive bass rumble, and the swirling synths and keyboard textures on "You Can Do It Too," which comes off sounding like a seriously toned-down version of something on that first N.E.R.D. LP (a good thing.) The latter has lyrics that're particularly inspiring: you too can be a filthy-rich hip-hop producer who only gives people beats if they let you sing or adlib over the hook. Isn't that everyone's dream?

In My Mind really hits its stride when "That Girl" kicks off the R&B portion though; the song gets double points for saving the album from that sh*tty Slim Thug-featured "Keep It Playa" track. The beat here's got some of those typical Neps synth buzzes, some great string sounds in the background, and a percussion effect that sounds like crickets chirping, if that makes any sense. It's a nice mix of the more signature Neptunes sound with some weirder elements thrown in, and Snoop kicks a guest verse that's relatively inconsequential but manages to be smooth and melodic nonetheless.

The production goodness continues on "Young Girl," an incredibly uptempo synth-banger with some seriously deep bass and perfectly-timed drum hits. The song's also interesting for having quite possibly the most un-Hov Jay-Z verse I've ever heard. I mean, dude once rapped "And I ain't animated like say a Busta Rhymes" on one of his songs, but you'd think that line was a fat lie just based on his verse here. While I can see some people thinkin' he comes off as awkward here, I actually think it's probably one of Hov's better guest spots in recent memory. Weirdly, the next track "I Really Like You" is joined with this song rather than being a separate track, but I actually like the high-end synth buzzes and booming drum pattern on this song better. Plus a harmonica's thrown in toward the end -- OutKast ain't got nothin' on this! Pharrell sings in probably the most ridiculously over-the-top falsetto tone here of the whole album, but it actually meshes well with the backing track. Plus you may get a laugh or two outta it, so that's gotta be worth somethin' no?

"Young Girl"/"I Really Like You" are pretty much where this album peaks in my mind (no incredibly witty pun intended) but the rest of the songs here continue with the synthed-out feel of the R&B section with good results. I gotta say I'm pretty partial to "Take It Off," which like I mentioned is one part smooth slow-tempo production and two parts standup comedy, but most everything in the second half is quality material. I could complain about it being formulaic and nothing you wouldn't expect from Pharrell, but then I'd just be graspin' for straws, cuz it all sounds great. The clear highlight toward the end of the album is undoubtedly "Number One," a slightly more toned-down piano-n-synth banger in the vein of "Young Girl," which also features an scene-stealing verse from Kanye West that's somewhere between charming and corn syrup (and works in any case.) I gotta give props to P here, he snatched two of my current favorite rappers for two of the album's best songs, and threw schmoes like Slim Thug (OK, I'll admit, he does kinda have a cool voice) on the worst stuff here. Good look.

Should you expect any real serious, emotionally impactful material on In My Mind? If you've heard any of Pharrell's million and one guest hooks or any of his guest raps, you probably know the answer to that question. But I look at this album much the same way I look at Timbaland's recent release Shock Value -- provided you don't take it that seriously, it's just plain entertaining, party-type music, and I can dig that. What you get with In My Mind: reliably hot beats, competent rappin', and better singing that occasionally makes what'd only be mildly amusing lines sound hilarious. Although I wouldn't recommend P leaving the production chair and doin' stuff like this full time, if ya go into this with that lighthearted mentality, you probably won't be disappointed.

Though for the record, Pharrell IS a better rapper than Timbaland. OK -- Pharrell's invisible ghostwriters are better than the Mosley Music cronies who write Timbo's "rhymes." Maybe he pays 'em more?