Album- The Dutchess
Artist- Fergie
During the first hiatus from the band and
before will.i.am was setting the music charts on fire with his big name
collaborations in his solo career, Fergie was definitely the major star of the
Black Eyed Peas in terms of solo success, releasing her debut album The Duchess
to worldwide success, with the record selling over six million copies
worldwide. The album (whose title is a derivative and misspelling of the
Duchess of York, with the whom Fergie shares a nickname and surname with) also
set a record in the digital era for the most multi- platinum selling singles
from one album, with five multi-platinum singles, a record that was held until
2012. In the wake of the singer having some new solo success in her
contribution to the 2013 Great Gatsby movie soundtrack, and news that she has begun recording a second studio record, I
look back to see why The Dutchess was such an impressive debut.
Track 1- Fergalicious (featuring
will.i.am)
Featuring her fellow Black Eyed Peas
member and friend will.i.am, Fergalicious is a an electro and hip hop song that
comes across as a kind of self-love anthem. Employing a rap style in the vocal,
the song focuses lyrically on Fergie being in a state of self-pride where she
raps about besting all other woman, whilst telling us that no other man is
worthy to date her. The raps and singing has a strong vocal performance from
Fergie who brings a nice sensuality to the track, but will.i.am should have
just stayed as a producer of the track, as his small moments of rap don’t
really add much appeal to the track. The frenzied state of the production gives
the song this cool vibe, featuring a great utilizing of synthesized strings to
give the song its fast paced energy. The track could be cut down a bit, and is
border line egotistical, but if you want a song to kind of make you feel cool
and good about yourself then this should do the trick.
3/5
Track 2- Clumsy
Sampling ‘The Girl
Can’t Help It’ by Little Richard, Clumsy is a mid tempo bubble gum and electro
pop track that is very much a love song, as the lyrics center on the singer
being a bit clumsy because she is falling in love. The lyrics are slightly
clichéd but the use of the Little Richard sample gives the song a snazzy
quality that makes the track more appealing. Vocally the song nicely shows of
the smoothness and a little bit of the soulfulness of her voice, keeping things
simple and showing off a bit of sass in the snappiness of the bridge, which
finds the singer speaking of how this is not the first time she has been this
clumsy. The sweetness of the song feels true, and is made snappy by the
electronic beeps of the production that gives the song this nice, laid back
groove.
3.5.5
Track 3- All That I Got (The Make Up Song)
(featuring will.i.am)
Will.i.am comes
on board once again as a guest artist, but this time things are a bit slower
and more soulful, with a touch of 1960’s glamour to it that fits well with the
Dutchess concept of the record. The song finds an emotional Fergie asking her
man if he will be there for in the future, as she will really give him all that
she can offer. The song shows off the power of the singers voice and feels like
a true plea, with the ‘do do do do’ hook of the track being very catchy and
giving the song this old school air. The production is also cool and offers a
bit of diversity through the more organic tone of the track that comes complete
with dramatic strings and laid back drums and guitar. The only issue is that
once again will.i.am doesn’t really add anything to the track and provides a
dismissive and small rap section that is purely excessive.
3.5/5
Track 4- London Bridge
The records lead
single and Fergie’s debut single as a solo artist, London Bridge is feisty hip
hop and dance song that strongly utilizes some horns in the production. With a
moderate hip hop groove the song contains another element of self-pride in some
of the lyrics, and finds the singer giving us a little bit of a hard to
decipher song that finds her addressing some things and poking fun at stuff
that is written about her, whilst the chorus focuses on the use of a sexual
euphemism that just feels snappy and catchy. The song has a touch of Gwen
Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’ about it and finds the singer in a feisty frame of
mind vocally, showing us some smooth raps and singing. The production is also
feisty in its own way, with club stomping beats and jazzy horns. The English
ending of the album version is weird, but as a whole this is a good song that
acted as a strong debut for the singer.
3.5/5
Track 5- Pedestal
A snappy hip hop
and RnB tune that features snappy electro beats with more organic string and
piano melody, this song features Fergie once again in more of a feisty state of
mind. However here things are more anger fuelled and relationship based, with
the lyrics focusing on Fergie bluntly telling this guy that he is not as great
as he thinks and should come down off the pedestal he has put himself on. The
song features cool and sexy vocal performance from the singer that makes the
tune more powerful in the way that it isn’t too aggressive but still has that
strong undertone, and makes putting this guy down more impactful. The use of a
nursery rhyme within the song is also intriguing and a little mischievous
sounding, whilst the production has a snappy backbeat and nice blend of other
instruments to just give the track this snappy but laid back feel that shows
that Fergie is actually better than this guy.
3.5/5
Track 6- Voodoo Doll
Things are
perhaps a little too slow to start with this song, but the slightly rockier
edge of the opening is intriguing and so keeps your attention peaked. The whole
track itself once again employs horns and has a moderate groove with a slight
reggae quality. The song finds the singer in a warped state of mind where guys
come across as simply players and she just doesn’t know what to do with
herself. The song is cool lyrically but lacks a strong catchy hook. However the
vocal performances have a cool and light quality in places that makes things
believable, whilst the bridge has a feisty quality, with the horns bringing a
powerful sound to the track. Something could be done to make things more
powerful and catchy, and the final 20 seconds of the song is just weird rather
than cool, but on the whole this song is ok.
2.5/5
Track 7- Glamorous (featuring Ludacris)
An airy pop and
RnB tune, Glamorous became the singer’s second solo number one on the Billboard
Hot 100, and finds the singer in a smooth groove with a slight 1980’s vibe. The
track is probably the song that lives up to the Dutchess titling of the record.
Here we find Fergie singing about how she is living this fast lifestyle of
mainstream success and widespread fame, she remains true to herself and her
roots, being a song that has an autobiographical tone. The song has a some
snappy rapping style vocals in the verses from Fergie, whilst the airy vocal
tone of the chorus gives the song this Glamorous feel and makes things contrast
well with the staying true to your roots ideology of the lyrics. Ludacris
brings us a snappy guest rap that just mixes things up nicely in the song and
stops us from getting bored. And the production of the song is really great,
with producer Polow da Don giving us a nice bland of snappy keys with techno
beats, and just creating a moderate rhythm that allows for the vocals and
lyrics to really shine.
4/5
Track 8- Here I Come (featuring will.i.am)
The last of the
will.i.am guest features on the record, Here I Come was a promotional single
release and is a hip hop, dance and soul track. The song once again utilizes
some sampling of older music tracks very well and blends the modern the
sensibilities very well. The track is an upbeat number where Fergie raps and
sings about how she is feisty and ready, and so people should prepare for her
entrance. The song finds the singer in a commanding state, and out of all of
the will.i.am guest features this is the one song where the rapper actually
provides a strong rap guest feature that feels cool and like Ludacris mixes the
song up a bit. The production features a simple bass and hand clapping beats
that makes the song light but snappy, and makes this both a feel good and
chilled track.
3.5/5
Track 9- Velvet
Like the title
might suggest, things take a bit of a softer and more sensual edge with this
track that really finds the singing ramping up her sex appeal. With the lyrics
we find the singer telling this guy that he makes her feel so good, and he
should just come and make her feel good again. The song has more of
straightforward quality that some of the other songs, and vocally shows off the
singers voice nicely in terms of the smooth tone, with a smoky quality to the
vocal that makes things truly sensual. The production of the track is also
smart, with a simple bass and airy tone that simply allows the vocals to really
be the standout component of the track. The bridge shows off the power of the
singers voice well, and the final few seconds of the track ends things on a
really cool, sexy note.
3.5/5
Track 10- Big Girls Don’t Cry
Simply featuring
writing credits from two people, Fergie and Toby Gad, Big Girl’s Don’t Cry is
also intriguing in the way that here we have a straightforward pop sound that
incorporates acoustic and classical elements. Lyrically the track finds the
sing in a fragile state where this relationship has ended and she has to deal
with the issues surrounding that, but she purely states that she has to be
strong. The song is very lyrically astute, with a purity that really makes the song
empowering. Keeping the production light with the simple bass and great use of
strings just creates a great sound that in its own way feels delicate and
emotional. The production also really works in allowing for the singer to
really show off her vocals, with the vocal performance being delicate but
powerful and nicely showing off the range that she is capable of, whilst not be
annoyingly over sung or overproduced.
4.5/5
Track 11- Mary Jane Shoes (featuring Rita
Marley and the I-Threes)
Featuring the widow
of late reggae legend Bob Marley and her former group the I-Threes , Mary Jane
Shoes starts off in a little bit of dark atmosphere before developing into this
light reggae and hip hop based tune. More lyrically sparse than some of the
other tracks, here we find the singing telling us about how these Mary Jane
shoes make her feel nostalgic, safe and just all-round cool, acting as a nice
metaphor for the things in life that just make you feel comfortable, like
family and home. The vocal performance has a light and airy quality that makes
the singer come across very carefree, with Marley and the I-Threes providing
some nice background vocals that give the song some great harmonies. The
production has a light sound with a laidback groove. However the final minute
of the song is a bit strange in the way it diverges into this rock sound and
then this just weird vocal section, and is something some people might like but
to me just feels like the song is being dragged out.
3.5/5
Track 12- Losing My Ground
Opening with a
breathy vocal from the singing, this song has a more a sensual edge to the
vocal performance and a lighter quality, but still shows of the power of the
singers voice and shows more emotional power. The singing is lyrically in a
state of turmoil as she is unsure of herself and her surroundings and just
feels like she is losing herself. The song has simple but powerful message and
perhaps nicely addresses the difficulty of dealing with fame, with Fergie
giving us a vocal that really commands us to listen to what she is singing, but
not in an overpowering way. The pop state of the production with the light
drums and acoustic guitar melody acts as a both a soft but forceful sound, and
with the use of an orchestra the song really builds and makes more of an impact
on the singer, with the repetition of the lyrics having this almost pleading
tone because of this dramatic impact.
4/5
Track 13- Finally (featuring John Legend)
The closing
track and the song that ended her streak of top five hits on the Billboard Hot
100 (and which failed to chart on that chart), Finally is a pop soul ballad
that ends the album on a real delicate state. Lyrically the song has a sincere
and honest quality as Fergie sings about growing up and finally beginning life
in a renewed way where she realizes that she can really open herself up. The
lyrics have a poetic quality that is powerful, and once again this is a simple
song that allows for the singer to show off the range and power of her voice,
giving s a performance that feels as grand and powerful as the production.
Legends feature comes in the form of the piano within the track, which is the
most fragile quality of the track that acts as the song backbone and blends
well with the orchestra to just create this deep but also light and dramatic
but not too overdoing it sound, just creating a softer, emotional song that
acts as quite a beautiful end to the record.
3.5/5
Final Review
The Dutchess is
definitely an album that deserves the success that it had, showing off feisty,
sensual and emotional sides of the singer very nicely. The album also features
a great meddling of genres and old school with modern sensibilities, whilst
Fergie always gives us vocal performances that in a way command our attention.
The only thing that I feel is a small issue with this track is that sometimes
the songs feel a little bit familiar to some of Fergies contemporaries, but
this is only a minor issue, and as a whole package this record is exciting,
engaging and makes me want some new music from the singer soon.
8/10
Best Track- Big Girls Don’t Cry
Worst Track- Voodoo Doll
No comments:
Post a Comment